Soda might not be the healthiest thing you can drink, but sometimes, you just get a craving for it. When you’re really thirsty and you just want an icy-cold carbonated beverage, even if it is just a whole lot of sugar in a glass, few things can taste better than the exact soda you’ve been thinking about. A glass of Coca-Cola poured over ice on a very hot day or paired with a cheeseburger? Yes, please! But no matter how satisfying that can be, one thing is for sure: if you end up drinking the wrong soda, one you don’t like, it can be very disappointing.
A lot of soda drinkers will agree that they either love regular Coke, or they only drink Diet Coke. The difference in taste is extremely obvious, and for those who don’t like Diet Coke, taking a big ol’ gulp of it when you’re really thirsty can be kind of disgusting. It’s just not what you want! But, hey, it happens to the best of us — we don’t realize that a cup is full of Diet Coke, because Coke and Diet Coke look exactly the same when poured into a glass. So…it is totally impossible to tell one from the other? Actually, no. If you want to learn a trick to figure out which is which without subjecting yourself to a taste test, there’s a hack out there that can help you do exactly that.
Okay. So, how can you tell the difference between Coke and Diet Coke without tasting it?
According to a Delish writer, these two sodas actually don’t look quite as identical as you thought they did. If you give them a closer look, you’ll notice a big difference that you’ll never be able to forget.
Delish says that classic Coca-Cola is lighter in color than regular Diet Coke. She backs this up by saying she has six years of experience as a professional waitress, and has been looking at different sodas for that long.
Sounds pretty legit — and it could help you solve all your problems! Except, unfortunately, it isn’t always accurate.
According to Delish, this trick only works with fountain soda: “We tested the soda from bottles and the difference in color is not as apparent.” So if the soda has been poured out of bottles, it won’t look any different in color.
There are other ways to tell the difference between Coke and Diet Coke though.
In an old Reddit thread, one user says, “Put a light coating of the drink around the outside of your mouth and let it dry for a few seconds. Your lips will stick together if it’s real sugared coke.” Probably you’ll taste the regular Coke regardless of the experiment, but whatever.
Another user suggested something similar, saying, “I simply dip my finger in and rub it gently with my thumb until it starts to dry. Sugar is sticky, artificial sweeteners are not.”
Another person said that they can smell the difference. While they don’t expand on that, it would definitely make an interesting experiment.
someone: why do you like diet coke more than regular coke??
— 𝘬꩜ (@musserflie) December 19, 2018
me, unable to taste any difference between any kind of coke: uh? because it tastes so much better?? it's obviously far superior than those other weak ass fools tf
One Twitter user said the way the bubbles fizzle is even different:
I only drink Diet Coke and nobody believes me when I tell them I can taste the difference. Even the way it fizzes is different 🤦
— Rebekka-Mary Darling (@RebekkaMary) January 31, 2018
Oh, and it would be great if restaurants could stop trying to serve one over the other thinking customers don’t notice. We notice!
WHEN I ASK FOR A DIET COKE DO NOT SLIP ME A DIET PEPSI WITHOUT THINKING I WON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE pic.twitter.com/LoIZKzQwGp
— Michael Jenkins (@JenksDC) September 27, 2018
A lot of people on Twitter feel like regular Coca-Cola is the best one. Like this person:
Really don’t understand how some people can’t taste the difference between full fat coke , Diet Coke n Coke Zero🤕 unless it’s full fat it taste like arse😷
— Lauren (@_laurenparkyyy) August 1, 2018
Some people just can’t believe that there are people out there who can’t taste the difference. It is pretty crazy, to be honest.
And some people pride themselves on their tasting abilities!
Just something to think about the next time you’re drinking soda and you’re bored!
And remember: check out the color, the way the bubbles fizz, the smell, and how it feels on your skin. Good luck!
