Kosher Coke, or Mexican Coke made with real suger cane (1 Viewer)

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by Chas in CT
Yes, the bottled Mexican Cokes are expensive, and an occasional treat, not a regular thing. I enjoy one every week or two at most. I've been a diet soda drinker for years now, and my regular is Coke Zero, for which I remain eternally grateful. Its creation was the greatest thing ever.

I pick up a case whenever Costso has it in stock as a special treat.

 

[Charles Smith]

They all taste nasty in a can. I can't think of one soft drink, diet or otherwise, that tastes like its true self when drunk out of a can.

Maybe someone who grew up drinking exclusively out of cans feels just the opposite.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Yeah, I bought a 12 pack of sugar Dr Pepper, but I didn't even finish them. I'll stick with my bottles.

 

[Charles Smith]

I was really looking forward to the Dr Pepper, but around here it was only available in cans and consequently there was no distinction whatever to the taste.

 

[Greg_S_H]

You could order some to try here:

http://www.olddocs.com/product.aspx?id=145&up1=273&up2=275&up3=269&cat=Drinks&subcat1=Dr%20Pepper&subcat2=Made%20with%20Sugar

but it's going to get pricey.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Wow, I really need to check the After Hours section more often. What a great thread.

A couple of points to add:

1) There are 2 Coke bottlers in the U.S. that never switched to HFCS and you can buy it with sugar year round for a fraction of what the Mexican Coke costs. The 2 bottlers are in Cleveland, OH and Allentown, PA.

2) Here's a great article about a study conducted at Princeton University where they fed rats equal amounts of calories of either sugar or HFCS. The ones who ate the HFCS gained significantly more weight than those who ate the sugar. I often have people tell me "a sugar is a sugar". I print out this article and it usually shuts them up:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

3) If you live near a Cost Plus World Market, they sell a variety pack of classic sodas in glass bottles made with cane sugar (Double Cola and Bubble Up are two that come to mind) and they are reasonably priced.

4) One of these days I hope to make it to West Jefferson, NC (which is considered the Mecca of soda junkies). The bottler there sells directly to the public the following sodas in glass bottles made with cane sugar:

7-Up
A&W Root Beer
Big Red
Cheerwine
Cool Mountain
Crush Orange
Dr Pepper
Mt. Dew
Nehi Grape
Nehi Orange
Nehi Peach
Nu Grape
Red Rock Cola
Red Rock Ginger Ale
RC Cola
Sunkist
Welch’s Grape

http://www.glassbottlesoda.org/bottlers/wjefferson.shtml

If I ever make it there, I'm afraid as to how much I would spend!

 

[Charles Smith]

Great info, thanks! Now I remember hearing about the Cleveland bottler at some point, but didn't know if that was old information. I'll be driving right through Allentown in a couple of weeks. What should I look for? Are some of those Cokes available in the glass bottles?

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Thanks for the Princeton link, Jeff. I'm definitely saving that to show people who insist there's no difference.

 

[Malcolm R]

I may have mentioned this before, but Jones Soda Company puts out a whole line of sodas all made with sugar. I usually find them in Kmart, but I'm sure they must be sold in other places.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Originally Posted by Chas in CT
Great info, thanks! Now I remember hearing about the Cleveland bottler at some point, but didn't know if that was old information. I'll be driving right through Allentown in a couple of weeks. What should I look for? Are some of those Cokes available in the glass bottles?

I would just go and try to find one of the larger grocery stores that carry a big selection of sodas. Here's the website for the bottler there:

http://www.lehighvalleycoke.com/default.asp

From their front page:
Coca-Cola Bottling of the Lehigh Valley is also one of only two plants nationwide that actually produces Coca-Cola products with sucrose, or real sugar. It uses sucrose from sugar cane or sugar beet rather than high fructose corn syrup derived from corn.


Good luck with your visit! I'm not sure if they have the glass bottles or not, but it's very possible that they will have the smaller 8 oz glass bottles.

I just mailed a letter to Coca-Cola in Atlanta telling them how much I love Coca-Cola but that I have switched to Pepsi Throwback because I refuse to buy any more products with HFCS. I explained that the Mexican Coke tastes great but is far too costly to drink on a regular basis. If I get a response back, I will post it here.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Originally Posted by Malcolm R
I may have mentioned this before, but Jones Soda Company puts out a whole line of sodas all made with sugar. I usually find them in Kmart, but I'm sure they must be sold in other places.

The Jones Cola is very, very good. I have tried other sugar-sweetened colas such as Whole Foods 365 or Blue Sky and didn't care that much for them. But when I can't find Pepsi Throwback, Jones would be my go-to Cola.

 

[TonyD]

Originally Posted by Jeff Adkins
I would just go and try to find one of the larger grocery stores that carry a big selection of sodas. Here's the website for the bottler there:

http://www.lehighvalleycoke.com/default.asp

From their front page:
Coca-Cola Bottling of the Lehigh Valley is also one of only two plants nationwide that actually produces Coca-Cola products with sucrose, or real sugar. It uses sucrose from sugar cane or sugar beet rather than high fructose corn syrup derived from corn.


Good luck with your visit! I'm not sure if they have the glass bottles or not, but it's very possible that they will have the smaller 8 oz glass bottles.

I just mailed a letter to Coca-Cola in Atlanta telling them how much I love Coca-Cola but that I have switched to Pepsi Throwback because I refuse to buy any more products with HFCS. I explained that the Mexican Coke tastes great but is far too costly to drink on a regular basis. If I get a response back, I will post it here.

I can't seee anything on that site suggesting I can go there and buy direct from them.
Maybe I'll send a note asking if that's available. I wonder if the soda sold at the Phils minor league park Coca Cola Stadium offers sugar from their fountains.
Guess a road trip next summer is on tap.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

I can't seee anything on that site suggesting I can go there and buy direct from them.
Maybe I'll send a note asking if that's available. I wonder if the soda sold at the Phils minor league park Coca Cola Stadium offers sugar from their fountains.
Guess a road trip next summer is on tap.

Sorry for the misuderstanding. I don't believe you can buy directly from the Lehigh Valley, PA bottler. But all Coke products in grocery stores there should be made with sugar (sucrose). The bottler that sells directly to the public is West Jefferson Dr. Pepper in North Carolina which carries many varieties of soda in glass bottles sweetened with sugar.

 

[KeithAP]

I just bought myself a Soda Stream. Basically all it does is carbonate fluid. They also sell various syrups and flavorings. I mention it because their syrups for the regular sodas are all made with a mixture of splenda and sugar, not HFCS. Of course, there is nothing forcing you to buy their syrups. Personally, I plan on just mixing fresh (not from concentrate) juice and water to create a lighter calorie drink without a bunch of unnecessary junk added in.

Making your own sodas isn't exactly a new idea, although I think this company is first with a big marketing push. Just thought I would mention it.

-KeithP

 

[Nelson Au]

Just saw an article about the health risks of caramel coloring in colas. Since Pepsi started making Throw Back Pepsi, I've switched back to it over Mexican Coke. I wonder how the caramel is made in those?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-f-jacobson/caramel-coloring-in-soda-_b_823639.html

 

[Charles Smith]

I would have thought caramel coloring is in all colas, name brand or generic. Probably some other sodas, too.

 

[WillG]

Been having trouble finding Passover Coke this year so far. Anyone else having any luck

 

[Kevin Hewell]

I haven't looked yet but I'm going to Kroger this afternoon and I'll see if they have them.

mmmm, sucrose!

 

[Nelson Au]

Throwback Pepsi seems to be much more widely available now and no longer a short term release. If I'm wrong, please correct me. I stocked up with about 10 cases, just in case they go away again.
Would that work in place of Passover Coke?

 

[Charles Smith]

I've been waiting for Coke to get with the program, seeing the success Pepsi has had with Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback. Yes, it sure looks like they're making it a regular thing. Good for them! And, as always, I say that as a lifelong Coke loyalist.

I haven't noticed the Passover Cokes in the store yet, either, but now that a local store is stocking the Mexican GLASS bottled Cokes, I've converted (pun intended) to those. Because they, to me, fully represent the taste sensation I grew up with. I'm a happy boy. Also, once I started buying the Mexican bottles, I found that my remaining 2-liter Passover Cokes had a taste blend that was very rich, very delicious, but different from the perfect balance I'm getting now from south of the border.