Review: Coca-Cola C2
Jun 16th, 2004 by Steve
As I was driving home from a meeting yesterday, I noticed a gas station advertising that they had one of the new "low-calorie, low-carb" beverages of the summer, Coca-Cola C2. Given my interest in new drinks, I pulled over and decided to try it.
According to Coke, the name "C2" is "short-hand for our basic promise: ½ the carbs, ½ the cals, and all the great Coca-Cola taste. Ultimately, it is a reflection of Coke C2's sense of modernity and optimism together with the authenticity and realness of Coca-Cola." Man, whoever wrote that must have gotten paid well. What the heck is a sense of modernity? Frankly, I think C2 is a dumb name… seems too high-tech for a beverage. Maybe they should have called it "Atkins Freak Coke" or something.
But I know that you all want to know about the taste. Whereas Coke uses corn syrup, and Diet Coke uses aspartame, C2 uses a blend of corn syrup and 3 sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose and Ace-K). It tastes good at first, just like the "Real Thing". However, it's the aftertaste that will get you. Still tastes like Diet Coke in the end. Not quite the same, and not quite as bad, but it's there. You can tell this is a fake.
I predict this product will crash and burn within 2 years.
[...] my negative experience with Coca-Cola C2, I had a lot more hope for Pepsi Edge. Like Coke's product, this beverage [...]
[...] their marketing schemes. They, of course, can develop new products to capture growth — Coke's C2 and Pepsi's Edge are two examples — but reenergizing a brand via new packaging and a [...]
[...] Apparently the carbonated beverage crowd thinks that when it comes to carbs, some are better than none. First Pepsi and Coca-Cola tried to outdo each other with low-carb drinks that at once left a powerful aftertaste and were of higher carb count than their diet iterations. In Coke's case, Diet Coke was the one beverage that was actually gaining market share but is now competing against itself with the company's low-carb C2. [...]
[...] between Diet Coke and Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda? What's the difference between Coca-Cola C2 and Coca-Cola Zero? Which products contain aspertame and which don't? Are there blends of [...]
[...] Coke" formula. (Apparently Coke has completely given up on the sweetening mix found in Coca-Cola C2, which used not only high fructose corn syrup, but also a combination of aspartame, sucralose, and [...]