All Drinks Taste The Same

Whether you call it diet soda, or diet coke, or diet pop, its all about flavor. However, in my years of drinking cokes (I am from the South by the way), especially diet drinks, I have come to realize something: they all taste the same.

I originally was going to have this article about a diet soda show down, but its hard to have a show down when all these drinks taste the same. Regardless if its Pepsi, Coca-Cola, or some third brand store version, these drinks just don't taste any different. If anything, they all taste alike.

This is very upsetting because I expected variation in flavors. Yet, all I see are variations of packaging and design. This is NOT what I wanted. It seems our minds have tricked us into believing these diet drinks are different. However, our taste buds don't lie: its all the same.

So why is it that people are willing to drink one brand over another? There are people that will argue in favor of Coca-Cola or in favor of Pepsi. Yet, its more about brand loyalty than anything about flavors. I don't see any difference between the two.

As for those who drink store brand versions, they only do so because of budgetary reasons. Now, before anyone blasts me for "calling out" those who drink the store brand, let it be known I've drank store brand diet cokes myself. Never once did I feel any shame in that. It was just out of financial reasons.

In fact, it was store brand diet drinks that helped me realize all diet drinks taste the same. I'd be drinking a Diet Cola and then, whenever I drank a store brand, the taste was so similar it was unreal. As I said before, all that was different was the packaging and design.

Now, this is not limited to diet drinks either. In fact, it could be said that all sodas or cokes or pop; depending on where you live, taste too much alike. Mello Yello tastes like Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper tastes way too much like Mr. Pibb, and regular drinks taste all the same.

Those who might be reading this will argue, "Pepsi tastes syrupy while Coke tastes acidic". I tasted enough soft drinks to know a difference, if one ever existed.

Oh, and it doesn't end with soft drinks either! Bottled water tastes all the same as well! Dasani, Aquafina, Fuji, store brand...again as it was with soft drinks, these bottles of water taste the same. I don't detect any variations with the flavors.

So, I will say it again: if these drinks all taste the same, why is there a choice for one over the other? Number one, its all about brand loyalty. Considering how much someone prefers one drink over another, let's say Pepsi over Coca-Cola, it would be seen as sacrilegious to drink an opposing brand. There is also the concept of pricing. Some will drink one brand over another because of pricing. Whether its Coca-Cola for being pricey to show off wealth, or Pepsi for the working class, or the budget store brand for the impoverished, all sides are influenced by who is buying what.

In closing, I do not understand how anyone would assume these drinks have, if any, differences in taste. Detractors might try to assume its an issue with my taste buds. This is not a good counterpoint because its ad hominem and will cost anyone the argument.

If you do not believe me, feel free to drink a Pepsi, a coke or a store brand version. I'll sit back and wait.