Battle of the Colas: Coke Zero Vs. Pepsi One

The "Soft Drink Wars" of the 80's were entertaining and saved consumers a lot of money. Coca-Cola and Pepsi were out to under price one another to prove they were the favorite. While many families may have preferred one brand over the other, they often purchased the brand that was the lowest price that day. The real test of which was better was during the many taste tests that were commercialized. The days of the Soft Drink Wars are long gone. I have begun my own little comparison with the rival companies newest diet drinks Coke Zero and Pepsi One.

Diet soft drinks are not my thing. I do not like them, never have, chances are, I never will. I started the Atkins diet a few weeks ago, you know, the one where you can have all the proteins and fats you desire, but you give up the really good things in life like pasta and southern sweet tea and sugar filled soft drinks. The diet has worked for me before, so I thought I would try it again. I know it is supposed to be a lifestyle change, but I'm a very picky eater, my regular diet consists of mostly carbohydrates and sugars, and it's difficult to go cold turkey.

Since I am dieting, I have had to forego my Mello Yello soft drinks and have begun the search for a diet drink that I could tolerate. I have tried many diet drinks; none of which I consider good. I recently tried Coke Zero and Pepsi One. I suppose there are people who prefer Pepsi to Coke in general. I am not one of those people. I find Pepsi to be a little to sweet tasting and just generally prefer Coke. Maybe my biased opinion is the reason I prefer Coke Zero to Pepsi One.

I have found Coke Zero to be much less sweet and have little to no aftertaste. If you drink it while you are eating, you will notice no aftertaste at all. It has no calories, no fat, and no carbohydrates, as with all diet drinks. The real difference is the taste. It tastes as close to regular Coke as anything I have ever tasted. There are subtle differences, but they are hardly noticeable. The 20-ounce bottles taste good enough that I can actually drink a bottle without feeling as though I am punishing myself. I have noticed that, while most grocery stores carry Coke Zero in a 2-liter bottle, many convenience stores do not carry a 20-ounce bottle of Coke Zero. I do not know why, maybe it is just not as popular as the regular diet version. Many times, I have entered a convenience store with intentions of purchasing a Coke Zero, only to find they did not have them and had to make another selection.

Pepsi One is Coke Zero's competition. I have found it tastes much sweeter and has an aftertaste. The aftertaste is not as prevalent if you drink it while eating. It too, has one calorie, and no fat, or carbohydrates. The taste just does not compare. When you drink a Pepsi One you have no doubt that you are drinking a diet drink. Pepsi One is much more prevalent than Coke Zero in convenience stores. I have never had a problem finding a 20-ounce bottle in a convenience store. On a brighter note, Pepsi One definitely wins out over its own counterpart, Diet Pepsi.

While Pepsi One is better than Diet Pepsi, it holds no candle to Coke Zero. Coke Zero is the only diet drink I have found that I can actually fool my body into thinking is getting those much desired carbohydrates and sugars. So until they formulate some miracle soft drink that precisely mimics the things that are bad for us, yet still be considered diet, I will be drinking Coke Zero.