My Tasty Review of Coke Zero

Though Coke Zero is not a relatively new product, it is new in my life and it has changed the way I shop down the grocery aisles. Throughout my life, I've been living and dying by Coke products. However, as I get older and my thirties approach quicker everyday, I don't seem to shed the calories quite like I did when I was younger and active. I put on an extra ten pounds on what I like to refer to as the "spare tire" and after seeing my belly my wife concluded with her scientific opinion that it was due to a lack of exercise and consumption of five daily Cokes that has softened up my figure. I immediately ruled out exercise and told her that I would start drinking more Diet Cokes. That was a bad idea. Like a tobacco addict switching to candy cigarettes, it was only a matter of time before I converted back to the real thing. My wife, on a desperate mission to get me back into shape and shed a few pounds, introduced me to Coke Zero.

She told me that it had aspartame and acesulfame potassium, which means absolutely nothing to me but if it sounds like some sort of nutritional term then it must be great for me. Apparently, the idea about the beverage is to give Coke addicts the same tasting product in a low-calorie, gothic black themed can. After all, the flavor of Coke is a long lasting one, and with increasing emphasis on weight and healthiness in modern America then Coke decided to jump on board. I thought it was interesting that the can came was black and lacked creative personality. There's a lot of subliminal text going on here. My only conclusion for this is that the bright minds with Coke advertising decided that men needed a drink that was healthy, but didn't make them look like a bunch of pansies. Men, including myself, feel uncomfortable toting around a Diet Coke can, because it's considered breaking various "man laws" for being concerned about their figure. The bottom line is it's not tough drinking a healthy drink. Coke Zero the answer. It's black. It's bold. It says "Zero" instead of "Diet." It appears as a drink that a gothic fan of The Cure will thoroughly enjoy and when I first saw it I immediately thought that it looks like the pressing machine ran out of ink.

With that said, let's get on with what really matters; the taste. Under strict wife/doctor's orders, I tried the Coke Zero product to test my taste buds and I went into the project with much reluctance. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the stunningly accurate flavor that is complimentary to the core Coca-Cola Classic brand. Don't get me wrong, I didn't taste the drink as if I were at a fancy Napa Valley wine tasting, testing my palate and analyzing the spices. There's still a slight hint of the artificiality of the Coke Zero in the aftertaste, but the initial flavor is definitely a large step up from the Diet world. The drink still embodies the sweet and spicy taste and it seems to drown out the aspartame qualities. The only indicator that it's not the Coca-Cola Classic product is the appearance of the can, along with whatever X factor it may be that gives Coke Classic its intoxicating sweetness.

I've had a difficult time switching from the Coke Classic to diet drinks, and I'm happy to say that I've found a product that makes the transition more bearable. I'm glad my wife stumbled across the product and I was willing enough to try it.

One small step for Diet drinks, one giant leap for Coca-Cola.