Monday, July 28, 2025

The Return of the Real Thing

Sometimes the heavens do indeed move as Coca-Cola announced it is bringing back the "original" Coke, otherwise known as the "Real Thing."  

It was 40 years ago when Coca-Cola Coca-Cola ditched the iconic Coke and rolled out "New Coke."  The company was facing stiff competition from Pepsi.  Coke figured the way to beat Pepsi was to become Pepsi.  The "New Coke" had a sweeter taste, much closer to Pepsi.  Gone was that familiar kick one enjoyed when drinking some good ole Coke.  

After months of public outrage, Coca-Cola introduced "Coke Classic" but the formula was still not the original Coke as fructose corn syrup replaced cane sugar.  The soft drink had the familiar taste but that trademark "kick" was gone.  If one craved true Coke, he had to shell out a buck a bottle for Mexican coke in the grocery stores.   Eventually, Coca-Cola phased out "New Coke" as its sales plummeted 

Fortunately, Coca-Cola announced last week it is rolling out a cane sugar version of Coke.  The Wall Street Journal reported last week: 

The soda company plans to add a line of cane sugar-sweetened Coke, its chief executive said, after Trump last week said Coca-Cola had agreed to use “REAL Cane Sugar” in the soda.

Cane sugar-sweetened Coke will be a new product and isn’t replacing standard Coca-Cola, which is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, like many other sodas and drinks in the U.S.

“This is really an ‘and’ strategy and not an ‘or’ strategy,” CEO James Quincey said in an interview. “We are going to continue to use a lot of the corn syrup that we do now.”

Coca-Cola has enough cane sugar to launch the new line, Quincey said. “Over time if there’s more demand, they’ll plant more acres,” he said. “We’re confident that supply won’t be an issue.”

Quincey outlined the sugar plans after the company on Tuesday gave its full-year earnings a slight boost but reported lower-than-expected revenue for the second quarter. The Atlanta-based beverage maker said it now expects adjusted earnings per share to rise 3% for the full year, instead of 2% to 3% as previously projected.  Article

Of course, the corn lobby complained.  They can go shuck corn.   

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Coca Cola - rotting the nation's teeth and promoting diabetes since its inception.

Anonymous said...

If there is one thing the US and the world needs desperately, it's yet another high-calorie beverage with no nutritional benefits and lots of health-related downside. As to the corn lobby, maybe they should be satisfied with "burn uses" - things like internal combustion engine fuels - where there is actually an arguable basis for its inclusion/use in many types - but not all types - of such fuels. Of course and alas when there is money involved, most people are never satisfied with enough.

Anonymous said...

Thank you President Donald Trump and Secretary RFK Jr.
Now let’s bring back reusable glass bottles with deposits instead of using plastic that never gets recycled and is literally causing us cancer and infertility by filling the planet with microplastics particles!

FYI plenty of nations still use the glass bottles with deposits.

Kingfish said...

Why? All they do is ruin engines and get lower gas mileage. Need to get corn out of the engines but thanks to Iowa caucuses, we have to give welfare to the corn lobby through mandates.

Anonymous said...

IDGAF what it's made of. EBT shouldn't pay for it. Plus nobody likes Pepsi.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it would be preferable for one to not drink any soda, but, if you are drinking soda, sucrose and fructose are processed completely differently metabolically in your body.

Kingfish said...

Amen.

Anonymous said...

The dead zone in the Gulf would like to have a word with you about that so called 'clean' ethanol and what runs off all those farms in Illinois and Iowa every time it rains.

Anonymous said...

Coca Cola should be a treat not a daily drink. Hot day mowing grass? You just burned 500 cals? Enjoy a coke on ice!

Have you been sitting on the sofa for 6 hours watching TV and getting thirsty? Yeah that coke is a bad choice.

Unless you walk to a convenience store to buy it. I like to do that whenever I get a Coke craving.

Anonymous said...

@ 9:31 - I've drank about a Coke a day for ~50 years and have zero cavities and all of my original teeth, except for one that was broken in an accident. So peddle your piddle elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

Said the owner of Coca Cola

Anonymous said...

Just bring back the original coke. Wink wink.

Anonymous said...

Real Mississippians drink Mountain Dew and then get a bigass dip and refill the bottle with brown spittle.

Anonymous said...

@9:31 Actually it was low-key getting everyone addicted to Coca leaf extracts

Anonymous said...

@9:59am - You failed to address your BMI and how much insulin you’re taking.

Anonymous said...

If we replaced Coke with meth, nobody would care then either.

thelaw said...

40 years ago? Na. The REAL coke is from 140 years ago (1886).

Anonymous said...

Lots and lots of things rot the teeth, not just what is found in Coca-Cola. The problem with people who have rotting teeth is a lack of daily hygiene (simple brushing). But I suppose those people have to blame something other than themselves.

Hermey the elf said...

Amazing that they can generate $47B in sales by marketing brown sugar water globally.

Anonymous said...

"Why? All they do is ruin engines and get lower gas mileage. Need to get corn out of the engines but thanks to Iowa caucuses, we have to give welfare to the corn lobby through mandates."

First, ethanol does not "ruin engines." In fact, certain engines are designed to run on alcohol alone.

In any case, I did not say that it was a good thing or a bad one, only that it was arguably reasonable. IMO, it can be a reasonable blending agent with "car" gasoline but it should not be subsidized, much less mandated (Avgas is an example of why). Ethanol is hydrophilic and a corrosive, so the fuel system does have to be designed to take that into account ala Flexfuel vehicles and E85 (and the prohibition of it being in avgas). Yes, there is less "energy" in a gallon of ethanol vs a gallon of gasoline but that's a price-per-mile thing for vehicle drivers. $3 per gallon of gasoline that runs a vehicle for 30 miles is the same as $2 per gallon eth that runs it for 20 miles. In real-world terms, it's about 10% so $3 gasoline and $2.70 E10 blend is about the same price per mile.

As to eth blends being largely a product of the corn lobby, that's true. But that fact alone doesn't make it good or bad as a gasoline blend even if it makes it an improper subsidy to a particular industry.

Anonymous said...

Ethanol gas = CORPORATE WELFARE!

Anonymous said...

9:42 do you really think there is a significant difference between drinking sugar water that is 55% fructose versus 50% fructose?

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, let's ad "microplastics" to the "sky is falling" list that includes global warming, climate change, the ocean is rising, ozone layer, scary guns, cow flatus, spotted owls, a threat to democracy...

Anonymous said...

The problem with blending ethanol with gasoline is that you take a fuel that naturally repels water (petroleum distillate) and make it attract water with alcohol. And we live in a humid environment so just the transition from night to day causes condensation. That ethanol then sucks that water right in. It starts with the tanks at the station and ends with your fuel can or lawnmower tank. It is nasty. And fuel stabilizer doesn’t help much to stop the ethanol from collecting water either. So don’t fool yourself into believe that bottle of Sta-bil stops water absorption. All it is doing is putting a thin layer of kerosene (lighter than gasoline) on the top of your gasoline. That is literally all it is doing. Shake up the gas can and you me the water, ethanol, kerosene, and gasoline together in a nasty, performance-robbing blend. Modern fuel injection cars have knock sensors that can compensate. But not that carbureted lawnmower.

Anonymous said...

Hey 12:08, go talk to any small engine repair shop owner. 100% of the owners will disagree with you. I used to have problems with my lawn equipment. Since I went with 100% gasoline (ethanol free) I have had no problems.

Get corn out of our gas tanks and move the Iowa primary caucuses to Super Tuesday.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info. I use corn gas in my zero turn. Have to spray starter fluid into the air intake to start it each time. Switch over to 100 % gas and it cranks right up. Now let me calculate how many cans of starter fluid I've use over the years. The things you don't know will cost you big time.

Jimmy Crack Corn said...

With a reported 13% of the US population not having enough to eat, why the hell are we continuing to make fuel out of food?

Anonymous said...

I don’t care as long as my Coke mixes well with my whiskey.

Anonymous said...

1:13 - You know what walks when money talks. In this case, "campaign contributions" (what a joke) to our venal politicians (and who among them isn't).

Anonymous said...

Nothing better than some ether to be sure there isn't too much oil hanging on those cylinder walls!

Anonymous said...

9:32 and 12:08 here - those cautioning folks not to put it in (nearly all) small engines, most of which fuel systems are not specifically designed to deal with ethanol, are exactly right, as are those calling the subsidizing of it corporate welfare. OTOH, for vehicles designed for it, it is not an issue at all. Those are just the facts and have nothing to do with it being subsidized or that it is not a universal substitute in all applications for pure gasoline.

My rule is to never use eth-blended gasoline in ANYTHING except vehicles with fuel systems designed to handle it (which includes all or most cars made in the last 10-20 years - most recent cars can handle E15 even if they can't handle E85). If an emergency requires using E10 (like after a storm in a generator), the fuel system gets a good cleaning, along with filter change if used, ASAP.

Anonymous said...

I drank Coke regularly until I became diabetic. Now I only drink lemon water.

Anonymous said...

Make America Stupid Again - oh wait - we already are.

Anonymous said...

Yeah that corn gas will clog up the carb every time.

Anonymous said...

"Thanks for the info. I use corn gas in my zero turn. Have to spray starter fluid into the air intake to start it each time. Switch over to 100 % gas and it cranks right up. Now let me calculate how many cans of starter fluid I've use over the years. The things you don't know will cost you big time."

Sounds...suspicious. If you didn't completely drain the entire fuel system and only filled the (even empty) fuel tank with pure gasoline, you'd still be starting the engine on the "corn gas" in the line, filter, pump, carb bowl, etc. As to the starting fluid, not a good idea - ever - in anything other than in a real emergency. If an engine won't start on the fuel it is designed to start and run on there is obviously a problem that needs to be fixed and starting fluid is not a fix.

Anonymous said...

I'm skipping past the cane sugar Coke and going straight to the bloodletting with Lamprey Eeels!

Anonymous said...

This is 9:59. My BMI is about 23.6, I have no blood sugar issue, no medications, and no health issues other than a bit of old-age creaking, and a very low tolerance for knowitall fools.

Anonymous said...

Amen to 3:08 pm.
I happen to enjoy coke. Will be interesting to try one of the cane sugar ones.

Anonymous said...

Too bad the price of coke is going to increase because of this . They will have to import a large portion of the sugar from Brazil and we just slapped a 50% tariff on them.

Macy Hanson said...

A Mexican (cane sugar) coke with a cigar is ny afternoon go to. This is great news.


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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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