• Australia's largest state hits record-high COVID-19 cases despite weeks of strict lockdown. 'It's a tinderbox ready to explode,' one official said.
• eToro says crypto made up 73% of trading commissions in the last quarter, as retail customers dived in
• A flight attendant says she was too exhausted to report a passenger who shoved her when a flight was overbooked: report
• US jobless claims climb for first time in 5 weeks, to 353,000

PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE has a preference between Coke and Pepsi, even though most people can’t tell the difference.

So what is the difference?

“Pepsi is sweeter than Coke, so right away it had a big advantage in a sip test. Pepsi is also characterised by a citrusy flavor burst, unlike the more raisiny-vanilla taste of Coke. But that burst tends to dissipate over the course of an entire can, and that is another reason Coke suffered by comparison. Pepsi, in short, is a drink built to shine in a sip test,” writes Malcolm Gladwellin Blink, explaining why Pepsi tends to win the Pepsi Challenge.

Turning to nutritional content, Pepsi has slightly more sugar, calories, and caffeine. Coke has slightly more sodium.

There are also mysterious differences in the natural flavours included in each drink.

Despite these differences, most people can’t tell the difference, according to a study by Samuel McClure and Read Montague: “Coke and Pepsi are special in that, while they have very similar chemical composition, people maintain strong behavioral preferences for one over the other. We initially measured these behavioral preferences objectively, by administering double-blind taste tests. We found that subjects split equally in their preferences for Coke and Pepsi in the absence of brand information.”

What really matters is branding, and Coke’s brand is more valuable. That’s why Coke is winning the Cola Wars.

In 2011, Coke brand held 17 per cent of the US soda market, followed by Diet Coke at 9.6 per cent and Pepsi at 9.2 per cent, according to Beverage Digest. Meanwhile Diet Pepsi languishes at 4.9 per cent after a dearth of ad spending.

- Gus Lubin

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More