Featured Image Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty
Topics: Food and Drink, News
Niamh Shackleton
No, you're not imagining things if you think that Coca-Cola tastes better in a glass bottle in comparison to can.
Gen Z are currently loving what's been dubbed a 'fridge cigarette', AKA a nice, cold, crisp can of Diet Coke — but some prefer a classic Coca-Cola in the iconic glass bottle.
The matter has long been a topic of discussion with people taking the places like Reddit to see if people feel the same way about bottled Coca-Cola tasting different (if not better).
One person questioned on a thread dating back four years: "Why does Coke in glass bottles taste better?"
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"Just slaps different," somebody replied, as a different person wrote: "I heard it’s a different type of sugar. They use cane sugar in the bottled variety."
"I don’t know, it’s just does, especially when it’s the last one in the fridge," someone else agreed.
But there's actual some science behind Coca-Cola tasting different in a glass bottle, said Rowland King, Director at the glass bottles supplier Quality Bottles.
He explained: "Glass is chemically inert and non-porous, which means it doesn’t react with the drink or absorb flavour compounds. That helps keep the taste exactly as intended from the moment it’s filled to the moment it’s opened."
Carbonation behavior is another important factor.
"Fizzy drinks rely on dissolved CO₂ for their bite and freshness," King stated. "Over time, plastic is slightly permeable to gas, even when sealed.
"Glass isn’t, so carbonation is typically retained more consistently, which can noticeably affect the taste and how it feels to drink."
He continued: "Bottle shape also comes into it. A narrow bottleneck concentrates aroma and slows down how quickly the drink hits the palate.
"That subtly changes the flavour perception compared to drinking from a wide can opening or pouring into a cup."
Then there's the temperature of the drink too.
"Glass bottles are thicker and tend to chill more evenly and stay cold a bit longer once removed from the fridge," said King.
"Since temperature strongly affects flavour perception, that alone can make the drink seem more refreshing."
The revelation about Coca-Cola tasting 'better' in a glass bottle comes as a YouTuber has claimed to have discovered a near-identical dupe of the top secret recipe for the beloved beverage.
The YouTuber, known as LabCoatz, reportedly tried 111 times to find the perfect replica of the drink after 'studying literally every aspect of the drink' by reading scientific papers, conducting a chemical analysis, and more.