Meryl Yourish, evaluating Coke’s new low carb product, C2, says “It sucked.” She offers an identical evaluation of Caffeine Free Coke and Diet Coke. As an alternative, Kevin Aylward notes that “Diet Lime Coke is surprisingly good.”
I saw C2 in the stores yesterday but, frankly, it’s overpriced and the 8-pack gimmick annoys me. I go out of my way to avoid products intentionally put into irregular package sizes to make price comparison difficult for the innumerate. (Of course, when the store has Pepsi products, including Diet Dr Pepper and Diet Mountain Dew, on sale for 5 for $10 whereas the 8-packs of C2 are 2 for $6, one’s math skills don’t have to be all that good.)
And, really, the variants of Diet Coke–with zero carbs, too–are pretty good. I concur with Kevin on Diet Lime Coke, which I found on sale at the local Wegman’s weeks ago for $2 a 12-pack. I don’t like it as well as Diet Cherry Coke or Diet Vanilla Coke, but it’s better than Diet Lemon Coke, plain Diet Coke, or Caffeine Free Diet Coke.
For those looking for a warmer beverage, Steven Taylor points us to an innovative new decaffeinated coffee, a concept that makes me shudder. Also, apparently TiVo has finally made it to Alabama. He likes it.
UPDATE: Other reactions:
- Jason Trommetter disagrees with Meryl’s assessment of C2: “[I]t tastes great! In a blind taste test, I’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between C2 and Classic.”
- Jeff Quinton is less enthusiastic, “I still prefer regular Coke but if you’re doing the low-carb thing it’s better than Diet Coke (especially the nastiest stuff known to man – caffeine-free Diet Coke.)” [I believe a consensus is forming on the caffeine-free products. -ed.]
- Chris Lawrence offers a more nuanced assessment: “My general first impression is that it tastes like a slightly less syrupy version of regular Coca-Cola Classic; unlike, for example, Diet Coke,* it actually manages to evoke the flavor of regular Coke.”
- Len Cleavelin notes that the new product doesn’t help diabetics much.
