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Diet Coke Plus, reviewed

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new diet cokeHave you heard about Diet Coke Plus? It is regular, zero-calorie diet coke that has had vitamins and minerals added to it. The soda is Coke’s newest offering and is designed to turn diet coke into a health drink in the minds of consumers. The company has no plans to change or replace regular diet coke, but merely to give consumers another (healthier) option when drinking soda. Each 8-ounce serving of the soda provides “a good source of Niacin (vitamin B3), vitamins B6 and B12, zinc and magnesium (15% Daily Value [DV] for Niacin, B6 and B12, 10% DV for zinc and magnesium).”

Diet Coke Plus, despite the fact that a serving size is 8-ounces, is sold in 12-ounce cans. The drinks have begun to hit stores in the past week or so and I picked up this particular can in the refrigerated case at Target. According to Coke, the “sleek” can I picked up is a limited edition design to promote the soda during its release and will be replaced with a more traditional looking can in a few weeks.

Surprisingly, Diet Coke Plus did taste almost exactly like regular diet coke, although it seemed to be slightly less carbonated. There were no aftertastes or off aromas, which sometimes occur with “enhanced” drinks, that I could pick up. That said, the decrease in carbonation was a drawback for me, as it is one of the things that makes regular diet coke so refreshing.

I doubt that I’ll go out of my way to buy more, as I’m not particularly concerned with my intake of the vitamins it includes, but as long as you’re a diet coke fan, this might not be a bad way to get a few steps closer to the RDA of the b-vitamins, niacin, etc.

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9 Comments
  • LinC
    April 11, 2007

    The FDA is warning about the consumption of enhanced drinks (including those performance waters). If you drink much during a day, it’s possible to go over the RDA for some vitamins. This can cause problems, especially if you already take a multi-vitamin. The advice is to go easy on these things.

  • Maggi
    April 11, 2007

    I’m sorry. Soda is not a ‘healthy’ drink no matter what you put in it. It’s all smoke and mirrors…

  • Nicole
    April 11, 2007

    I agree with you guys that soda is hardly a “health” drink, no matter what they add to it. It does make you wonder whether they – by which I mean beverage/soda companies – are going to try to add even more to their drinks in the future to make them more appealing to consumers.

  • Heidi
    April 11, 2007

    Nothing about this soda or the idea behind it appeals to me. Diet Coke is that drink and vitamins are something else entirely. Anybody else remember the “power” Frappucino option at Starbucks where they’d put vitamin powder in your drink for 40 cents more? People don’t drink sodas or Frappucinos if health is what they are after.

    I think it’s Coke trying to capture more of the water market. If you notice, there are a ton more sugar-free drink mixes intended to go in single bottles of water than ever–Crystal Light just launched a pile of new flavors. People are drinking more bottled water in the name of weight loss and health and I think that the fact that there’s no regular sugared “Coke Plus” being released along side this proves my point.

  • Heidi
    April 11, 2007

    And my guess on the soda companies next step–instant sodas, the drink mix idea gone portable.

  • kelly
    April 11, 2007

    Has Pepsi countered with a similar product yet?

  • Brett in San Francisco
    April 19, 2007

    I agree with your taste test. I just tried it for the first time and the lack of carbonation is a deal breaker for me. Why does Coke always screw something up when the try to release a new product? I would probably have switched to this since I drink a lot of Diet Coke (2-4 a day) and at 25% of the RDA of Vitamin B6 and B12 would give me some lasting energy. I love carbonation though that diet coke and Hansens seems to have. I detest flat cola, which is what this is. Great taste + concept, lousy execution. Can’t a company with this deep of pockets find a product manager that knows its customers tastes/wants a little better?

  • sheila
    May 11, 2007

    forget the vitamin coke and bring back the DIET cherry coke!!!!!!! the new cherry coke zero is terrible and very disappointing.

  • Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!

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