I’m a Pepsi fan. I like Coke too but I’ll always take Pepsi over Coke if I have a choice. A year ago, one would be hard pressed to convince me that there was no real difference between the two drinks. To me the drinks were very distinct; so much so that I preferred one over the other. But in a college marketing class I took last spring, my beliefs surrounding brand name soda were shattered.
During class one day my professor asked for a show of hands of those who thought they could tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke. I raised my hand along with most of the other people in the class. The professor picked me along with three others and she told us to leave the room. She filled up three cups for each of us. One was filled with Pepsi, one with Coke, and one with a generic cola. We then came in one at a time, took a drink from each cup, and guessed what we thought each one was.
After all of us had finished, the professor revealed the answers. All of us had gotten at least two wrong. I remember that I had gotten the last one right, and I probably only got it right because it was the only choice left. The whole experiment changed my soda buying habits. I switched from buying Pepsi to buying generic cola at the grocery store. Not only did I care much less about the label on the can, I was also paying half of what I was paying when I bought Pepsi.
My Taste Test Experiment
I told my friend Jimmy about the experiment. Sure enough, he was very confident that he could taste the difference, so I challenged him to a test. The test would include him and four other people. The test would consist of two rounds. During each round I would pass around three cups and everybody would take a drink and write down what he or she thought was in each glass. The choices were Pepsi, Coke, and generic cola. Between each drink the participants ate a cracker to clear their palates. After each drink and before the next drink, the participants were to write down what they thought they had just drank. Answers were not shared until the test was over.
Here are the results:
| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | |
| 1st Drink | 2nd Drink | 3rd Drink | 1st Drink | 2nd Drink | 3rd Drink | |
| Jimmy | Pepsi | Generic | Coke | Generic | Coke | Pepsi |
| Liz | Pepsi | Coke | Generic | Generic | Pepsi | Coke |
| Catie | Coke | Generic | Pepsi | Generic | Pepsi | Coke |
| James | Generic | Coke | Pepsi | Generic | Coke | Pepsi |
| Kim | Coke | Generic | Pepsi | Pepsi | Generic | Coke |
Here is what was actually in each cup:
| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | |
| 1st Drink | 2nd Drink | 3rd Drink | 1st Drink | 2nd Drink | 3rd Drink | |
| Pepsi | Generic | Coke | Generic | Pepsi | Coke |
It looks like Jimmy was able to distinguish between each of the three drinks in the first round. He was the only one to correctly determine all three drinks in the first round and to identify Coke as the third drink. Everybody else missed at least two choices in the first round and James missed all three.
The second round was a little more interesting. Everyone except Kim correcly determined that the first drink was generic cola, and Liz and Catie correctly determined all three drinks. Jimmy’s confidence failed him during the second round and he missed two.
It would be interesting to expand this experiement and see the results over ten rounds.
Why was nobody able to reliably determine what they were drinking? I think it’s probably because the different colas are essentially the same drink. An article in the Independent contained some interesting insight into this:
The experiment, a laboratory-controlled version of the famous Pepsi Challenge, revealed that flavour seems to be the last thing that consumers rely on in their preference for Pepsi or Coca-Cola.
When asked to taste blind, they showed no preference. However, when the participants were shown company logos before they drank, the Coke label, the more famous of the two, had a dramatic impact: three-quarters of the tasters declared they preferred Coke.
In other words, seeing the brand label is how your brain will perceive the flavor. The difference in taste is all in your head. And for those who are still adamant that there’s a huge difference between Pepsi and Coke? They’ve just been brainwashed by advertising.
It was the crackers! They destroyed my sensitive palette!
I wonder what would have happened if you had only used Pepsi and Coke. From my experience the two taste different, but when you throw in those generic drinks they typically taste extremely close to one or the other and throws the whole test off. Your experiment does make a strong case for buying generic instead of brand name but it doesn’t determine if one can tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke.
i think it was because we were drinking from a communal cup. everyone else’s slobber threw me off.
Just because you’re friends are coketarded doesn’t mean they taste the same. They both have distinct tastes and anyone that argues that is a moron. We keep both in our house and I know exactly when my wife has poured me Pepsi as I hate the sweet turd cola.
It doesn’t matter. You should be drinking a San Pellagrino. Both Coke and Pepsi are very bad for you. If I venture into a soft drink I prefer Root Beer or a taste of Mountain Dew. Water is the best elixer.
Since when was the test about which is better for you? I thought it was a taste test.
I want to punch the pretentious rich bitch above who said “you should be drinking a san pellagrino.”
I don’t know why your friends couldn’t identify the drinks. I have participated in blind taste tests, and I can distinguish Pepsi and Coke. Sometimes I have trouble distinguishing generics from Coke, but Pepsi tastes so much different than anything. I like Pepsi better, and I can always tell when someone hands me a Coke, even without seeing the label.
When I did the taste test, I also got the generic cola confused with Coke.
This expiriment and the outcome are described in detail in Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink”.
Sorry but the test is completely useless in that form.
the professional setting is te following: you need 10 equal looking smal cups, lable the cups. a person who prepares the test for you fills in 5 drink a and 5 drink b. and he order the cups in pairs (one a and one b cup). The tester now has to order al cup pairs in the order he liked it (write it down), dont forget to drink water inbetwen…
a normal human being is able to seperate 100% coke and pepsi - with the generic it might be a problem with one of them (its most time indeed from out of the same machiene…) hence you can use this test to find your generic cola.
you can also try to seperate waterbrands - ppl with normal trained taste can seperate it very easily!
btw the problem of the test proposed by the marketing prof is a problem of remembering tasts - thats lots more challnging than destingushing but you can train that as wel - but dont do it with cola wine is much more interesting
I chose Jif!
Eveybody took a drink from the same cup? I personally dont drink after anyone I would’nt tongue kiss…..
You should try this test and use only Pepsi and Coke. There IS a difference. By adding in the generic brand you defeated the purpose. If you are testing whether people can tell Pepsi from Coke you should use just those two. I do agree that you might as well buy generic brand cola… but I still think that it shouldn’t have been included in this test. Also I agree with Mark I wouldn’t drink after anyone that I wouldn’t feel comfortable frenching… in my mind those are essentially the same things… swapping spit.
The real purpose of the test was to show that different brands of colas have no real difference. If there is a big difference between Coke and Pepsi then nearly everyone should have determined that the first drink was Pepsi. Two got it right but two others thought it was Coke.
As for drinking out of the same cup, we all know each other and don’t really get our panties in a wad over stuff like that.
That’s cool looking generic cola.
Then how come when I eat at a restaurant and I ORDER a coke, but i receive a pepsi, i spit it out without knowing that it was pepsi except by the fact that it tastes like crap?
maybe I am just a god or something
I’m doing this experiment right now.
If it’s a blind taste test then nobody can know the difference. I think that it depends on their tastebuds.
There’s so many things that can mess up this experiment. For one is drinking out of the same cup, that can throw off the taste of the drink. And it’s nasty! The cracker could possibly even throw off the taste. Water is better.
I’ve done the experiment with my brother. We both can tell the difference 100%.
Unfortunately, your friends suck.
Now, if you came to me and asked me to tell the difference between Pepsi and RC that would be a bit harder. (I love Pepsi and RC - infinitely better than Coke.)
Im sort of the same as James. Ive dont the experiment with my brother and we can both tell the differenct between Coke and Pepsi.
Telling the difference between Coke and any other generic cola product is easy. The only thing hard is when ur trying to tell the difference between Pepsi and one of the other brands, because they both taste like shit.
Anyone who thinks bottled water is better than most tap water is a chump and is wasting their money (not to mention polluting the planet with millions of plastic bottles.)
Tap water, people. Unless you’re living down river from a nuclear plant, your tap water is probably fine to drink. Put a filter on the faucet if the water contains too many minerals.
And soda … bad for you. Bad.
Wow, there’s alot of ignorance in this, so it’s almost a waste of time to try and implement some logic to this, but I suppose I should try. First of all, and I do mean all, drinking after someone else from a cup doesn’t “swap spit”. If it did, than after the second person drinks it, the first would need to take another sip, otherwise it’s just like a pimp(1st guy) spitting in the second person’s mouth. The ho doesn’t spit back, as everyone knows.
As for adding the generic cola into the mix, that shouldn’t do anything to this experiment. It’s the same concept, except the equivalent of “level 2″ in a game. If you can always tell what tastes like coke and what tastes like Pepsi, then obviously the unfamiliar one would be the generic brand.
I have taken several such tests under many conditions. I have always been able to pick out the Coca Cola from the Pepsi Cola or the generic cola. However, I have weird taste buds. I cannot drink diet drinks as the substitute sugar leaves a bitter aftertaste after I swallow.
Im sorry but I found this website because I was doing a similar study but as i read all of your comments I realized that now its just a bunch of bull. You have even paid attention to what the experimenter did.. all your doing is complaining about how you could have done it better. When I did my experiment I found that only one person out of 15 got all of them correct but i have come to the conclusion that it becomes a guessing game because no one really knows what one tastes like than the other. I can not stand pepsi, yet when I did the experiment I got it confused. So there you have it. Stop complaining about what cracker they used or what water is better and how coke is bad for you.. thats not the point of this site.
HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII……………..IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEE PPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIII
I disagree with you.i have very distict taste buds,and PEPSI(the greatest drink on earth)does not taste anything like COKE.And COKE Tastes nothing like COLA.
Leave Me a Message @ Myspace.com/Americasleastwanted104
i dont see why people sont just buy the generic version. Because if you want to go taste smart they all taste the same and if you wanna go money smart, pepsi - 3.78 per 2liter, coke - 4.5 per 2 liter and generic - 155 per 2 liter
Cool experiment, but I wouldn’t be caught dead buying homebrand/generic!
i also did that experiment for my 8th grade science fair it was alot of fun
You probably did “experiment” with your brothers, Watson and James. Fags.
Hello mortal humans, I have choosen to blog here because there is some confusion about whcih soda is better. Take it from god, Coke is better. Pepsi is the drink of Satan. You can use Coke to vanquish vampires. I’m god, would I lie to you. Coke is truly better than Satan’s drink(Pepsi). If you disagree, you will go to hell.
Damn you god. I wanted these pathetic mortals to be cursed for life by drinking Pepsi. Go jump off a dimention or something. My plans are ruined. GGD you will go to hell. I look forward to meeting you. You will be my next bitch.
Also Brandon, you will be my sex toy. Haaaaa haaaaa Haaaaaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaaaaaa HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Also GGD, if you have a son he is a true S.O.B.
Pepsi is sweeter than Coke and has a bad aftertaste, That is the reason people are thrown off in taste tests. When they drink more of it they will have a bad aftertaste and have too much sugar. They then don’t blame the Pepsi. COKE FOR LIFE!!!!
Try testing if people taste due to color. For example, dye colorless soda really orange, they’ll think it’s Orange Soda.
Coke or pepsi?
Just drink the shit by the gallons and shut up because you just don’t know any better. And the debate whether one can tell the difference is being promoted by the very same Coke and Pepsi, I suspect. What is the worst is that this debate has been brought to schools and has divided families like the comment posted by WebmasterX above demonstrates. He has to buy them both because his wife is also a “soda connoisseur”. I guess this benefits both Pepsi and Coke.
You people are all brainwashed.
fruad waste abuse, check your spelling
Also, I have a life so I’m not going to check everyones spelling. You did screw up. Check your spelling.
WHATS UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
Getting back to the subject of this friggin’ board, pepsi has a slightly more grapish-fruity taste while coke is more of a sugar rush fizz fest!!
sounds crazy.. yes.. anyways.. pepsi owns coke any mother funken day!
POWER TO PEPSOI!! YO MAAM!!
sorry I went crazy.. my bad
i think that the only reason people say that theres is a difference between pepsi and coke is like the paragrah says it is allin your head and if peopledidnt know what they were drinking then theywouldnot be able to tell the difference between coke and pepsi
Water, anyone?
the elixir of life?
Lol
this is really gunna help for my project thanx 4 samiling those drinks
WOW this is awsome….
I LOVE COKE
i think pepsi is
like ewwww
trust me i dnt think its all in
your head!!
i lovee this websitteee..
its so whippeddd.
i love you all
and coke too.
pepsi owns coke ANYDAY ^_^
do NOT think any different.
im out
peaceyo!
exoh
For gods sake, they are pretty much the same thing. Pepsi & Coke have the same taste.
WHO CARES what the brand is? You are just wasting your money if you stick to one drink
when something the same is cheaper.
I do notice differences between the two. I find Pepsi to have an extremely sharp taste, and impossible to drink in the morning due to an unpleasant aftertaste. It’s only in the afternoon, after my tastebuds have woken up that I’m able to enjoy it. Coke tastes smooth at any time of day. I generally prefer Pepsi, but I also buy Coke sometimes because I can drink that in the morning. There is nothing in this world which beats ice cold Coca-Cola from a traditional glass bottle when you’re dehydrated.
the differences between the two drinks are so minute that the only way a person can tell the difference is if they drink WAY too much of one, which means they are that company’s bitch anyway and shouldn’t comprise a sample set of “unbiased persons”.
“There is nothing in this world which beats ice cold Coca-Cola from a traditional glass bottle when you’re dehydrated.”
When your THIRSTY, yes, but being dehydrated is a serious condition. while coke would remedy the situation with it’s water content, the body will still need to pilfer the other crap out of it, which is why water is the best drink when your dehydrated.
And, technically, although you can scoff at it, water IS the elixir of life. Just try to find a life-form that DOESN’T contain any… for that matter try to go without a drop of it (BTW, all drinks contain water, which should go without saying) for three days.
Today my psychology teacher did a similar experiment with our class. We had to try and see if we could taste the difference between coke and pepsi. We were split into 5 groups and one person in each group was a taster. The other members were pourers, runners and recorders. In order to make it a double blind study the only person who knew the real contents of each cup were the pourers.
I, of course, was a taster. The pourer would sit outside the class room and pour the drinks. When they were ready the runners would take the cups labeled A and B. They would then bring it back and have the taster drink from each cup and see if we could choose which soda was which.
We repeated this 5 times and all times I guessed correctly. Out of all the tasters 3 out 5 people got it 100%.
I can’t believe that people actually have trouble telling the difference between Coke and Pepsi! it’s blatantly fucking obvious that coke and pepsi have different flavours, retards!
p.s. coke owns pepsi’s arse big time!
I like COKE too much!!
–I am chinese
you gotta rinse with water — thoroughly. a cracker ain’t goin to do it. your dealing with minute changes in flavor. Come on man, Pepsi is the best. It’s totally better than generic colas. I’ve been buying generic colas for a long time because I thought the same thing. This week I’ve gone back to pepsi and I’m like… “WhAt HaVe I BeEn DrInKiNg? ThIs StUfF iS gOdLy!”
yoooooyoooo diz experiment is koolio!!!
The test is engineered to make it hard to tell. Eating a cracker to “clear the palate” has the effect of making it hard to compare the flavours. The original bet was that the students couldn’t tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi, and then the test goes and introduces a third element that many of the students may have never tasted before.
The problem is that the professor went into this with the intention of “proving” a conclusion. It wasn’t an experiment, it was rhetoric. He maintained that it was all in people’s heads, and then tailored the experiment to match that conclusion.
Give a group of people two unmarked glasses, one with Coke and one with Pepsi, and then let them “clear the palate” or not, whatever they choose. I maintain that under those conditions, the vast majority will tell the difference.
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uh, ya do any of you even realise that coke and pepsi are made by the same freaking company??? therefore they will have a similar taste. there is a slight difference but thats only bcuz pepsi has more caramel flavoring, really this is all in your head.
CHEESE WHIZ!!!
OH YA PePsI RULES!!!
u all suck coca cola is way better than every single thing in the planet ya i said it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!u r all mental
coca cola rules ……..woho
Pepsi is so much beter allways is bitches rule