The Ultimate List: Ranking Every Store-Bought Coca-Cola Flavor

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Coca-Cola is one of the most prominent soda brands on grocery store shelves. In addition to its newest offerings, like the prebiotic soda line, Simply Pop, it has remained a go-to for sugary cravings since its inception back in 1886. 

I have indulged in a can of Coca-Cola a time or two, including at birthday parties, special events, and really any occasion where I could justify its intense sweetness. That said, I’m definitely more inclined to reach for a Diet Coke to get me through a midday slump. My years of experience sipping on Coca-Cola’s products have left me wondering: In a blind taste test, can you truly tell the difference between Coca-Cola’s many flavors? And is there one store-bought variety that reigns supreme in terms of its flavor and mouthfeel? 

In order to find out, I picked up every Coca-Cola flavor I could find at my local Walmart, which means the flavors from its Freestyle machines and AI personalized recipes were excluded from this list. After chilling each can and bottle in my fridge, I sampled them blindfolded, assessing their flavors and overall refreshingness, and then ranked them from worst to best. 

When Coca-Cola announced it would be dropping a new Orange Cream flavor in February of 2025, I felt like I was the only person not excited. I’m not a big orange soda fan because of how artificial it tastes. I would much rather sip on a glass of store-bought orange juice. That said, my expectations were low for this flavor.

This soda needed to deliver two components: orange and cream. When I first cracked the can and gave it a whiff, I couldn’t detect too many orange notes. In fact, I couldn’t really pick out much of anything. The first swig was not as overwhelmingly sweet as I thought it would be. Since I’ve become accustomed to orange sodas that don’t taste like orange anything, the lack of flavor in this can took me by surprise, and I can’t tell you if that’s a good or a bad thing. Fanta definitely has a more pronounced orange flavor than this soda, which may make Coca-Cola’s version more approachable to folks who like a hint of orange, not a full-on fruit bomb. 

Where this soda fell short, however, was the cream component. It got a little bit closer to cream soda than other brands I’ve had, but it didn’t really seem like Coca-Cola fully committed to the cream concept, either. The result is a halfhearted attempt at an orange cream soda, which is exactly why I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to buy a case of it.

I wasn’t impressed by the Orange Cream soda at all, so I didn’t have high hopes for its zero-sugar version either. Orange soda is synthetic enough; a dose of artificial sweeteners only makes things worse. So, I was surprised to see that the zero-sugar version of this fruity Coca-Cola flavor actually ranked higher than the regular one. 

As with the regular Orange Cream soda, Coca-Cola really didn’t deliver on the promise of cream. I found that the Zero Sugar Orange Cream soda had a less vanilla-forward flavor than the Orange Cream. In other words, if you’re after a vanilla soda, you’re better off just buying a bottle of Vanilla Coke. However, the Zero Sugar Orange Cream soda leaned much more into the “orange” component, which is where the original version fell disappointingly short. That said, don’t expect fresh orange here; its flavor is more reminiscent of a classic orange soda and, in all honesty, tastes like a sweeter and more carbonated version of Sunny D. If orange flavor alone is the difference between the original and Zero Sugar Orange Cream soda, I would definitely pick the latter. 

While the orange flavor was spot-on, this zero-sugar soda definitely had a much thinner texture than I was anticipating. It doesn’t linger on your taste buds like a cream soda should, and I was really missing that rich mouthfeel. As such, I wouldn’t recommend going out and buying a case of this soda. Coca-Cola should just stick to what it knows and leave the Fanta-ing to the pros. 

Vanilla is such a beautiful flavor. I love using the extract in cookies, other baked goods, and more. But the vanilla in this bottle of Coke tastes nothing like the vanilla I’ve come to know and love, and that’s the primary reason it ranks so low on this list. 

The flavor wasn’t the first thing I noticed. It was the bubbles. The carbonation in this bottle was very, very weak, making the syrupy mouthfeel much more noticeable than it needed to be. I went in expecting that I was going to get a cream soda-like vibe from this flavor. In theory, the vanilla could have lightened the oppressive caramel notes of the soda. However, I found that the vanilla flavor was very heavy on my palate and was more like cheap, artificial vanilla than the expensive vial of authentic vanilla sitting in my pantry.

I felt that I was a little misled by this bottle of Coke. On the nose, it has a beautiful, light vanilla aroma that teeters on the edge of being authentic. But when you sip it, that pleasant vanilla is all but washed out by the syrupy soda underneath. Moreover, since I performed this taste test blindfolded, I couldn’t decide what flavor made this Vanilla Coke different from the original. I could tell the two tasted different, but I would say this bottle tastes more like caramel than it does vanilla. The world doesn’t need more caramel Coke, which is what kept this bottle from ranking any higher. 

I grew up in a caffeine-free soda household; once a week, the only can I was allowed to drink was usually a caffeine-free Coke, root beer, or ginger ale. My impression of this soda at age 10 versus now has definitely changed. When I was younger, I only drank it for the sugar because, in hindsight, the flavor isn’t good at all. 

As I sipped on this soda, I couldn’t help but notice that it didn’t really taste at all like the original Coke. If I were to put the two beverages side by side and taste them, I doubt I would be able to match them up as the fully caffeinated and caffeine-free versions of the same beverage. This can tastes much flatter than regular Coke, and the lack of bubbles didn’t help elevate its mouthfeel at all. The orange, citrusy undertones are not as present in the caffeine-free Coke, though the anise undertones certainly were. If anything, the licorice flavor was more prominent in this can than in the regular, but with an additional element added to the mix: bitterness. No amount of sugar could mask the bitter notes, which only amplified the anise flavor.

Removing caffeine from drinks changes their flavor, but it usually makes them sweeter and less bitter, seeing as caffeine naturally has a harsh flavor. So I don’t entirely know what was going on with the flavor of this soda. While I found it more refreshing than the other Coke flavors I sampled, I don’t think that its bitterness would be appealing to all soda drinkers. 

Part of what makes a soda so enjoyable is its effervescence. Not only do the bubbles offer a pleasing sensation on the tongue, but they really help uplift the flavor of the soda and prevent it from drying out your mouth. If a soda isn’t bubbly, it isn’t satisfying — this Caffeine Free Diet Coke was neither. 

Diet Coke lacks the same syrupy body as regular Coke, likely because it’s made without high-fructose corn syrup. This caffeine-free version of the diet soda tried to hint at more of this syrupy profile (probably because the caffeine is absent), but all I got was an enhanced bitter flavor and heaviness on my palate. I expected that, because this drink was devoid of caffeine, it would actually taste a little sweeter, but I didn’t get that impression at all. Perhaps the lack of caffeine did actually make the drink taste a bit sweeter, but the addition of bitter-tasting artificial sweeteners, like aspartame, nullified that sweetness and replaced it with an acrid flavor. That said, it wasn’t as overtly bitter as the Caffeine Free Coke, which earned it a higher ranking. But its flavor was mediocre all-around and not at all memorable, so I wouldn’t recommend buying it. 

What do you get when you combine an already artificially sweetened soda with artificial cherry? You get this Coca-Cola Cherry Zero Sugar soda, which is just about as oppressive-tasting as I expected. The aroma is significantly stronger than that of the regular Cherry Coke, and I took that as a warning sign about the flavor inside. The cherry is about twice as intense, which meant I could only take a couple of sips before I had to sit back in my aspartame coma. 

Despite tasting like I took a shot of cherry cough syrup and chased it with some Coke Zero, I will admit that its flavor was still more full-bodied than the Caffeine Free Diet Coke. The cherry notes, rather than bitterness, stuck around, which I found more pleasant than the acrid aftertaste of the caffeine-free sodas that I sampled. You have to really, really like cherries to genuinely enjoy this diet soda, which limits how many people I could see grabbing it from a gas station or while waiting in line at the grocery store. Its heaviness makes it neither refreshing, light, nor easy to sip, and I think there are far better options if you’re looking for a midday pick-me-up. 

From cherry cough drops to cherry candies, I am generally pretty tolerant of cherry-flavored things. However, if given the choice, I can’t say that I would sip this Cherry Coke ever again. This soda ranked relatively low because of how sweet it was. Whether it was objectively sweeter than classic Coca-Cola, I can’t say, though the dominant cherry notes really intensified that cloying quality and made its flavor much more overwhelming than what I’d want from a soda. The cherry competes with that classic cola flavor, and oddly enough, I think the cherry wins. 

Another prominent feature of this soda is its intense acidity. It was like all of the acidic notes in the regular Coke were concentrated when the cherry flavor was added, which made my eyes roll back in my head and say, “Woohoo, isn’t that strong.” You certainly won’t mistake this soda for regular Coke, and it appears that it put all of its weight into creating the strongest, most cherry-forward soda possible. It’s not as refreshing as the Coke offerings that place higher, and its overpowering flavor would make pairing it with food difficult. The only time I could foresee using it is as a substitute for root beer in a float. 

Classic Coca-Cola is refreshing — there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It was the first bottle that I sampled for this ranking since I wanted to get a good idea of what the original’s flavor was supposed to be before deciding how its offshoots and flavored varieties compared to it. 

When I’ve sipped on this soda in the past, I don’t remember thinking so intently about its flavors. But now, I could pull out more of the borderline licorice notes and anise undertones of the beverage. It’s more acidic than I remember. It’s almost like a can of Moxie, a bag of fennel seeds, and perhaps orange extract met up together at a bar. The more sips I took, the more I was able to pick up on those citrusy flavors. 

While its flavor wasn’t entirely unpleasant, its mouthfeel had a few more shortcomings. For one, I found its flavor to be syrupy and cloying, lingering on my tongue for longer than I would have liked, unlike the higher-ranked beverages. Those sodas were sweet and indulgent in that moment, then their flavors dissipated, leaving virtually no aftertaste. In contrast, the original Coke’s orange and licorice flavors glazed my taste buds, and I had to drink several cups of water to wash it out of my mouth. I won’t deny that it’s a classic American soda, but I will say that it’s not my favorite of the bunch. 

When I first heard TikTokers calling Diet Coke a “fridge cigarette,” I couldn’t help but nod. I, too, am not immune to the midday pressures of wanting to crack open a cold can of Diet Coke, listen to the sound of its effervescence hitting the metal of the can, and slowly sip my problems away. And, like a cigarette, I can’t say this soda actually tastes good or is good for me, but it does hit the spot in a way many of the other sodas on this list didn’t. 

It wasn’t until now that I realized how watery Diet Coke tastes. Its flavor didn’t linger on my palate as much as the regular Coke did. Luckily, it didn’t have the same bitterness as the Caffeine Free Diet Coke, which made it more pleasant to sip on. There were few licorice or orange notes milling about, and the only flavors I could taste were the artificial sweeteners and caramel, which muddled together into an artificially sweetened, saccharine bliss. It doesn’t really taste like much of anything besides that, and I suppose that Coca-Cola might have invented it more to be a mindless sipper than a soda meant to be savored. I find few similarities between the flavor of Diet Coke and the original, but I could definitely identify the Diet Coke’s flavor as being distinctively “diet.” The aspartame undertones aren’t for everyone, but I do think it’s more refreshing and lighter than the original Coke, which is why it ranks higher.

I have never been a Coke Zero person — and I think I’ve been missing out. You would think that Coke Zero and Diet Coke would be very similar since they both contain zero calories and no sugar. However, the main difference was that Coca-Cola created Coke Zero in the likeness of the original soda. This means that its flavor is supposed to come closer to regular Coke, unlike  Diet Coke, which was developed as a distinct product with its own lighter flavor profile. 

Coke Zero’s flavor is just as complex as regular Coke’s, but it has some unique flavor nuances that set it apart. When I sipped this drink, I could pick up more minty undertones than the acrid and citrusy undertones of the regular soda. It made me pause and think, “Wait, what is that?” However, unlike the regular Coke, the flavor of this soda faded within a matter of seconds. It lacked the same syrupy heaviness I’d come to expect from regular Coke, which made it far more refreshing. It also had more going on in terms of flavor than my (admittedly beloved, watery) Diet Coke. Even if you don’t generally like popular diet sodas, I think you would really like this one, especially because the artificial sweetener flavor is virtually undetectable. But its flavor still wasn’t as crisp and clean as my top choice.

This cane sugar-based Coke — better known as Mexican Coke — made for an interesting time, beyond the fact that it was the only one served in a glass bottle. Not only did the choice of bottle elevate my sipping experience (and make me feel like I was sitting in a swanky, 1950s diner), but its flavor was also the best on this list.

The important distinction between regular Coke and cult-favorite Mexican Coke is the inclusion of cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup. Many folks claim that Mexican Coke has a slightly cleaner flavor due to this ingredient, and I’m inclined to agree. I could taste stronger sarsaparilla-like notes in this cane sugar-based soda, whereas the regular Coke had more of a cloying, syrupy flavor. Over the years, I’ve become accustomed to the syrupiness that piggybacks on regular sodas (including Coke), so I can’t say that this bottle of Mexican Coke was a life-changer for me. But if you want all of the classic soda flavor with the least amount of aftertaste, this is the Coca-Cola product you’ll want to buy. 

The reason why I ranked it higher than the other products was because its flavor was less cloying, which would make it appeal more to folks who aren’t soda fiends. The mouthfeel is dry, and I was able to pick up on more flavor nuances than I was with the other flavors on this list. While I wish it was more carbonated, it’s a soda I would happily drink again. 

I sampled all of these Coca-Cola offerings straight from the fridge on the same day so that I could compare and contrast their flavors. Since there were several caffeine-free, diet, and regular varieties in this ranking, I sampled each one blind to see if I could pick out the flavor nuances and correctly identify each one. This was particularly helpful for the flavored sodas, allowing me to determine if the added flavor was noticeable and enhanced the beverage. 

Soda is not meant to be sipped with a cocktail-like precision — it should be sweet (but not overwhelmingly so) and have enough flavor to make it interesting to sip on, but not so complex that it takes away from its refreshingness. In other words, I didn’t want to think too hard about what I was drinking. The highest-ranking sodas on this list had balanced flavors that satisfied my craving for something sweet and bubbly, while the lowest-ranking options featured odd flavor profiles and aftertastes that detracted from their overall enjoyability.