This week’s WFMW, hosted by the mighty Rocks in my Dryer, is all about brand loyalty.
I am a loyal Coca-Cola drinker. I love the snappy-fresh bite, the bubbles with attitude, the crisp finish. The caffeine.
Lately, however, my husband and I have been more aware of foods and drinks which contain high fructose corn syrup. It is in everything from “healthy” breads to salad dressings to yogurt. I have been hard-pressed finding products that do not contain HFCS. When I find one, I buy (product developers and marketers, are you paying attention?).
Two springs ago, we heard a rumor that the Coca-Cola company produces a version made with cane sugar for Passover. The corn in HFCS is not kosher, so the bottlers use the more thanks-to-tariffs expensive cane sugar in its place. The kosher Coke is supposedly distributed in markets with large Jewish populations—something Denver does not have. And it is only for a limited time.
My husband kept researching cane sugar Coke. We were happy to learn that Coke bottled in Mexico still uses cane sugar. His new mission in life became visiting carnecerias and other stores that were known for importing goods from Mexico, looking for the ever-elusive Mexican-bottled Coke.
Then one day, a few months ago, my husband was at Costco doing our weekly re-stock when he noticed a display of Coke. They were in large bottles—a telltale sign they weren’t bottled domestically, since U.S. bottlers are in love with plastics and cans. He inspected them and was happy to see the words Hecho En Mexico. He snapped up two 24-bottle cases and brought them home. I was pregnant at the time, so I had a mere sip.
I am not contending that Coke wth cane sugar is nutritionally superior to HFCS Coke. I am not implying it is a health food. But it has a less-chemical taste. It is closer to the original recipe. For a treat, nothing is better than grabbing an ice cold bottle from the fridge, cracking it open with a very confused and bleary-eyed bottle opener who forgot it existed for reasons other than cluttering my utensil drawer, and chugging.
