A post by Maynard — Bumped from last year ’cause I just found Kosher Coke™ for the first time this season! First Passover seder will be April 18 this year.

Back in the good old days, Coca-Cola had a special ingredient that modern Coke is lacking.

Did somebody say “cocaine”? Yes, it’s true that Coke used to be “the real thing™”. It was the coca leaves that put the “coca” into the Coca-Cola.

It would be interesting to sample some of that “real” Coke. But circumstances compel us to forgo that pleasure and narrow our pursuit to another special ingredient. Do you know where this is going?

Yes, it’s SUGAR! Sometime in the 1980’s, Coke made the economic decision to switch from the traditional sugar sweetener to corn syrup. Technically, the sweetening chemical changed from sucrose to high-fructose corn syrup (“HCFS”).

This raises two questions: How does the change affect the taste and the healthiness of the beverage? Does it even matter?

I don’t have answers. But, since Coke is a pillar of American civilization, I think the question is worth contemplating.

When a change like this occurs, there’s inevitably a sense of loss. The old product was pure, the new is an impostor. That’s the way of the world. But did sugar-sweetened really Coke taste better? A number of people seem to think so.

Thus there’s a demand for sugar-sweetened Coke. This is filled in part by Coke from Mexico, where cane sugar is cheaper than corn syrup. You can find Mexican Coke if you hunt for it.

Then, once a year, there’s the kosher Coke for Passover. This, too, is sugar-sweetened.

Why ordinary Coke isn’t kosher is a bit complicated. There’s no general Jewish prohibition against eating corn. But the Passover rules require unleavened bread, which is symbolic of the rushed exit from Egypt. The Hebrews fled with unleavened bread because there was not time to allow bread to rise. Therefore matzoh serves as the Passover bread.

The broader Passover prohibition is against any of five grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye and spelt) that have come in contact with moisture for more than 18 minutes. And Ashkenazic (of European extraction) Jews are also not allowed to eat corn, legumes, millet, or rice. The latter aren’t prohibited for Sephardic (of Middle Eastern ethnicity) Jews. So corn syrup is a problem but cane sugar is not.

Kosher vs. Ordinary Coke

The bottom line is that, in the month before Passover, watch for Coke with a distinctive yellow cap. There’s your sugar Coke! I saw some at my local (Southern California) Ralph’s market over the weekend.

Oh, and about the health issues of sucrose versus HFCS…well, I understand that fructose is “better” than sucrose, since fructose is a simpler sugar, closer to your basic glucose, and thus easier for the body to process. But high-fructose corn syrup adds a complexity to the mix that makes it less digestible than simple fructose.

I suggest that any Cokehead who’s curious grab a yellow-capped bottle and do your personal taste test. Do you notice a difference? Do you care?

Also, note that the sugar Coke has plenty of fans, so you might want to set some aside for the year. It might make you popular in some circles.

I invite any medical authorities to weigh in on the medical difference between high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar.

This section is for comments from tammybruce.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Tammy agrees with or endorses any particular comment just because she lets it stand.
13 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. Sam Joe says:

    Lately, I’ve been enjoying beverages that are made with sugar cane, not HFCS. But most of the time, I drink unsweetened iced tea to limit my sugar intake.

  2. jupaczyn says:

    There is currently a throw-back Mt. Dew made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup also. I found it at Sam’s Club but I would guess it is available at other places too. We tried it just to see if it tastes any different — it didn’t. I usually just drink water and save the soda as a rare guilty pleasure.

  3. Tinker says:

    Ah, King Corn! (watch the documentary) It’s in everything! Check your labels. I believe it’s part of reason Americans have gotten so fat. As corn syrup was introduced into more and more products we’ve gotten fatter and fatter. They artifically fatten the animals with it too. Down with high fructose corn syrup!

    Gov’t subsidies = more corn = “we’ve got to do something with it” = “hey! let’s make corn syrup”

  4. 1elder1 says:

    One can of Coke or soda has a test tube full of sugar.
    Tammy Bruce suggested NO SODA DRINKING AT ALL. That works for me as ice water and Crystal Lite is good. Decaf Green Tea hot or iced is good for me, too.
    Control is good..
    Sacramental Wine is a sip as 30 years ago I was diagnosed with Chirosis of The Liver

    Ugly Michelle can stuff her suggestions ….

    If I like you I give your suggestion a try.

    Palin in 2012
    ###

  5. Shifra says:

    Maynard, I was always impressed with your writings and knowledge, but your “Passover coca cola tip” is truly amazing. You really have a finger on the pulse of the country. Who tipped you off???? I knew the coke-sugar thing was an “open secret,” but I guess nothing escapes your radar screen! LOL!

  6. Shifra says:

    But Tammy’s advice is good. Soda is bad. However, a sip of “the real thing” takes me back to my childhood. (and a bottle of the stuff was a nickel!)

  7. MRFIXIT says:

    Coca-cola was originally marketed as a headache tonic. People found that it gave them a boost, and it was vastly popular as a pick-me-up — sort of the original energy drink.
    Now for some food science. Sucrose goes straight to your blood stream, while HFCS has to be digested. It is digested rapidly, but there is some delay in its entry to the blood. There is a difference in “mouth feel” also. They are similar, but sugar is “cleaner” and HFCS feels more sticky and coats the mouth parts more. This means to reduce the syrupy feel, you move your mouth around more to clear the pallet. Tastewise they are similar, and the sweetness level is also similar, so most don’t notice much difference. The interesting one is Splenda. The sweetness is provided by chlorinated sugar, aka sucralose. This chemical is 600 times sweeter than sugar by weight, and has no mouth feel at all. It would be like putting a drop of water in your mouth. In order to use it in food, they mix it with maltodextrine, which has good mouth feel, but is only 10% as sweet as sugar. The combo provides the right bulk, and the right feel. The two are mixed with water and sprayed into a dryer for granules, and mixed with water and carbonic acid (carbonated) and spayed into the dryer to “puff” it up to allow it to measure similar to sugar. Personally I think sugar is poison, and with its derivatives like HFCS is a major factor in the diabedes epidemic. I avoid all of the “oses”. I don’t begrudge anyone else, but your pancreas will thank you if you make sugar a minor indulgence and not a daily habit.

  8. BeforeGoreKneel says:

    average American’s consumption of HFCS is more than 40 lbs now.

    Meanwhile, corn that has aflatoxin, (gee, what’s that, besides a dog poison?), has a use that is profitable. Monsanto thanks you for thinking HFCS = cane sugar. So does the cane sugar monopoly in Florida.

  9. Conservatarian says:

    The reason they use corn syrup now is because the corn syrup lobby was successful at getting the government to raise the tariff on cane sugar while keeping the cost of corn products down. The soft drink industry had little choice.

    Also, the US used to grow cane sugar, and lots of it, from Hawaii to Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. (We also used to import boat loads from Cuba before the 1962 trade embargo began.) Unfortunately labor unions ended up bargaining labor costs up to the point where it was suddenly no longer economically feasible to produce sugar domestically. The tariffs did the rest.

  10. skunky says:

    Oh wow. What a fun post! I’m gonna look for that yella cap…and I can also get Mexican Coke in my area as well.

    Anyway, I’m gonna give it a go for a taste of the 70’s!

    (Judaism is fun…and very regimented!)

  11. dogbite says:

    Sorry, I was raised in The South on “Georgia Fruit Juice”, Coca Cola. (because they drank it for breakfast). Now I am a diet cokeaholic; (I know, I know). Love that “coke buzz” in your mouth. But then, I like bitter things- 85% chocolate; single malt scotch…

  12. PeteRFNY says:

    Watch out!!! While Pepsi uses pure cane sugar for their “Passover blend” (look for the WHITE caps on top!), Coke has cheaped out in recent years and gone with SUCROSE instead of HFCS, which I assume is OK for the holiday (how, I have no idea) but cheaper than sugar. Unbelievable. Check your list of ingredients on the label of the bottle.

    The sugared Pepsi is basically the same as “Throwback” Pepsi, so either/or will do. It tastes like REAL Pepsi. A note about the “sucrose”-flavored Coke: while it is not cane sugar, it tastes about a thousand times better than the regular HFCS blend. Why Coke has to ALWAYS go on the cheap is beyond me. It it really THAT much more expensive to use SUGAR…?

    It also astounds me that they have never tried a “throwback” brand with sugar like Pepsi’s, which sells out so fast stores can’t keep it on the shelves.

You must be logged in to post a comment.