AARoads Forum

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I don't drink soda, pop, coke, seltzer, tonic, or any other carbonated beverages.

By the way, if you're going to add more options, add them at the end. If you add them in the middle, people's choices will be changed.

I voted for Diet Pepsi. (And corrected your subject line to pop instead of soda. LOL)

I generally don't drink non-diet pop, save for an occasional Ale-8, unless I have to. The sugar makes them too sweet for my taste. But the reason I voted for Diet Pepsi is because I absolutely hate the stuff. I used to be able to drink it and Diet Coke interchangeably 25 years ago (I would buy whatever was on sale) but not anymore. If I'm at a restaurant that serves fountain Diet Pepsi, I usually get Diet Mountain Dew or Diet Dr Pepper if it's available. I'll drink Diet Pepsi if I absolutely have to but I can't stand the stuff.

I also voted diet pepsi :). I had it once years ago and was surprised at how much worse it was than diet coke. This surprised me since coke and pepsi taste pretty similar to me. I should probably try it again to see if I still feel that way.

Grape pop is not good. I don't like anything with artificial "grape" flavoring, really.

Diet anything, but Diet Pepsi is the worst of the worst.

Anything diet/zero/max as it makes me feel ill (also includes almost every regular soda in the UK as they are spiked with non-sugar sweetners)

However, I agree with MNHighwayMan that grape-flavor is vile. Regular grape juice, even though not artificial, is also vile. Wine is good, and some grape juices taste more like wine than grape juice, but Mr Welch's discovery of how to make grapes be anything other than eaten within a couple of days, dried (into raisins, currants and sultanas) or turned into wine is worthy of the title of "one of the worst scientific breakthroughs ever". Thankfully, I'm British and we go with blackcurrant, rather than grape as purple flavour.

But, I think Fanta Fruit Twist is even worse tasting. So Fanta Fruit Twist Zero is my winner.

Grape soda is OK, but grape flavoring in soda and candy isn't really grape. Grape Bubble Yum is the same way.

I feel like the odd man out since I drink primarily Diet Pepsi, and I loved grape soda when I still drank the stuff with sugar in it.  I voted Diet Coke, but I've never liked any iteration of Coke.

Grape Nehi rocks!

Anything sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

All of them. Except for the occasional Red Bull or Kickstart (which has a little bit of fruit juice, and only a reasonable amount of sugar, so it isn't quite as bad as a normal soda).

Anything diet. Diet drinks give me terrible migraines. Even the smell of them doesn't sit well with me.

Delaware Punch. Tried it a few times i the '60s and, yes, it was still horrible. May not even be made anymore.

Big Red's another one that doesn't do much for me.

Root beer. Can't deal with it.

Quote from: DeaconG on June 03, 2017, 02:01:27 PM
Root beer. Can't deal with it.

Yes, foamy sweet yummy syrupy goodness is so hard to deal with.

I don't like most of the fruit-flavored colas, like Cherry Coke or Vanilla Coke or the like. As a general matter I drink only diet soda because the non-diet stuff is simply too sweet for my taste, so I guess if there were an option for "all non-diet stuff" I might vote for that. Last week I bought a four-pack of non-diet IBC Root Beer because I had a barbecue sauce recipe that called for root beer. I drank the extra that wasn't needed for the recipe and I found it unbelievably sweet and hard to drink.

I therefore didn't vote in the poll because my choice would be "other."

I've never had anything called "pop," BTW. Not sure what "pop" is.  :biggrin:

Quote from: 1995hoo on June 03, 2017, 06:19:59 PM
I don't like most of the fruit-flavored colas, like Cherry Coke or Vanilla Coke or the like. As a general matter I drink only diet soda because the non-diet stuff is simply too sweet for my taste, so I guess if there were an option for "all non-diet stuff" I might vote for that. Last week I bought a four-pack of non-diet IBC Root Beer because I had a barbecue sauce recipe that called for root beer. I drank the extra that wasn't needed for the recipe and I found it unbelievably sweet and hard to drink.

I therefore didn't vote in the poll because my choice would be "other."

I've never had anything called "pop," BTW. Not sure what "pop" is.  :biggrin:

I slug my brother in the arm when he visits and calls it pop.  He moved up north about 10 years ago and has picked up the local dialect.  I call it a 'pop for a pop.'Trademark pending

As a born and raised northerner who calls it pop, and drinks it with his hotdish while naturally and unironically peppering his conversations with a few "yeah sure, you betcha's," I think you and I would fight if we met. :bigass:

If "pop" is a northern thing then that must settle the debate of whether Kentucky is in the South or the Midwest -- obviously it's neither, because "pop" is the prevalent descriptor around here.

Most people from the Northeast that I've heard refer to soft drinks using a different term call it "soda."

I find Mountain Dew to be disgusting. 

I avoid the imitator (Pepsi) as much as I can.  If a restaurant serves that company's products and has Diet Pepsi as its only diet drink, I don't go there unless I'm forced and then I will get tea or coffee or an alcohol drink if appropriate. 

Beverly, although it's thankfully out of production. -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_(drink) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_(drink))

They say Moxie is an acquired taste. It tastes like cola at first, then root beer, then seems to finish up with a toothpaste flavor (to me).  X-(

Diet Coke would be my least favorite of the more commonly-found sodas. I could pretty much lump all the diet sods together as undesirable.

Tab.  Tastes like a 10th grade chemistry student put it together.  So grateful in 1983 when Diet Coke was introduced.  Although Vanilla Coke Zero is close in its discordant flavor spectrum -- for me, one can & done! 

I find a lot of off-brand stuff to be total shit (Shasta, etc.). As for mainstream, I'm not a fan of HFCS Mountain Dew but I love the sugar variant. I also don't like the aftertaste of most diet pop.

Quote from: bmorrill on June 03, 2017, 12:33:39 PM
Delaware Punch. Tried it a few times i the '60s and, yes, it was still horrible. May not even be made anymore.

But it isn't carbonated...so it isn't a soda. Right? Wrong? Indifferent?

Coke zero for me.

Caffeine free Pepsi. 

Spice soda (That is what 7up gold was.)

Mine has to be Squirt. Big Red is actually one of my favorite sodas.

Not a fan of Dr Pepper, or twins root beer and cream soda.

Quote from: 1995hoo on June 03, 2017, 06:19:59 PM
I don't like most of the fruit-flavored colas, like Cherry Coke or Vanilla Coke or the like. As a general matter I drink only diet soda because the non-diet stuff is simply too sweet for my taste, so I guess if there were an option for "all non-diet stuff" I might vote for that. Last week I bought a four-pack of non-diet IBC Root Beer because I had a barbecue sauce recipe that called for root beer. I drank the extra that wasn't needed for the recipe and I found it unbelievably sweet and hard to drink.

I therefore didn't vote in the poll because my choice would be "other."

I've never had anything called "pop," BTW. Not sure what "pop" is.  :biggrin:

Tonight I thought of a soda I despise more than any of the ones mentioned so far in this thread: Yoohoo chocolate soda. Foul stuff.

Yikes 13 year old RGT  :ded:

Diet soda is the worst.

Where I grew up in West Virginia, most everybody called it "coke" no matter what brand or flavor of drink.  Orange coke, Grape coke, Red coke and even some folks would use the term "Lemon-lime coke" for 7Up and Sprite.  My folks were from Central West Virginia, and they couldn't stand this (probably because it sounded too backwards).  I always thought this was funny, because most folks preferred RC Cola back in those days.  Which my dad always called "R-O-C coca-cola".  Go figure.

Quote from: Dirt Roads on April 10, 2021, 12:44:44 PM
Where I grew up in West Virginia, most everybody called it "coke" no matter what brand or flavor of drink.  Orange coke, Grape coke, Red coke and even some folks would use the term "Lemon-lime coke" for 7Up and Sprite.  My folks were from Central West Virginia, and they couldn't stand this (probably because it sounded too backwards).  I always thought this was funny, because most folks preferred RC Cola back in those days.  Which my dad always called "R-O-C coca-cola".  Go figure.

Kind of like the use of the terms "mailman" and weatherman" to refer to the person doing that job regardless of the actual individual's sex. Or, for that matter, "beer girl" to refer to the person who drives the beer cart at the golf course (although I can't say I recall ever having seen a male driving a beer cart).

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 10, 2021, 12:35:56 PM
Diet soda is the worst.

I actually prefer diet soda.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 10, 2021, 03:35:13 PM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 10, 2021, 12:35:56 PM
Diet soda is the worst.

I actually prefer diet soda.

When I was younger than you, diet soda wasn't that bad.

I should note that I still drink Dr. Pepper. It was handed to me whenever a fast food joint was out of other options. I will most likely drink that or Sprite (of all the options on the list above). Coke is very common here in the Southeast (it was invented up in Columbus, Georgia, by a man from Knoxville, Georgia), of course.

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 10, 2021, 03:46:05 PM

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on April 10, 2021, 03:35:13 PM

Quote from: kevinb1994 on April 10, 2021, 12:35:56 PM
Diet soda is the worst.

I actually prefer diet soda.

When I was younger than you, diet soda wasn't that bad.

I miss cyclamates.

Cream Soda is the only kind I really don't like.

Something I tried at World of Coke, but I can't recall the specific brand.

Quote from: Dirt Roads on April 10, 2021, 12:44:44 PM
Where I grew up in West Virginia, most everybody called it "coke" no matter what brand or flavor of drink.  Orange coke, Grape coke, Red coke and even some folks would use the term "Lemon-lime coke" for 7Up and Sprite.  My folks were from Central West Virginia, and they couldn't stand this (probably because it sounded too backwards).  I always thought this was funny, because most folks preferred RC Cola back in those days.  Which my dad always called "R-O-C coca-cola".  Go figure.

Huh.  I didn't know that practice extended that far north.  My relatives are "pop" people in eastern KY.

Always thought calling every soda a coke was a little disturbing, in terms of how much control Coca-Cola has over their language.  Doesn't say much for freedom of human thought.

Quote from: ozarkman417 on April 10, 2021, 04:39:56 PM
Something I tried at World of Coke, but I can't recall the specific brand.

Could be the South African version.  That stuff was terrible.

For me, any diet soda, regardless of brand.

Surge was cool. Anyone remember Surge? It was a green soda that was really popular in the '90s. But then it suddenly dropped off the face of the earth.

I haven't had a soda since January  :meh:. But if you drink Dr. Pepper, Root Beer, or anything minty seek help!

Moxie. It's like someone liquidized tobacco and called it soda.

Quote from: bandit957 on April 10, 2021, 08:20:04 PM
Surge was cool. Anyone remember Surge? It was a green soda that was really popular in the '90s. But then it suddenly dropped off the face of the earth.

Back during Surge's heyday, it got a reputation for having a ton of caffeine. I was in 5th grade at the time, and we went out to a youth camp that our school sponsored. My mom was one of the counselors they sent along to help watch over everyone.

Late at night there were these two kids that wouldn't stop talking even though it was long after the time everyone was supposed to go to sleep. She went over to get onto them and discovered that one of them had been drinking a concealed can of Surge the entire time. She got mad and grabbed the can and went to the front door of the cabin and threw it against a tree, which made a sound loud enough the adjoining cabins heard it.

Nobody's head was shaped like a Speak'n'spell in the aforementioned story, however.

Quote from: Rothman on April 10, 2021, 04:46:03 PM

Quote from: Dirt Roads on April 10, 2021, 12:44:44 PM
Where I grew up in West Virginia, most everybody called it "coke" no matter what brand or flavor of drink.  Orange coke, Grape coke, Red coke and even some folks would use the term "Lemon-lime coke" for 7Up and Sprite.  My folks were from Central West Virginia, and they couldn't stand this (probably because it sounded too backwards).  I always thought this was funny, because most folks preferred RC Cola back in those days.  Which my dad always called "R-O-C coca-cola".  Go figure.

Huh.  I didn't know that practice extended that far north.  My relatives are "pop" people in eastern KY.

Always thought calling every soda a coke was a little disturbing, in terms of how much control Coca-Cola has over their language.  Doesn't say much for freedom of human thought.

I've called it "pop" all my life. Either that or "soft drink." "Soda" just seems to be an alien term to me.

Your relatives live in the area that consumes the most Pepsi products per capita in the country. I always feel like a rebel when I drink a Coke product in Pike County.

I had a grandmother who called Coke "Co-Cola."

For better or worse, I consume a lot of diet soda -- but as far as I'm concerned, the all-time worst of that lot was (and is) Tab.  That shit tastes like the weakest cola in the world, but with a truckload of anise added for a licorice-type overall taste -- and there's a damn good reason why there's no licorice soda (at least with wide distribution!).

A few random observations:

The best description I ever heard for Dr. Pepper is "carbonated prune juice."   :biggrin:

Being from the Midwest, it's called "pop," not "soda."  Soda is something you use to settle your stomach down, as in Bicarbonate of Soda, aka Baking Soda. 

Pepsi is far better than Coke.  Coke is best used to take the rust off your hub caps and chrome bumpers.

All diet pop is evil.  Artificial sweeteners are the worst things you can put in your body.  Other than brussels sprouts, of course.  :)

I voted for None of the above, because grape pop wasn't an option. I don't like anything diet, either.

Quote from: hbelkins on April 10, 2021, 11:23:53 PM
I had a grandmother who called Coke "Co-Cola."

I remember people calling Pepsi "Peps."

Grape soda.

Sierra Mist.

A lot of people give diet sodas flak for tasting horrible but I've never really noticed the difference. People say it's sweeter in a bad way or something? Maybe I can notice it a little bit but the difference is so minuscule to my taste buds that it's pretty much not even there. I think the most pronounced difference is diet Dr. Pepper vs regular, and I actually prefer the taste of diet for that.

Quote from: index on April 11, 2021, 10:06:41 AM
A lot of people give diet sodas flak for tasting horrible but I've never really noticed the difference. People say it's sweeter in a bad way or something? Maybe I can notice it a little bit but the difference is so minuscule to my taste buds that it's pretty much not even there. I think the most pronounced difference is diet Dr. Pepper vs regular, and I actually prefer the taste of diet for that.

Diet Soda is definitely an acquired taste. Has the obvious benefits of no calories, but still has artificial colors and flavors, and artificial sweeteners can actually cause you to crave sugar.

I found a different kind of Diet Soda-Zevia. It's flavored with stevia, which is 0-calorie but natural. Also no artificial colors.

Quote from: cabiness42 on April 11, 2021, 10:14:59 AM

I found a different kind of Diet Soda-Zevia. It's flavored with stevia, which is 0-calorie but natural. Also no artificial colors.

I have as well discovered Zevia Cola and it is now my go-to soda, supplanting Coke Zero. I like the fact that it is flavored with stevia rather than an artificial sweetener.  And it has a good taste.  In a restaurant setting where Zevia is unlikely to be available, I will either have a Coke Zero or an unsweetened iced tea.

To answer the original question - least favorite soda is probably all diet sodas because they have a "weird" taste to me.  TaB was the worst.  I was very disappointed in the taste of Diet Coke compared to regular Coke.  Coke Zero is the one diet soda that tastes OK to me.  It's what Diet Coke should have been.

And what was up with the goofy capitalization of "TaB"?  And, Coke > Pepsi  :poke:

Coke is my "go to" if I'm not having iced tea. Pepsi seems too sweet to me, and I won't touch DP or any wannabe's.

Having been a Diet Coke consumer for years, I find the taste of Diet Pepsi to be vile.

In general I find regular colas to taste far to sweet for me, but I've developed a taste for Coke Zero, which to me tastes much like regular Coke.

I'm a fan of Diet Dr. Pepper.

In general, I'm a fan of carbonated flavored water. I like the fizz and I like the taste. I don't see how people can consume regular unflavored water at the rate they do. I only drink regular water if the only other available beverage is coffee.

I rarely, if ever, drink soda anymore, but my least favorite is by far root beer.  I just don't get the appeal.

Chris

Quote from: jayhawkco on April 12, 2021, 10:29:43 AM
I rarely, if ever, drink soda anymore, but my least favorite is by far root beer.  I just don't get the appeal.

Chris

The fizz, the smooth, the caramel-ish taste, the burn. :D

It's insidious.  Just like the Federation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VhSm6G7cVk

Diet Coke. Or diet anything for that matter.

Quote from: vdeane on April 12, 2021, 09:57:56 PM
It's insidious.  Just like the Federation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VhSm6G7cVk

It's awesome.

Those actors weren't paid enough to put that much work into trying to make that root beer sillyness work. :D

I voted Dr Pepper, because I never choose to drink it over other options (eg. Coke, Pepsi, Mt Dew, Sprite, Root Beer). I've probably had a total of 3 Dr Peppers in my whole life. But from what I remember, actually it's kinda good, I just never really drink it, guess I prefer the others.

As for diets, I used to avoid them, but to cut down on sugar a lot of my soda is diet now. I think the best diet sodas are, probably in this order, Sprite/7-Up Zero (they taste almost the same to me, I go with whatever is available), Mello Yello Zero (only in Coke Freestyle), Surge Zero (only at Burger King), Mt Dew Baja Blast Zero (usually only at Taco Bell) and Diet Root Beer (Barq's is the best, but A&W and, surprisingly, Shasta are good too if Barq's isn't available).

Coke Zero is okay but I find it can be hit or miss especially out of a fountain, especially with my slightly weird taste post-Covid. Diet Coke isn't great but I can drink it, Diet Pepsi is a little better, and Pepsi Zero I haven't really tried more than a sip, but I think it's better than the diet labeled ones. I've tried to like Diet Mt Dew, can't usually do that. Mt Dew Zero is a step up, but doesn't hold a candle to Mello Yello Zero, and that gap has seemed wider with my post-covid taste. I should probably try Diet Dr Pepper honestly, I remember it being pretty close to the original, might actually be worth keeping in the fridge.

Quote from: bandit957 on April 10, 2021, 08:20:04 PM
Surge was cool. Anyone remember Surge? It was a green soda that was really popular in the '90s. But then it suddenly dropped off the face of the earth.

Surge tasted way better than Jolt Cola.

I loved Nu-Grape growing up and cannot stand cream soda. 

This may be something for a whole 'nother topic, but I don't get the fascination with beer. It was definitely an acquired taste for me, and then only for the purposes of becoming intoxicated back when I did such things. It still astonishes me that there are people who actually like the taste of it and drink it for the taste instead of its intoxicating properties.

The other day, I saw that a college friend of mine had posted a picture of a beer he was getting ready to consume called "Technical Ecstasy" complete with a rendering on the label of the robot featured on the album cover of the same name. My immediate thought was that it probably tasted the same as if one was drinking a big foamy glass of Ozzy Osbourne's urine.

Quote from: hbelkins on April 13, 2021, 03:30:38 PM
This may be something for a whole 'nother topic, but I don't get the fascination with beer. It was definitely an acquired taste for me, and then only for the purposes of becoming intoxicated back when I did such things. It still astonishes me that there are people who actually like the taste of it and drink it for the taste instead of its intoxicating properties.

The other day, I saw that a college friend of mine had posted a picture of a beer he was getting ready to consume called "Technical Ecstasy" complete with a rendering on the label of the robot featured on the album cover of the same name. My immediate thought was that it probably tasted the same as if one was drinking a big foamy glass of Ozzy Osbourne's urine.

And for me, I don't understand how people can drink so much soda.  Once every once in a while if I'm on a road trip and get fast food, but I just can't handle stuff that sweet all the time.  I can drink beer far more easily.

Chris

Quote from: hbelkins on April 13, 2021, 03:30:38 PM
This may be something for a whole 'nother topic ...

Yes indeed:

Quote from: webny99 on March 28, 2021, 03:31:57 PM
What about "a whole 'nother"?

This is something I hear fairly often, but don't usually see in writing. It bothers me mostly because it just doesn't make any sense. Is it just easier to say, or is there some other reason why this has become the prevailing way to say "another whole"?

Quote from: webny99 on April 13, 2021, 03:40:27 PM

Quote from: hbelkins on April 13, 2021, 03:30:38 PM
This may be something for a whole 'nother topic ...

Yes indeed:

Quote from: webny99 on March 28, 2021, 03:31:57 PM
What about "a whole 'nother"?

This is something I hear fairly often, but don't usually see in writing. It bothers me mostly because it just doesn't make any sense. Is it just easier to say, or is there some other reason why this has become the prevailing way to say "another whole"?

It's an example of what grammatically is called an infix.  Just like a prefix or suffix, you can add meaning in the middle of the word.  My linguistics professor's favorite example was abso-fuckin'-lutely. It exists far more commonly in other languages.

Chris

Big Red

I once saw celery soda for sale at a grocery store. I've never had it, but I have to imagine that'd be the worst soda of all time.

Quote from: Takumi on April 13, 2021, 05:30:22 PM
I once saw celery soda for sale at a grocery store. I've never had it, but I have to imagine that'd be the worst soda of all time.

You could probably make a decent cocktail with that, though.

My youth group once had a game involving bacon soda. Everyone said it was nasty.

Quote from: Takumi on April 13, 2021, 05:30:22 PM
I once saw celery soda for sale at a grocery store. I've never had it, but I have to imagine that'd be the worst soda of all time.

Yeah, I recall it's had a pretty foul taste, though I haven't tried it in well over 30 years. Probably Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray? My grandfather liked it, so we used to keep a few cans around.

Fortunately there's about a 0% chance someone will accidentally give that in a drive-through window.

Quote from: CoreySamson on April 13, 2021, 06:32:59 PM
My youth group once had a game involving bacon soda. Everyone said it was nasty.

A few years ago, our son tried that.  At first he claimed he liked it.  But then he quickly slowed down drinking it and didn't even come close to finishing.

Diet pop of any kind
Regular Pepsi. Although for some reason I do like wild Cherry Pepsi and mountain dew.

Quote from: Flint1979 on April 13, 2021, 10:35:45 PM
Diet pop of any kind

Same here. But it's better for your health

Quote from: tolbs17 on April 13, 2021, 11:00:57 PM

Quote from: Flint1979 on April 13, 2021, 10:35:45 PM
Diet pop of any kind

Same here. But it's better for your health

Not necessarily: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325919

Quote from: formulanone on April 13, 2021, 07:18:02 PM

Quote from: Takumi on April 13, 2021, 05:30:22 PM
I once saw celery soda for sale at a grocery store. I've never had it, but I have to imagine that'd be the worst soda of all time.

Yeah, I recall it's had a pretty foul taste, though I haven't tried it in well over 30 years. Probably Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray? My grandfather liked it, so we used to keep a few cans around.

Fortunately there's about a 0% chance someone will accidentally give that in a drive-through window.

Yeah, that's it. Not sure why that name sprung to memory so quickly when I only saw it once 20+ years ago.

Quote from: tolbs17 on April 13, 2021, 11:00:57 PM

Quote from: Flint1979 on April 13, 2021, 10:35:45 PM
Diet pop of any kind

Same here. But it's better for your health

I don't think any pop is good for your health.

Anything carbonated

Quote from: Rothman on April 13, 2021, 08:01:19 AM
Those actors weren't paid enough to put that much work into trying to make that root beer sillyness work. :D

Judging from both his portrayal of Quark and as the principal in Buffy (the only other thing I've seen him in), I think Armin Shimerman is just like that.

I prefer diet soda simply because the regular stuff just tastes too sweet. I don't drink soda very often, though.

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 14, 2021, 07:46:13 AM
I prefer diet soda simply because the regular stuff just tastes too sweet. I don't drink soda very often, though.

Same. Iced tea and energy drinks ftw