Sunday Times Food Awards 2018
Coke vs Pepsi vs supermarket cola: which is the superior sip?
We put a selection of fizzy drinks to the taste test
HOW WE CONDUCTED OUR TASTE TEST
IT'S FREE AND FAIR!
Chefs-in-training make excellent tasters. They're curious about food; they have a well -developed sense of taste; and when it comes to rating a product, they pull no punches.
For this reason, we asked students from the Johannesburg Culinary and Pastry School to join us for a blind tasting of cola-flavoured fizzy drinks including Coca Cola, Pepsi and two house brands, one from Checkers, the other Pick n Pay.
All products for the tasting were purchased, stripped of their packaging and numbered by the Sunday Times team in the school's kitchen. Auditor Jade Craig monitored the process and added up the scores.
THE RESULTS
FIRST PLACE: COCA-COLA
Price: R19.99 for 2l
What the judges said: Mandy: Good fizz, quenches thirst well.
Neo: It looks and sounds good.
Mpumelelo: Feels like real cola.
Tsholefelo: I'm not a cola person but this is delicious.
SECOND PLACE: CHECKERS ZIP COLA
Price: R14.99 for 2l
What the judges said:
Tsholefelo: I really like it. It has that cola flavour.
Kabelo: Not much sweetness.
Mandy: Not a bad fizz, good balanced sweetness.
THIRD PLACE: PICK N PAY COLA FLAVOURED SOFT DRINK
Price: R13.99 for 2l
What the judges said:
Mpumelelo: Doesn't feel like real cola.
Tsholefelo: Too sweet.
Busisa: I think this is Tab. Not bad but has an aftertaste.
Rose: Very artificial.
FOURTH PLACE: PEPSI
Price: R18.99 for 2l
What the judges said:
Kutloano: Looks like rooibos tea and tastes like sweet tea.
Tsholefelo: It's lacking way too much for a cola.
Kabelo: Too much sweetness, not much fizziness.
Yolanda: I don't like it...
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