Mexi Coke

[oddlycalm]

While at the small corner market getting some stuff for game day I came across Coke from Mexico. Old school bottles and cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. I'm not a soda drinker but I got some for those that are and it got high marks from the crew here.

Anybody else try any? Is Coke missing a market/opportunity?

oc

[cameraman]

It is standard issue at the markets around here.
Are they missing something?
No, corn syrup is much less expensive so they are not missing any profits.

[RichK]

I always order the Mexican stuff in the glass bottle. It's way better, and I think Coke could charge an extra XX cents per can for a "real sugar" version.

[oddlycalm]

Yeah, cane and beet sugar is much more expensive but if they have a market willing to pay up for a better product and they don't address that then they open themselves up to an unpleasant situation between local bottlers and those in Mexico it seems. I'm assuming the local bottlers aren't the ones offering the cane sugar product, but I guess they could be.

oc

[Ankf00]

Dublin Dr. Pepper. Imperial cane sugar. Tits. :thumbup:

[devilmaster]

Anybody else try any? Is Coke missing a market/opportunity?

oc

If Jones Soda (cane sugar) ever gets reaaaalllly big, I suspect that you'll see the others fall in line. I don't expect it though. How's snapple doing with its 'we wanna be number 3!' campaign? :\

[indyfan31]

I used to live in Juarez, Chihuahua. We used to buy the sodas by the case: glass bottles in wooden cases. They are definetly different, sweeter I think, the regular Coke seems to have a little more bite to it. And the Orange Crush will put you in a sugar coma. :thumbup:

[Andrew Longman]

Of course the corn syrup is much cheaper because of subsidies paid to corn farmers and huge tariffs put on sugar imports to protect domestic producers.

Word is, and my taste agrees, that Coke tastes better outside of the US because it uses real cane sugar. And it is supposed to be better for your pancreas.

But ADM doesn't care about that.

[rosawendel]

you can get it around here during passover. it's a premium, but you can get it.

[Sean Malone]

Coke Inc knows full well that their fans 35years old and over covet the traditional Coke bottle Coke as the ultimate Coke drinking experience. Visit the coke museum in Atlanta and check out the bottle display. That is why Coke releases 'special' retro bottle products that the fans pounce on.

One of my favorite times in my chilhood was during the summers where my best friend Rodney and I would ride our KZ80 dirtbikes through the trails to Russel's General Store. This was a little side of the road gas station right out of Mayberry RFD in the Andy Griffith Show. Wood floors that sagged when you walked on them, pickled eggs in a jar on the counter along side the bags of BBQ pork rinds. This place had been around easily since the '30's if not before. It was rural VA, living history in it's finest.

A little old man owned the place and he was the sole employee. He wasn't mean nor nice, very indifferent. Spoke more with a nod of his head and grunts. He sold Mobile gasoline via pumps that clicked off your gallons in black and white plastic numbers. I'm sure when the place was built the pumps had a hand crank and a glass reservoir.

He had three very old coolers in front of the counter, one RC Cola, one Pepsi and one Coke. Rodney and I would alternate between the three based mainly on which one felt the coldest on that day. An hour on a dusty dirtbike trail in 90+ degree July days, the coldest one, won. Over the years we gravitated towards the Coke cooler first. Lift the top, reach in and grab a bottle, pop the top on the opener on the side of the cooler and go and pay the old man for it and a gallon of gas. We'd go outside, pump our gas, sit on the steps and drink that Coke down like it was the beverage sent from the gods. Once empty we'd take them back to the old guy and get our 15 cent deposit and buy some Bazooka bubble gum and hit the trails.

One summer in high school, Rodney and I both graduated up to a KZ250's and made our first of the summer run up to Russels for a Coke only to find a bubble gum snapping young girl behind the counter, the old rusty coolers were gone replaced by brand new upright ones and the old long neck bottles were replaced with the short fat round ones. No more deposits either. It was an end of an era. We went back a few times that summer but it wasn't the same and the year after we heard that it was razed.

Rodney and I alway went for the Coke first because of one thing...the bottle. It had the thickest glass and even back then we made mention of how we thought the Coke bottles were the reason behind its allure. The 'stuff' in the short round 'new' bottle paled in comparison and Coke in plastic? Forget about it!

No, in my honest opinion, it's not about pure cane vs corn syrup, it's about the old traditional, thick glass bottle vs all the crap that came after.
I haven't had a full size bottle of Coke since back in the day, but I did pick up a four pack of the little 8oz reissue bottles not long ago and even those where night and day better vs Coke in a plastic bottle or can.

It's the bottle. :thumbup:

[eiregosod]

nothing beets Fanta. :cool:

[eiregosod]

Of course the corn syrup is much cheaper because of subsidies paid to corn farmers and huge tariffs put on sugar imports to protect domestic producers.

Word is, and my taste agrees, that Coke tastes better outside of the US because it uses real cane sugar. And it is supposed to be better for your pancreas.

But ADM doesn't care about that.


I heard that Coke Zero outside the USA can cause cancer because the cariocen is banned in the USA.

[Dirk Diggler]

I'm assuming the local bottlers aren't the ones offering the cane sugar product, but I guess they could be.


I saw them in Costco last weekend, so they must be arriving in decent quantities.

[stroker]

not to stray too far off the topic, but I've been looking for Schwepp's Lemon Sour for years and can't find it. Anyone seen it recently?

[dando]

not to stray too far off the topic, but I've been looking for Schwepp's Lemon Sour for years and can't find it. Anyone seen it recently?

http://www.shopmerwins.com/078000211450.html

:)

If that's like Canada Dry Bitter Lemon, it's difficult to find. :(

-Kevin

[oddlycalm]

I always order the Mexican stuff in the glass bottle. It's way better, and I think Coke could charge an extra XX cents per can for a "real sugar" version. Maybe they already are...? Anyone know for certain? If so it'd be some of the best guerilla marketing of all time.

oc

[Rob]

Dublin Dr. Pepper. Imperial cane sugar. Tits. :thumbup:

I had never heard of it before until I went out to dinner this evening. Good stuff. :thumbup:

[chop456]

My regular supermarket carries it but only in single bottles. At $1+ per bottle, I'm too much of a cheapskate to buy it and I should be drinking water anyway. :gomer:

[cart7]

I haven't had Mexican Coke but I have had the Pepsi. Much smoother without the bite.

[Methanolandbrats]

My regular supermarket carries it but only in single bottles. At $1+ per bottle, I'm too much of a cheapskate to buy it and I should be drinking water anyway. :gomer: You are a wise consumer, not cheap. Good beer is about $1+ per bottle and is a much better value. It has water in it too!

[eiregosod]

you're abit behind the times

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041109/news_1b9mexcoke.html :o :\

[Indy]

It is the same way with liquor. The big producers block out, buy out, and otherwise do anything they can to stop small producers who make real products the old fashioned way. The last thing they want is for people to get a taste of how good bourbon, for example, can be when it is not mass produced at minimal cost.

It is interesting to see the niche markets develop for high quality products while the mass market seems to get less and less discriminating. It seems to imply a growing gap between Americans and 'Murricans.

[Andrew Longman]

The last thing they want is for people to get a taste of how good bourbon, for example, can be when it is not mass produced at minimal cost.

They'll even destroy their own product. According to my liquor store owner, Jack Daniels hasn't been aged 7 years in several years. They boosted demand by hypermarketing but they did this knowing that they couldn't meet it without shortening the aging process.

Now they simply are promoting the "07" as part of their brand name.

[Indy]

Jack Daniel's reduced their proof, which was the last vestige of even pretending to produce a quality product.

I am afraid that the real issue behind these sort of quality reductions is that real wages for average Americans have been falling since the 1980's, so products have been made increasingly more cheaply to create the illusion of price stability in a very competitive market with declining wealth. Items like electronics, for example, can always be made overseas and benefit from economies of scale, so they seem to get less expensive, which creates the impression that inflation does not exist. Soft drinks and liquor, on the other hand, exhausted their economies of scale long ago, are expensive to ship, and are made with increasingly costly raw materials. Rather than price themselves out of the mass market, they reduce quality.

Of course, then Americans see the price of services like education and health care going through the roof, and they perceive the disconnect but generally don't have the economics education to understand it. The reality is that services "go up" so much because we are that much less wealthy, but we fail to recognize it because consumer products are cheaper than ever or holding steady in price while delivering less.

[JLMannin]

I buy a bottle of Coke from Mexico every now and then to share with the kids - I want them to know what "real Coke" tastes like.

One comment about beet sugar - it is not the same as cane sugar. It is a disaccharide with one glucose and one fructose. The HFCS used by the bottlers is 55% Fructose and 45% glucose (aka dextrose) - this ratio is selected as it has the same appearant sweetness as 100% sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide with two glucose units, btw.

[Dirk Diggler]

One summer in high school, Rodney and I both graduated up to a KZ250's and made our first of the summer run up to Russels for a Coke only to find a bubble gum snapping young girl behind the counter, the old rusty coolers were gone replaced by brand new upright ones and the old long neck bottles were replaced with the short fat round ones. No more deposits either. It was an end of an era...

The fun wore out for us when they went away from the bottles lying horizontally in the machine - you know, the kind that you would pull out after you put your money in? Well, when the suckers put their money in, that is.

Hell, a Dixie cup, a bottle opener, and a spotter and you could drink for free all day.:laugh:

[oddlycalm]

you're abit behind the times

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041109/news_1b9mexcoke.html :o :\ True. Could be due to the fact that I haven't bought or drunk a soda since early 1974.

I don't have to drink it to know about the marketing. If this stuff is being sold at places like Costco the volumes are huge and the local bottlers would be feeling it. Coke is run by some smart folks and I'd be mildly surprised if they didn't respond to such a broad demand with a premium product at a higher price if only to keep the peace with their bottlers.

oc

[eiregosod]

True. Could be due to the fact that I haven't bought or drunk a soda since early 1974.

I don't have to drink it to know about the marketing. If this stuff is being sold at places like Costco the volumes are huge and the local bottlers would be feeling it. Coke is run by some smart folks and I'd be mildly surprised if they didn't respond to such a broad demand with a premium product at a higher price if only to keep the peace with their bottlers.

oc

how about Coke-Cane for the brand name of the high end product ;)

[cameraman]

One comment about beet sugar - it is not the same as cane sugar. It is a disaccharide with one glucose and one fructose. The HFCS used by the bottlers is 55% Fructose and 45% glucose (aka dextrose) - this ratio is selected as it has the same appearant sweetness as 100% sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide with two glucose units, btw.

No so much. Sucrose is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose. Both beet and cane sugar are >99% sucrose. There is a noticeable difference in cooking behavior between beet and cane sugars and that is due to the very different trace mineral content of the two.

Maltose = glucose alpha 1-4 linked to glucose
Sucrose = glucose alpha 1-2 linked to fructose
Lactose = galactose beta 1-4 linked to glucose

There are another dozen or so disaccharides available but I don't think anyone here much cares...

[Sean Malone]

... but I don't think anyone here much cares...

Because it's the bottle. :)

[oddlycalm]

It is interesting to see the niche markets develop for high quality products while the mass market seems to get less and less discriminating. It seems to imply a growing gap between Americans and 'Murricans. The mass market has always been there. What has changed in the last 50yrs is the size of the market that demands quality first. We would have never had the beer discussions we have on this forum even as recently as the 1970's. Back then the only quality beers were imports and they were hard to find outside of big cities. Same goes for food, cars, audio, musical instruments, guns and just about everything else, so why not Coke?

In some areas things have reached a tipping point. We only have a half dozen chain supermarkets in the city of Portland now and none are large or new. That contrasts with the large number of stores whose focus is quality as well as the farmers markets. There are big new chain markets in the 'burbs, but even there local products are featured. The closest Walmart is 20 miles south and that's where you would have to go to buy an Arkansas chicken. :yuck:

Walmart's China juggernaut has definitely contributed to the social divide you mentioned. As Indy pointed out the only relief much of our population can get is from lower prices. Hard to worry about quality first when rent is due and you're trying to figure out how you can afford enough $3 gas to get to work next week.

oc

[nrc]

The closest Walmart is 20 miles south and that's where you would have to go to buy an Arkansas chicken. :yuck:

Wait a few months...

[cameraman]

Hard to worry about quality first when rent is due and you're trying to figure out how you can afford enough $3 gas to get to work next week.

oc

The local high end corner market just brought in some Spanish, acorn fed, Jamón ibérico that is going for a mere $79.00/lb "bone in"...

http://www.tienda.com/food/products/jm-11.html

I'm tempted but not quite that insane (or rich)

[Sean Malone]

I’m starting to question some of the high quality claims however. 2 cases in point; Recently bought new patio furniture for the lanai (Florida speak for patio), and went to all of the usual places in search of the right set. Home Depot had a 6 piece set complete for $600. Ok, we put it on the list. Lowes had a similar set, similar price. By the way we were looking for outside wicker.

Next stop on our list was a stand alone patio furniture store who deals in the name brand stuff. The guy explained to us the differences between the premium brands and the Chinese import stuff at Lowes Depot. 9 wire infrastructure, high quality PVC wicker and cushion fabric that is colored with true color thread, not printed fabric so that it doesn’t fade (even when in direct sunlight or dunked in the pool. It has a name but I forgot). Anyway, my wife was sold and $500 per chair and $1000 for the table later we now have a place to sit and drink our Budweiser by the pool.

A few weeks later I’m at a Target and notice a patio set that looks exactly like ours. On close inspection I couldn’t tell the difference in its construction. I point that out to my wife who tells me that ours will last longer, just like the sales guy said. We’ll see.

Second story; this past weekend a similar case when looking for a new ceiling fan for the family room. My wife found one she liked at Lowes Depot but she also wanted to check out the stand alone fan store down the street. The sales guy there explained the difference between his products and the Chinese imports at the mega centers (this is too familiar by now). He said that with fans it’s all about blade pitch and CFM.

He said that the low setting on his fan was equal to the high setting on the cheap brands due to a more aggressive blade pitch. But due to the added drag, you need a more robust motor. So his fans where three times the cost. Of course my wife falls for it and insists on one of his fans. So now I have a fan that a guy says is better than the one at Lowes. Gee, lucky me. I would have rather had the cheap stuff and better beer.

[Sean Malone]

The local high end corner market just brought in some Spanish, acorn fed, Jamón ibérico that is going for a mere $79.00/lb "bone in"...

http://www.tienda.com/food/products/jm-11.html

I'm tempted but not quite that insane (or rich)

My sister gave me a $50 gift certificate to Allen Brothers. I hate gifts that cost me money. I had to kick in another $200 just so my wife an daughter could eat. :) Srsly .

[dando]

I’m starting to question some of the high quality claims however. 2 cases in point; Recently bought new patio furniture for the lanai (Florida speak for patio), and went to all of the usual places in search of the right set. Home Depot had a 6 piece set complete for $600. Ok, we put it on the list. Lowes had a similar set, similar price. By the way we were looking for outside wicker.

Next stop on our list was a stand alone patio furniture store who deals in the name brand stuff. The guy explained to us the differences between the premium brands and the Chinese import stuff at Lowes Depot. 9 wire infrastructure, high quality PVC wicker and cushion fabric that is colored with true color thread, not printed fabric so that it doesn’t fade (even when in direct sunlight or dunked in the pool. It has a name but I forgot). Anyway, my wife was sold and $500 per chair and $1000 for the table later we now have a place to sit and drink our Budweiser by the pool.

A few weeks later I’m at a Target and notice a patio set that looks exactly like ours. On close inspection I couldn’t tell the difference in its construction. I point that out to my wife who tells me that ours will last longer, just like the sales guy said. We’ll see.

Second story; this past weekend a similar case when looking for a new ceiling fan for the family room. My wife found one she liked at Lowes Depot but she also wanted to check out the stand alone fan store down the street. The sales guy there explained the difference between his products and the Chinese imports at the mega centers (this is too familiar by now). He said that with fans it’s all about blade pitch and CFM.

He said that the low setting on his fan was equal to the high setting on the cheap brands due to a more aggressive blade pitch. But due to the added drag, you need a more robust motor. So his fans where three times the cost. Of course my wife falls for it and insists on one of his fans. So now I have a fan that a guy says is better than the one at Lowes. Gee, lucky me. I would have rather had the cheap stuff and better beer.

You need to get some pants first. :D :p

-Kevin

[Sean Malone]

You need to get some pants first. :D :p

-Kevin

I told her I wasn't wearing that damn dress anymore but she made me put it back on. :(

[oddlycalm]

Wait a few months... Walmart might eventually land a store near here but it won't be a few months. They lost the most recent battle in a 'burb just west of here last year and the three previous dust ups went the same way. Resistance has increased over last decade as the scuffles have left people resenting the strong arm tactics and Walmart's attitude of entitlement.

oc

[Dirk Diggler]

Walmart might eventually land a store near here but it won't be a few months... Resistance has increased over last decade as the scuffles have left people resenting the strong arm tactics and Walmart's attitude of entitlement.

oc

Well, there's that and all the white trash they attract. Did I say that out loud?

[JLMannin]

No so much. Sucrose is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose. Both beet and cane sugar are >99% sucrose. There is a noticeable difference in cooking behavior between beet and cane sugars and that is due to the very different trace mineral content of the two.

Maltose = glucose alpha 1-4 linked to glucose
Sucrose = glucose alpha 1-2 linked to fructose
Lactose = galactose beta 1-4 linked to glucose

There are another dozen or so disaccharides available but I don't think anyone here much cares...

I had a brain fade there - you are correct. I knew they were different in the kitchen. I looked it up and the differences are due to trace mineral and protein content.

So the real difference is that sucrose is a disaccharide and HFCS is not - it is a mixture of fructose and glucose that is just as sweet but has a different taste.

I've been out of the corn wet-milling business too long.

[oddlycalm]

The local high end corner market just brought in some Spanish, acorn fed, Jamón ibérico that is going for a mere $79.00/lb "bone in"...

I'm tempted but not quite that insane Agreed, I've had some pretty Serrano hams and I can well imagine what a 3year dry cure would do to intensify the flavor, but not enough to pay up.

One of the primary reasons I got the ceramic smoker was so I could satisfy my smoked salmon jones without having to file for bankruptcy or get divorced.

BTW, the reason I was interested in the Mexi Coke was not because I drink it but because I want to BBQ with it. I have a great old BBQ recipe but when I tried it with the current HFCS version Coke it doesn't caramelize correctly and the flavor is wrong.

oc

[chop456]

They'll even destroy their own product. According to my liquor store owner, Jack Daniels hasn't been aged 7 years in several years. They boosted demand by hypermarketing but they did this knowing that they couldn't meet it without shortening the aging process.

Now they simply are promoting the "07" as part of their brand name.

It's my understanding that "Old No. 7" never had anything to do with being aged 7 years. I remember hearing that they lowered the proof because there are some areas that don't allow sales of anything over 80 and they didn't want to make 2 different products.

Bourbon's better anyway. :tony: Blanton's, yo! :thumbup:

[extramundane]

Bourbon's better anyway.

True dat, but many of those have been dumbed down some over the years too. That Maker's Mark is under the same roof as Beam & Old Crow makes me sad.

[Sean Malone]

I looked out on Beam's website and buried behind Robby Gordon NASCAR promotion I found that they advertise their Black label as being aged a minimum of 4 years. I couldn't find anything that mentioned their white label as being aged.

[rosawendel]

you can get it around here during passover. it's a premium, but you can get it.

it's time: http://offthebroiler.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/kosher-for-passover-coke-its-the-real-thing-baby/

[ferrarigod]

While at the small corner market getting some stuff for game day I came across Coke from Mexico. Old school bottles and cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. I'm not a soda drinker but I got some for those that are and it got high marks from the crew here.

Anybody else try any? Is Coke missing a market/opportunity?

oc

i always love drinking coke when in europe/overseas/anywhere as the cane sugar is WAYYYY better than the crap they sell us.

I mentioned this to my current girlfriend(she's costa rican) a while back and she told me a place in town that sold imported coke/pepsi and tons of other euro/latin american soda's.

since she intro'd that to me i've been buying cokes all the time(and i even like imported pepsi, as i'm not a pepsi fan at all) and have even bought a few 24 packs. A tad pricey at $26 dollars, but the taste is something i have a craving for every few days.

so yes, i know what you are talking about. lots of the imported stuff all over Florida, and especially in Miami in the latin communities.

[racermike]

Dont forget Easter is coming up, and if you are in a Jewish community, you should be able to find some "yellow cap Coke" in some stores. (Two liter bottles have yellow plastic cap, rather than red)

A lot of the Coca Cola bottlers in those areas make sugar cane sweetened Coke just for the holiday season.

I think Publix in Florida carries it.