Basically, Coke Zero starts with the cola formula of Coke Classic and uses aspartame and acesulfame potassium as the sweetener instead of sugar. Sounds like a sure winner to me.
Diet Coke, the world’s No. 1 diet cola, uses a formula more similar to New Coke (remember that wrong turn?), which is really old forgotten Coke since they trash-canned New Coke nearly two decades ago.
Which raises the question, why has it taken Coke so long to make a diet version of Coke Classic? Who’s making the decisions at Coke … a California jury?
Trying to understand Coke logic means getting into the mind of corporate America, and you don’t want to go there. If you’re a Classic Coke fan and looking for a diet drink, just be happy they’ve stumbled on Coke Zero. Don’t ask questions.
Coke Zero has no bitter aftertaste that some drinkers find with diet colas. Some taste-testers noticed a distinctly cinnamon tinge to Coke Zero, but frankly, it tasted like a regular Coke to me.
Ken Hoffman, Houston Chronicle