Mexican Coke is Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 that is made and bottled in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 in a thick glass bottle. Although intended for consumption in Mexico, Mexican Coke has become very popular in the United States because of a flavor that Mexican Coke fans call "a lot more natural tasting." This "more natural" taste can be partially attributed to the use of refined cane sugar in Mexican Coke, as opposed to the high-fructose corn syrup found in nearly all soft drinks bottled in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 because of tariffs on imported sugar.

Taste tests

In taste tests, tasters have noted that the Mexican Coke has "a more complex flavor with an ineffable spicy and herbal note" and that it contained something "that darkly hinted at root beer or old-fashioned sarsaparilla candies." Some have suggested that the flavor resembles that of the kola nut

Kola nut

Kola Nut is the nut of the kola tree, a genus of trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa, classified in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Sterculioideae . It is related to the South American genus Theobroma, or cocoa...

. Tasters have also commented that the Mexican Coke lacks the acidic, chemical taste of American Coke and that it "tastes a lot more like a naturally sweet beverage such as juice."

Bottle

Mexican Coke is bottled in a thick 355 mL or 500 mL glass bottle, which some have described in contrast to the American Coke plastic bottles as being "more elegant, with a pleasingly nostalgic shape." Also, instead of having a vinyl label wrapped around plastic, the glass bottle has its enamel label painted on, with a smaller paper nutritional facts sticker attached.

U.S. availability

Mexican Coke is becoming more widely carried throughout the United States, appearing in some chain grocery stores such as Publix

Publix

Publix Super Markets, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Lakeland, Florida.Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, it is an employee-owned, privately held corporation. Publix is currently ranked No. 86 on Fortune magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For 2010 and was ranked No...

, Kroger

Kroger

The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...

, Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

 (as well as Sams Club), Costco

Costco

Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...

, WinCo Foods

WinCo Foods

WinCo Foods is an employee-owned supermarket business headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The company's name was decided by the employees both in the stores and the distribution centers in a contest to rename the company, settling on "WinCo," for the five states in which the company operates its...

, Sack 'n Save, and Target

Target Corporation

Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...

, along with local ethnic grocery stores. Certain branches of the Circle K convenience store chain carry the drink as well. In addition these stores may also sell imported Fanta

Fanta

Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...

 orange soda with refined cane sugar alongside this Coke type. The World of Coca-Cola

World of Coca-Cola

The World of Coca-Cola is a permanent exhibition featuring the history of The Coca-Cola Company and its well-known advertising as well as a host of entertainment areas and attractions...

 also sells Mexican Coke in its gift store, giving a subtle nod from the Atlanta headquarters to the beverage's popularity in the United States. Mexican Coke has become so popular that a website, WhereToFindMexicanCoke.com, dedicated to listing Mexican Coke retail store locations has sprung up.

External links

• Melnick, Meredith. "Study: Hey, Hipsters, Mexican Coke Might Be a Myth." TIME
  Time (magazine)
  Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
  
  . Thursday October 28, 2010.