8 Coca-Cola Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

There are few brands as easily identified as Coca-Cola. The familiar red label, adorned with the trademarked cursive font, is deeply rooted in American history — though it has spread to all corners of the world. While nothing will upstage the classic Coke, the brand has released several understudies, including Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and a selection of flavored Cokes. It seems like everyone has sworn their allegiance to a singular product (I'm talking about you, Diet Coke stans), but it left me wondering if any single Coke flavor is actually deserving of the "best" title. 

I'll be honest: I'm not a big soda drinker, which makes me a bit of an odd pick to take on this heavily carbonated project. But I wanted to finally settle some of the rumors about this iconic product for myself. For one, is there an actual difference between Diet Coke and Coke Zero? Does the glass bottle really make the flavor of Mexican Coke different? Only time, and a lot of sipping, would tell. In order to review these beverages, I sampled all the different Coca-Cola flavors I could get my hands on, then ranked them based on their flavor, mouthfeel, and overall sippability. Read on to see which one is most deserving of the carbonated crown. 

I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I sipped on a vanilla Coke. I love vanilla in baked goods, but I can admit that it's not a flavor that translates well into a beverage. And that was certainly the case with this can of soda. 

In short, this soda doesn't really taste like cola; it tastes like a bad caramel syrup that you would add to iced coffee to make it remotely palatable. It's very sticky and syrupy tasting — though not in a way that's pleasant. On the nose, there is a very prominent vanilla flavor, but it's much more synthetic than the vanilla extract you'd use for your cookies and cakes. Though, the smell is misleading; the actual taste is more reminiscent of cheap caramel syrup than vanilla.

The cola taste here is less prominent than the cherry Coke, which is why it has to rank lower on this list. I don't think a soda that tastes like cheap canned frosting can be enjoyable in any capacity, even if you're eating the greasiest burger possible. Although, it might not be awful in a milkshake. I would also like to see another soda brand (like a lemon-lime one) take on the vanilla concept, because the vanilla flavor wouldn't have to compete with the cola flavor. 

I love caffeine, though I know that sentiment is not shared by everyone. Luckily, Coca-Cola makes a caffeine-free Diet Coke for folks who are looking for both a zero-sugar and zero-caffeine option. When I first took a sip of this beverage, I could tell that it was clearly skipping out on the caffeine. The other, fully caffeinated sodas I sampled had a slightly bitter bite to them, while this one was much more mellow in flavor. 

The one word that came to mind as I sipped on this beverage was "watery." And I didn't think that was possible from a soda that was supposed to be sweet and satisfying. The lack of bubbles in this beverage also made it less enjoyable than the other sodas I sampled. Though, the slightly sugary flavor was similar to Diet Coke, which made it taste decent enough not to rank last. 

Diet Coke lovers will certainly have mixed feelings about this beverage. Since its taste is so basic and watery, the aspartame flavor comes through more than in the normal Diet Coke — so it was a tad headache-inducing. It also coated my tongue and left a saccharine flavor characteristic of other zero-sugar sodas and beverages I've sampled in the past. If you need to drink a caffeine-free beverage, I supposed this one will suffice. But it's definitely not a soda that I personally will be enjoying again any time soon.

The only cherry-flavored thing that I can tolerate is Luden's cough drops — so it's fair to say that I have very little tolerance for the artificial and cloying undertones that come with cherry-flavored foods. I love cherries themselves, but cherry flavoring almost always tastes like syrup.

Despite my deep dislike of cherry-flavored things, I placed the cherry Coca-Cola slightly above some of the other selections on this list. The aroma was very foreboding, as it came off as sickeningly sweet. The taste was similar to that of a cough drop, which is maybe why I liked it enough to place it higher than last. It has the same syrupy flavor as a melting lozenge, which meant that it drowned out the flavor of the cola entirely. The classic Coke flavor only came through as a whisper. If you had blindfolded me, I would have thought that this was a cherry soda with a couple drops of anise-flavoring in it. 

If you can tolerate cherry flavoring, this may be a Coca-Cola flavor worth sampling. It's not particularly sweet, like the regular Coke, though it was still too syrupy to place any higher. I would have liked to see Coke dial back the fruit and up the classic cola flavor.

The regular cherry Coke was not great, so I was honestly surprised to see that the zero-sugar cherry-flavored soda fared considerably better. When I cracked the can, I immediately noticed that the soda smelled more like authentic cherry. It didn't smell as syrupy, and I was happy to find that the same sentiment was translated over to the beverage, too. 

Don't get me wrong, this soda still tasted syrupy — almost like you were drinking cherry Monin straight from the pump. But it was pleasantly syrupy, and the flavor didn't linger on my tongue for longer than it should have. I felt like I was tasting the cherry Coke for days, but the flavor of this one only lasted for a few brief moments. I wish that the cola flavor would have stepped in here, but alas, this beverage still had a flavor that was 90% cherry and 10% cola. My other complaint with this beverage was that it wasn't fizzy enough; if it had more effervescence, the cherry flavor would have been even more balanced.

The biggest difference between the cherry Coke and the zero-sugar one was the medicinal-ness of the cherry. Plus, the sweetness was also more pronounced in the zero-sugar cherry beverage than the regular cherry Coke. Overall, it was very complex and satisfying to sip on, which made it one Coke flavor that I would want to try again.

The original Coke is a timeless beverage — there's no skirting around it. Despite the prominence of this beverage in American culture, though, I can't say it was one of my favorites. 

When I took a whiff, I immediately noticed that there was something lemony and citrusy present. It's possible that this unique aroma is due to the phosphoric acid in this beverage. This food additive helps prevent bacteria growth and oxidation, though it also makes it tangier. There was more acidity in this soda than in other Coca-Cola products I sampled. It's not entirely a bad thing, since it cut some of the syrupy flavor of the beverage. That being said, the syrupiness of this beverage was still overwhelming, acidic or not. My partner, who sampled the beverages along with me for the sake of quality control, found that this beverage wasn't overwhelmingly sweet — though I found the opposite. The soda tasted like caramel and vanilla swirled with that classic cola flavor, which is exactly what I expected from it. 

I appreciated that this beverage was very fizzy. The bubbles offered some relief from the syrup and made it easier to sip on — but it was clearly still a sweet soda. Whereas the caffeine-free beverage had a flat mouthfeel, this one was easier to enjoy. Though, it fell to the middle of the ranking because the syrupy flavor made this beverage heavy, whereas the higher-ranked selections had a better flavor and freshness that made them more satisfying.

Going into this ranking, I expected that Diet Coke would take the cake. If I'm drinking any soda, it's a Diet Coke — simply because I genuinely like the flavor of it. While regular Coke is super syrupy and cloying, Diet Coke is sweet — but not like a stick-in-the-back-of-your-mouth-and-stay-there sweet. Despite the fact that it doesn't contain sugar, it still tastes authentically sweet and "clean." 

The aroma of this beverage is definitely cola — not lemon, like was the case with the original Coke. I think that a cola should always smell like a cola, which is why I had to place Diet Coke above the OG. Despite all these merits, Diet Coke still has its drawbacks. Mainly, I didn't think it was as fizzy as the regular cola, and it's really only good when it's super cold. It also has a classic diet soda aftertaste, which, depending on your palate, could be something that you love or something you hate. That being said, you can always cover up the artificial sweetener edge by using Diet Coke as a mixer for a cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage.

Not only was this soda not my favorite zero-sugar product, but it also wasn't my favorite product overall. The top-ranking colas in this ranking had a much more developed flavor and were more pleasant to drink. That being said, I'm not saying "no" to a Diet Coke if it's offered. 

Okay, okay, so Coke has not only a diet version (which is made without any sugar), but also a zero-sugar product? And they taste different?! Prior to this review, I had never sat down to discern the flavor differences between Coke Zero and Diet Coke. But, thanks to this review, I found that the flavors are very, very different. 

Per the brand (not some online, Coke-loving internet sleuth making any speculative claims), Coke Zero is supposed to mimic the flavor of the original Coca-Cola, whereas Diet Coke is made with a distinct blend of flavors. There are also some nutritional differences between Coke Zero and Diet Coke. To start, Coke Zero contains less caffeine than Diet Coke. And as I expected, due to both the lower caffeine and addition of the sweetener acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), Coke Zero didn't have the same bitter flavor as Diet Coke. In fact, I picked up on some more eucalyptus notes and mintiness in this zero-sugar beverage that made it more complex. It was also much fizzier than Diet Coke, and it was almost as bubbly as the OG Coke. Plus, I found that the acidity of this soda was balanced — more so than the regular Coke. 

Overall, this soda doesn't lean medicinal and it's easy to drink. The light caramel flavor is pleasurable and mild, though it doesn't beat the flavor of the top-ranking Coke in all the land. Plus, the Coke Zero still makes its identity as a diet soda known, which is not something that every consumer can get behind. 

There is a reason why Mexican Coke consistently fares well on lists of the best colas. This bottle visually differs than American Coke, as it's sold in glass rather than plastic. While I didn't factor can-versus-bottle in this ranking, I genuinely think the bottle really elevates the sipping experience of this beverage. Unlike its syrupy American counterpart, Mexican Coke has a dry mouthfeel — likely because it's made with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. This ingredient swap makes Mexican Coke taste different — and it's ultimately why it surged ahead in this ranking. 

The two other observations I made was that there was no lemon odor, nor was there an off-putting acidity. The Mexican Coke was perfectly fizzy, and the taste was so balanced that you could drink a whole bottle without realizing that you were drinking an absolute sugar bomb (I sure did). The Mexican Coke had the perfect, balanced cola flavor that I was craving from all of the other sodas in this ranking. That being said, I wished that this bottle was resealable. Though I drank it all in a single sitting, so that may be a moot point. 

I purchased all of the different Coca-Cola flavors that were available in my area. Though the brand also carries Coca-Cola Creations (which includes the Coke-Oreo collab — one of the best new soda flavors of 2024) and Coca-Cola Local Tastes, I wanted to focus on the tried-and-true flavors that were more widely accessible. Once I had all of the bottles and cans, I made sure to chill them in the fridge for a few hours before I tasted each of them. My partner, who sampled these drinks with me, and I sipped them straight from the bottle or the can, as ice may dilute the flavor. 

After I took a whiff of each beverage, I took a swig and let the flavors swirl around on my tongue for a little bit. While each product had a slightly different flavor profile and mouthfeel, I ultimately wanted to sip something that was refreshing, balanced, and didn't leave me feeling like I was drowning in sugar. I also ranked beverages that had a more pronounced cola flavor higher, as people don't drink Coke because they want to drink a cherry or a eucalyptus-flavored soda: They want the flavor that only Coke can bring. 

There were some things that I didn't factor into this ranking, like nutrition and the bottling format. I assumed each variety of soda tasted the same whether sold in a can or a bottle, but I noted if the bottle influenced the sipping experience (as it did with the Mexican Coke).