Thousands of consumers have noticed that Coca-Cola tastes better at McDonald’s than at home. There is a good reason…
Do you also think that the Coke from McDonald’s tastes better than the one you have in your fridge? For several weeks, the question has gone viral in the United States, with a series of testimonies comparing the taste of the famous drink in fast food restaurants to that of cans or bottles found in supermarkets. The American soda giant and the fast food giant have even been suspected of having found a secret agreement to help each other conquer the world.
“We all hear that Coca-Cola tastes better at McDonald’s, and for those of us who have had it, we know it’s different from other places,” Brenda Argueta, who writes for a local magazine from Orlando, Florida. The very serious New York Times also recalled that Coca-Cola and McDonald’s have a long-standing relationship that has helped both companies become the global icons they are today.
Since the 1950s, the two companies have had an agreement for restaurants to be stocked with Coke, so that BigMacs and their cousins are almost always accompanied by the famous brown drink. McDonald’s is Coca-Cola’s largest restaurant customer and the two companies have a unique relationship, made up of joint marketing operations and the exchange of best practices. McDonald’s, for example, used Coca-Cola offices to establish itself in certain countries.
What leads us to conclude that Coca-Cola delivers a better drink to its “friends” to accompany their hamburgers? The reality is a little different. The production and delivery of Coca-Cola to McDonald’s restaurants has been the subject of an agreement and the Coke delivered to McDonald’s is in fact different from that which is bottled for sale in supermarkets. But it is more a question of logistics: Coca-Cola is delivered to fast-food restaurants in stainless steel tanks “which guarantee its freshness”, writes the New York Times.
The syrup is then cooled with water, before being sent into the soda fountain, according to Reader’s Digest. This process helps keep the liquid fresh and increases carbonation, or the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the drink to make it frothier. According to Reader’s Digest, as the soda warms, the CO2 escapes. However, as the soda stays cool for longer, it therefore retains its bubbles and its taste for longer.
The YouTube channel Weird History Food also explained the phenomenon in early July in a video that has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times since. “Unlike canned soda which is like frozen fish, the best Coca-Cola is found directly in the stream,” the document summarized in a very graphic manner. The metal container would also make the taste of the soda more complex, according to the specialist site Food Geek & Love.
If Coke is better at McDonald’s, this has more to do with what we see for another drink, also distributed throughout the world in metal barrels: beer. But remember to consume these two drinks in moderation, as sodas like beer have effects on your health.