DIE-YET COKE?!

[Jester]

"We don't have no steenkink DIE-YET COKE!!!..."

The title is, of course, some good natured teasing of those on this forum that have admitted a mild addiction to this mutated soft drink.  For the movie buffs out there, you might recognize the phrase I was parodying--its from "Treasure of the Sierra Madres".

I think it was Dan that spotted a couple rarely seen cans in one of my postings, and I promised to post some more detailed shots of my bottle collection.  So, after eight months, here are a couple pics.

[Phonesrfun]

Badges??  We don't need no stinking badges!

Yes, that is one of those oft-quoted movie snips.  I am also one of those Die-Yet Coke-aholics (No Pepsi, please).  Many of my pictures of various phones also catch one of many cans of the stuff in the background. 

-Bill

[Greg G.]

Are any of those "Christmas" coke bottles?

[talkingtime]

I really like those steel diamond Coke cans. Very hard if not impossible to find back here in West Tennessee.

[Dan/Panther]

DIE YET COKE or nothing....

D/P

[Dan]

Now you are talking my language Jester. My basement is chock full of soft drink stuff. It was my previous addiction prior to phones. I could post some pics if you want

[Jester]

There are two "Christmas" bottles in the above shots--so called because of the Dec. 25, 1923 patent date--actually the second patent date for this design.  The first design date was Nov. 16, 1915.  My real interest turned to "straight wall" bottles in recent years, and you will notice most of the bottles above are of that type.  Straight walls are the earliest bottles to bear the Coca-Cola script, and were used from about 1900 through the early 1920's.  They were replaced by the famous trademark bottle, the design officially known as the "Hobbleskirt".

Dan, that sounds great--feel free to post anything.

[Dennis Markham]

Nice collection of Coke stuff, Stephen.  I remember in my youth going to the Coke machine with my buddies.  Molded into the glass bottle on the bottom was a City and State.  We'd each buy a Coke and the guy with the bottle that was closest to where we lived had to buy the other guy's drinks.  I think they were a dime a bottle at that time for the 6.5 oz bottle.  I have several of those myself.  I know collecting Coca-Cola stuff is an never ending venture, similar to phone collecting as there are so many different things to collect.

Attached are a couple photos of my largest Coca-Cola artifact.  It's a Cavalier CS-64, circa 1965.  

[Jester]

That's a very nice vending machine, Dennis--and still has the wire rack for the empties, too!  I've wanted something like that or the old coolers for years, but never had the extra cash or room to put it.  As I was writing my initial post, I couldn't help thinking about the younger guys on the forum that never scrounged the roadsides as a kid for discarded bottles so they could buy an afternoon snack with the deposit money.  I even found a few "keepers" in the ditches while doing this.  And just like phone service changing when cell phones became prolific, I can't help thinking that we "accepted" the change in taste that aluminum cans & plastic bottles cause that was never an issue with glass.

[Dennis Markham]

I thought it was just my memory from childhood that made me think the Coke tasted better then.   But I think it was the fact that usually we drank it from the bottle and it WAS better.  And yes, 2c a bottle for the return was great incentive for my friends and I to pick up the bottles and drag them to the store.  If we were lucky, we got enough to buy another bottle.

I spent my younger years growing up in Alabama and Florida.  There was nothing better than an icy cold Coke on a hot summer day.  I remember those large Coke coolers, one in particular that sat outside of a small marina on the dock.  It had block ice inside (no refrigeration) with bottles of all different kinds of soft drinks.  Nothing was colder than pulling out a bottle from that cooler.  Ah, the good ole days!

Thanks for the compliment on the Coke machine.  I was in the right place at the right time when it was time to get rid of that machine.  As I said, it was 1981 and I paid $100 for it.  I don't know what it's worth, but probably that much.

[benhutcherson]

I thought it was just my memory from childhood that made me think the Coke tasted better then.   

Dennis,

I certainly don't have your memories, but coke today is made with high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar.

There definitely is a difference in taste. If you ever go to Europe, where the coke is still made with sugar, you'll find that it tastes better.

There is a plant down around where my Grandfather lives, in West Jefferson, NC, that makes all of their soft drinks with sugar also(and bottles everything in glass bottles). Unfortunately, they don't make coke, just Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew, and a few others.

The Coke items presented here are definitely interesting. That's a hobby that I've never pursued, as I have enough hobbies already. I'd definitely a coke drinker, though-no Pepsi for me.

[Jester]

Ben,
You are correct in pointing out that cane sugar does change the taste of things in comparison to other sugars.  The container also can change this, too.  Fortunately, you are too young to remember summer of 1985--when "New Coke" debuted.  Everybody's STILL wondering how Coca-Cola Co. escaped filing bankruptsy after that fiasco!!

[McHeath]

In these parts you can still buy Coke in a glass bottle made with real sugar, and not the high fructose corn syrup formula.  The stuff is made in Mexico and imported to serve the large immigrant population who don't like US coke in plastic bottles or cans with the changed formulation.  Most of the stores in my area carry the glass bottled Mexican Coke, as well as many of the restaurants, along with the US Coke formulas.   

To my taste buds the Mexican Coca-Cola is much better, it tastes like I remember a Coke tasting like as a kid, it also has a better "finish" to borrow a wine term.  The glass leaves a cleaner taste as well, and has more "bite" to it.  The bottles are standard size, like they used to be, and not those little novelty bottles that you can get once in a while which still have the high fructose corn syrup formula.

[Dan]

Dennis, nice machine. It is worth about $400-$500. I have a Cavalier USS-64. Mine is a little newer. It dispenses bottles and cans. We use it everyday in our house.

Speaking of "sugar" vs High fructose corn syrup, Pepsi has come out with  three throwback formulas , pepsi throwback, mountain dew throwback, and heritage Dr. pepper. All have sugar in them and are excellent.
All pop in a glass bottle is better. Sam's club sells the mexican cokes (12 oz glass) for about $16 a case. 75 cents is worth it for a cold sugar coke in a glass bottle, and your machine would dispense them nicely.

[Dennis Markham]

Thanks, Dan for the info.  Your display is excellent.