[Bayart]

I've seen the same in France. Coca Cola sold in heavily discounted stores used to taste quite a bit worse than regular « Made in France » Coca Cola. I suspected it was made on the cheap somewhere and imported, like a lot of products there. I don't think I could find it anymore, as those stores have mostly disappeared (and those that still exist like Lidl and Aldi had to go up-market and significantly improve their quality and image). As it happens it's a retail model that's much less popular here than in Germany.

[iszomer]

The real difference is Coca Cola made with real sugar than the more common HFCS.

[Bayart]

Are you American ? In Europe, sugar is much more common than corn syrup. Germany and France are massive sugar beets producers.

In any case, you might be right in this instance.

[iszomer]

That is interesting; I didn't know European countries would prefer sugar over corn syrup. Do people there also have the opinion that real sugar is more subjectively superior in it's taste and aftertaste?

[Bayart]

I don't know that anyone has an opinion on it, regular sugar is just the norm. Corn syrup is just not common enough that people would be exposed to the point of single it out. We don't really have a « big corn » lobby, and GMOs which are meant for that type of production are verboten anyway.

The quotas on isoglucose have been lifted a few years ago in the EU, so that might become more common. But I think it's really meant for export, especially considering sugar is meant lower in manufactured products anyway.