Coke less HFCS

From today's Boston Globe, word of a temporary supply of Coke sweetened with suger.

How sweet it is to drink this Coke
April 12, 2006

For those who remember the taste of Coca-Cola when it was sweetened with cane or beet sugar rather than corn syrup, the beverage maker has a treat for you over the next few weeks. Its kosher for Passover Coke Classic variety, available in the 2-liter bottle with the yellow cap at no additional cost, is sweetened with sucrose for the holiday table. This is the way Coca-Cola made the formula before the company switched to corn syrup in 1980 in a cost-saving measure, says company spokesman Scott Williamson. Many Coke aficionados who are not Jewish but prefer the slightly sweeter taste of the real classic Coke are taking advantage and stocking up while the product is available. -- ED FRANKLIN



© Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

Great news. While I disagree with the notion that the cane-sugar variety is sweeter, it is unquestionably better. I just returned from the Dominican Republic where Coke is made with cane sugar and it was way better than the HFCS stuff here. Particularly with a jolt of Dominican rum and a squeeze of lime.

I just bought mine here last week in K.C., however I need to make a correction to the story. Each bottler packages it differently, here in Kansas City the bottle has a standard white cap and where the date is normally stamped on the collar of the cap it says OUP. The coke guy told me that it stood for Orthodox Union Passover - he said that a local rabbi came in to the bottling plant and blessed everything before they started bottling it. It is only available in the stores in the heavily Jewish areas of K.C. The best way to check is to read the ingredient label, it will say sucrose.

I always thought pre-new-coke was sweetened partly with invert sugar or glucose, which would make it heavier and a bit less sweet. In any event, I'll look today to see if I can find the kosher variety here. Also planning to get some Coke Blak, which is supposedly now in Kroger here.

Not all that much of a Coke drinker, I shall look to see if our store has it.. Sounds like a winner to me!

Maybe if everybody buys or asks for it Coke might wake up and get the idea. Chow Jim

quote:

Originally posted by cnw

I just bought mine here last week in K.C., however I need to make a correction to the story. Each bottler packages it differently, here in Kansas City the bottle has a standard white cap and where the date is normally stamped on the collar of the cap it says OUP. The coke guy told me that it stood for Orthodox Union Passover - he said that a local rabbi came in to the bottling plant and blessed everything before they started bottling it. It is only available in the stores in the heavily Jewish areas of K.C. The best way to check is to read the ingredient label, it will say sucrose.

I would like to correct a very wide-spread misconception about what makes food Kosher. A "blessing" by a Rabbi is not what makes Coca-Cola or any other beverage or food Kosher. The Rabbi serves as an inspector, of sorts, and makes sure of several things, such as:

*That no non-Kosher products come into contact with the Kosher product
*That the machinery, vessels, etc. that are used for the preparation of the Kosher food have not been used previously for non-Kosher products
*That meat products are not "cross-contaminated" with dairy products
*That dairy products are not "cross-contaminated" with meat products

And, most important of all if the food or beverage is to be considered Kosher for Passover--
The machinery, vessels, etc. that are used for the preparation of the food or beverage, as well as the room in which the equipment has been housed, must be completely disinfected. Most times, live steam is used for the sterilization of production equipment, following a complete dismantling of the equipment. Many companies opt to have entirely separate production facilities for their Passover products, as the clean-up routine is a bit less strenuous in that case.

Like I said, a mere blessing is not the issue here.

I thought there were also rules dealing with handling of grain products, in particular fermented ones.

quote:

Originally posted by tjr

I thought there were also rules dealing with handling of grain products, in particular fermented ones.

Thank you for adding that detail as regards foods that are to be considered Kosher For Passover. Grain products (in this case, Matzoh) must be baked very quickly after water is added, in order to begin the cooking process before the grain product can ferment. I believe that 18 minutes is usually considered to be the time limit before baking.

I couldn't find any in Worcester. I did find some 2L bottles of kosher diet Coke. It had as has been mentioned, a yellow cap with the legend "KOSHER" and some Hebrew script.

And, Tedbear, isn't that the reason that cane sugar is used? That the corn used to make corn syrup is considered to have fermented as in the manufacturing process it's mixed with water and held?

quote:

Originally posted by tjr

And, Tedbear, isn't that the reason that cane sugar is used? That the corn used to make corn syrup is considered to have fermented as in the manufacturing process it's mixed with water and held?

I hadn't really thought about that issue, but now that you mention it, I believe that you are right. That theory certainly makes sense to me.

For the second year in a row, I just can't find it. I would love to compare it with corn Coke.

While I was looking for it today in my local Hannaford, I thought I might have found it.

As soon as you enter the store you are confronted with a "Passover" display which consists of mainly matzo products and grape juice. On the other side of the display stand is Coke, all of it of the common corn syrup variety.

I think this sort of practice does not endear Hannaford to anyone. The duplicity of the display is obvious to everyone with half a brain.

quote:

Originally posted by Greyghost

For the second year in a row, I just can't find it. I would love to compare it with corn Coke.

While I was looking for it today in my local Hannaford, I thought I might have found it.

As soon as you enter the store you are confronted with a "Passover" display which consists of mainly matzo products and grape juice. On the other side of the display stand is Coke, all of it of the common corn syrup variety.

I think this sort of practice does not endear Hannaford to anyone. The duplicity of the display is obvious to everyone with half a brain.

I would try one of the ShopRites in your area GreyGhost....or perhaps Price Chopper - the Golubs are Jewish I believe!

Found some at one of our Krogers here. It really goes fast. Yellow cap with some Hebrew letters on the cap. The saran-wrap type label has the ingredients and a little logo "Original Formula" under a sort of cracked circle shape.

Is the "Original Formula" logo unique to kosher coke? I don't have a regular 2 liter to compare.

How do you get a dairy product from a cow without it becoming cross-contaminated with meat?

quote:

Originally posted by Tedbear

quote:

Originally posted by tjr

And, Tedbear, isn't that the reason that cane sugar is used? That the corn used to make corn syrup is considered to have fermented as in the manufacturing process it's mixed with water and held?

I hadn't really thought about that issue, but now that you mention it, I believe that you are right. That theory certainly makes sense to me.

The reason corn is not used is not for the reaosn you describe, although that is certainly a logical way of looking at it.

Corn or any deriviative is not used because corn is not allowed on Passover for jews of eastern european origin (Ashkenazic). All legumes such as rice, corn, soybeans, etc are a group of foods designated by rabbis a long time ago to not be consumed on Passover. Cross contamination was an issue, and in flour form it was too hard to differentiate between rice flour and wheat flour as an example.

Jews of mediterranean origin (Sephardic) do not have this restriction and therefor eat rice, corn and all legumes during Passover.

I would try one of the ShopRites in your area GreyGhost....or perhaps Price Chopper - the Golubs are Jewish I believe!


I tried 3 Price Choppers, my usual has a small Kosher section, as did the second I tried. The third is at least 25% Kosher, and that is where I found the Kosher Diet Coke.

Thanx for the info, renfrew!

here in Louisville, the highlands Kroger has kosher coke. I bought 8 bottles and probably will have to buy more, my GF tasted it and told me to buy the kroger out.

Iansmom, you could also try the McMahan plaza Kroger in Hikes Point if the Bardstown Rd store is out. That's where I found some.

Not only did I find 'yellow cap' Coke at my local Price chopper...stacks of it...they also had Kosher Sprite.....YUMMMMM...

quote:

Originally posted by Pogo

How do you get a dairy product from a cow without it becoming cross-contaminated with meat?

The reference to meat referred to the flesh of an animal that has been slaughtered. The origin is from a Biblical passage that says something like, "thou shalt not seethe a kid in the milk of its mother" (undoubtedly not an exact quote, but probably fairly close). Translation: Do not cook that lamb in milk. This was expanded in ancient Israel to mean that meat (slaughtered flesh) from any kind of animal should not be mixed/co-mingled with dairy products, and that meat and dairy products should not be consumed at the same meal.

quote:

Originally posted by ConeyIslandLou

Not only did I find 'yellow cap' Coke at my local Price chopper...stacks of it...they also had Kosher Sprite.....YUMMMMM...

I was wondering if other soft drinks were made Kosher for Passover. Other than Coke and Sprite is anyone aware of other such soft drinks?

We tried to find Kosher Coke at Albertsons here in Co. Nope, not gonna happen. Even tried calling down to Denver where there is at least, something of a Jewish population. I'm really disappointed.

However, they did have Kosher Pepsi! I never even heard of that.

quote:

Originally posted by Tastytoo

quote:

Originally posted by ConeyIslandLou

Not only did I find 'yellow cap' Coke at my local Price chopper...stacks of it...they also had Kosher Sprite.....YUMMMMM...

I was wondering if other soft drinks were made Kosher for Passover. Other than Coke and Sprite is anyone aware of other such soft drinks?

Yes, Dr Browns makes a kosher for passover run of their three most popular sodas, Cream, Black Cherry and Cel-Ray.

However, these are available mostly in the heavily jewish populated areas. Finding KOP Coca-Cola products can be tough, finding Dr. Browns is definitely tougher.

I was in a c-store in Northampton, MA and the Coke guy was wheeling a pallet and all the bottles had the yellow caps. I asked him if they were the Cokes made with sugar and he said no, just different caps for some reason.

I was right. He was wrong.

I had a bit of a walk, so I bought only two 2-liter bottles and lugged them. I'll drive by to stock up (I haven't sampled yet, as they chill in the fridge) ...

Next question: are they only available in 2-liter (about a 2 week supply under the most aggressive Coke drinking regimen).

I've only seen 2 liters here. Best move quickly as the supply here is pretty much dried up.

Just sampled mine. What a difference.

2 liters only. Its amazing that people are just starting to know about this. Coke has done special passover runs for at least 15 years now. I never thought twice about it or what it would mean to a corn syrup soaked populace. Pretty cool.