New trend sees Mexican Coca-Cola as the only REAL Coca-Cola
BY DYLAN SKRILOFF
It’s spreading all over Rockland County, and all over America, more and more every year.
It’s the Mexican Coke revolution. That’s right, the real flavor of Coca-Cola that you always knew was missing, can now be found in a glass bottle at many supermarkets, restaurants and convenience stores around Rockland County.
And it goes beyond Coke, there’s Mexican Fanta, and Mexican Pepsi, Sprite, and Pepsi Throwback (that’s American, not Mexican). One thing all these products have in common: they use sugar cane instead of the increasingly unpopular and highly processed sweetener called high fructose corn syrup.
Though Coca-Cola has repeatedly stated there isn’t a lick of difference between the flavor of cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup, it would be a bald-faced lie to argue there is no difference in the taste between Mexican Coke and American Coke. Whether it’s the cane vs. fructose that makes the difference, or something else, blind taste-tests reveal that Mexican Coke tastes better to most palates.
The Rockland County Times located a dozen or so sales spot of Mexican Coke in Rockland County by asking and looking around. Presumably there are another many locations the Rockland County Times has yet to locate. Feel free to email the locations in and we will add them to our online article.
Restaurants: The Market in Palisades, Bella Rose Cafe in Haverstraw, Potato Republic in New City, El Paraiso in Spring Valley (Ecuadorian Coke)
Delis/Convenience Stores: Colonel’s Deli in Mt. Ivy, Mt. Ivy Stationary Store (in same strip mall as Mt. Ivy Cafe), Titanic Deli in Congers, West Clarkstown Mini Mart on W. Clarkstown Rd., New City, Mi Tierra bodega in Haverstraw, Unnamed bodega next to Subway in Hillcrest district of Spring Valley
Supermarkets: Costco in Nanuet, Pathmark in Nanuet (seasonal), let us know at what other supermarkets you’ve found it!
John Lima, co-owner of Bella Rose Cafe in Haverstraw, said his restaurant runs through several cases of Mexican Coke per month. When his family opened the restaurant they wanted to feature coke in glass bottles. There is an American version of Coke in a glass bottle, but Lima decided to try the Mexican Coke because it contained natural sugar and he thought it would be more popular.
It has become a popular item, he confirmed. Almost all of his customers prefer it, with at least one notable exception, Danice Desir. Ms. Desir is a musician and travels abroad a lot. She said, “I like the taste of high fructose corn syrup because it reminds me of home!”
While Mexican Coke is enjoyed by all customers at Bella Rose, other stores specifically carry it to cater to the Latin American community. Immigrants from the south have as much of a love as Coca-Cola as Americans do, only they’ve come to expect a certain taste. Now many stores stock their shelves with the Mexican variety of Coke to satisfy those customers, and in the meantime, many Americans of other ethnic backgrounds are also becoming fans of the drink.
Angel Mureb, co-owner of Titanic Deli in Congers, said he believes the Mexican sodas do taste better. “Mexican Fanta is the best. That is my favorite drink and the customers love it. It is one of our best selling sodas,” Mureb said.
At Mi Tierra bodega, the owners explained that they order Mexican Coke and other Mexican sodas through the Jetro outlet company at a moderately higher price than American soda products.
Latin America isn’t the only land where regular sugar cane (or beet sugar) is used in Coke. In fact, the United States is the only country where corn syrup is used so heavily in beverages, due to deadly duo of tariffs on sugar and subsidies for corn. If you are among the growing contingent of Americans that resent having your beverages sweetened by processed corn, you can blame lawmakers in Washington and the corn and sugar lobbies.
Sugar cane or beet sugar also used in North America during passover season for Jewish customers, but the product does not taste the same as Mexican Coke according to most connoisseurs.
The Mexican Coke movement has even spawned its own facebook page with over 9,000 followers. The group’s motto is, “Mexican Coke is sweetened with sugar— NOT with high fructose corn syrup. So It’s better. Ask anyone.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login