If you've ever had Coca Cola from McDonald's, you'll probably have noticed that it tastes a lot better than it does from other fast food places.
I sort of assumed this was because the food at MaccyD's was salty, so you feel thirstier, so you appreciate your drink more. But, no, apparently the company goes through a lot of effort to ensure that the stuff they sell tastes as good as it does out of a bottle.
Firstly, all McDonald's restaurants use a water filtration system, and because 85 percent of the drink is water, good water means a better tasting drink.
According to Spoonuniversity.com, temperature also plays a huge part, so both the water and the syrup are kept chilled before it enters the drink dispenser. The dispenser itself is kept at a constant temperature just above freezing; which is essential for reaching peak c02 levels, meaning that your drink stays fizzy for longer.
On his blog, US writer Mark Proffitt also wrote about the process McDonald's go through.
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He wrote that McDonald's shift so much of the stuff, they don't need to use the plastic syrup bags a lot of places do, they can get their syrup delivered in stainless steel cylinders and because they sell so much it doesn't sit around for long, meaning that it's much fresher.
Lastly, the extra-wide straw you get in McDonald's is, according to its website, designed that way "so all that Coke taste can hit all your taste buds."
The more you know.
So, why does Coke taste better from a glass bottle?
Well, that explains one mystery, but why does Coca Cola taste so much better from a glass bottle?
Well, according to Sara Risch, a biochemist and founder of Science by Design it's all to do with polymers.
Polymers are the molecules inside packaging and how the Coke interacts with these can affect the taste of the drink.
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In cans, which are made of aluminium, the polymers may absorb some of the flavour from the drink. According to Risch, glass is a better substance to use for packaging because it is the most inert and will give the most 'unaltered taste'.
Science, bitches.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: mcdonalds