Has the secret formula of Coke been discovered?

[ricosuave]

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/15/...la-discovered/

[ken0042]

I'm copying the formula here in case the link disppears:

The recipe:

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color


(What's a Dram?)

[Drury18]

A dram is 1/8 of a fluid ounce.

[CMPunk]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I'm copying the formula here in case the link disppears:

The recipe:

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color


(What's a Dram?)

Unit of volume

The flud dram is defined as 1⁄8 of a fluid ounce, which means it is exactly equal to

• 3.696 691 195 312 5 mL in the United States and
• 3.551 632 812 500 0 mL in the Commonwealth and Ireland.

In the United Kindom, a teaspoon was formerly defined as 3/2 fluid dram.
"Dram" is also used as a measure of the powder charge in a shotgun shell.
4 Drams is the measurement of 1/2 a bottle of promoter.
Dram is also used informally to mean a small amount of liquid, especially Scotch whisky. In this case the "dram" may for example be as large as 10 regulation flud drams.

[Regulator75]

Hookers?

[SebC]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I'm copying the formula here in case the link disppears:

The recipe:

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color


(What's a Dram?)

Way to miss the most important part.

The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):
Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I remember a friend of mine's dad worked for Coke.

When we went to the Coke plant in NE Calgary we learned that the formula was shipped in 3 separate trucks so that it would be difficult to jack the trucks and steal the recipe.

[TSXCman]

Weird.. I never realized it was so secretive.

Assumed that like KFC, you could just search it.

I remember making 'cola' in school. tasted similar

[flylock shox]

If I'm not mistaken, the secret formula has always been a family secret, and as a result never patented.

So, if this is the right formula, anybody can now make and sell Coke.

I'm off to buy me a bottle of 7X flavour.

[HotHotHeat]

So you could make it, or just buy it.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

If I'm not mistaken, the secret formula has always been a family secret, and as a result never patented.

So, if this is the right formula, anybody can now make and sell Coke.

So if that is the right formula then, someone could grab it, patent it, and charge Coke to use it? That sounds like a loophole they would have closed somehow? I don't know much how patenting works, though.

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

So if that is the right formula then, someone could grab it, patent it, and charge Coke to use it? That sounds like a loophole they would have closed somehow? I don't know much how patenting works, though.

Couldn't patent it, no - it's not novel now that it's out there in the world.

Coke's benefit in failing to patent it is that they don't have to reveal the formula (which they'd have to if they did patent it). They'd only have the benefit of the patent for a certain time before it expired and anyone could make their product.

By keeping it a family secret, they can protect the formula indefinitely. That is, until it is revealed or found out.

They've had a pretty good run.

[CaptainCrunch]

Cracked digs into the greatest secrets and how they're held

http://www.cracked.com/article/147_7...r-some-reason/

[DownInFlames]

I listened to the "This American Life" episode. They took the recipe to Jones Soda and had them make it. They had to tweak it a bit because modern Coke contains things like high fructose corn syrup, but the result turned out pretty close to the original. So, with enough time and effort you could probably come out with an exact copy, but you'd still have a hard time selling it because you'd be competing with over a hundred years of Coca Cola's branding.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I've always wondered - can't you just load a bottle of Coke into a mass spectrometer and reverse engineer the formula?

[Northendzone]

^^^ i have also wondered the same thing.

given that 2l of coke is less than $2.00 why go thru all the trouble ot buy all that stuff and mix your own.

[GGG]

I always new there was cinimin in there.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

I've always wondered - can't you just load a bottle of Coke into a mass spectrometer and reverse engineer the formula?

No. Complex organic molecules can't be sussed out that way.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by TSXCman

Weird.. I never realized it was so secretive.

Assumed that like KFC, you could just search it.

I remember making 'cola' in school. tasted similar

the KFC one is even more secretive, I think I read something about only 2 executives at KFC even knowing it

And they have it made in separate parts in different areas around the US

[3 Justin 3]

KFC's isn't a secret. Salt, cocaine, oregano, chalk dust.

BAM, I just blew your mind.