What Flavor Is Coca-Cola Actually?

There are many flavors of Coca-Cola, but the most mysterious flavor of all is the original. After all, when you're drinking Cherry Coke, you can definitively say, "This tastes like cherry." But what about when you're drinking a regular Coca-Cola? It's hard to describe — and there's not really an actual definition. The ingredients listed on the label aren't exactly telling, either, as it just lists carbonated water, caramel color, high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, and natural flavors.

The answer is it's not really a single flavor, but a blend of multiple. The suspected natural flavors are a mix of citrus oils, spices, vanilla, and sweetener. Citrus oils used in cola aren't actually from juice, but oil from the peels of oranges, lemons, and limes. These zesty flavorings combine with the spicier ones, like nutmeg and cinnamon, which give the drink its mulled-like warmth. A sweetness from vanilla ties the whole situation together, unifying these very different flavor pairings to create Coke's singular taste.

The recipe for Coke has changed over the years (including one time in the '80s when it was changed to New Coke and everyone freaked out). Originally, the drink was made with a syrup containing kola nuts and coco leaf extract (which contained a little bit of cocaine), but this is no longer the case. Those ingredients have since been replaced with the aforementioned natural flavors (and high fructose corn syrup). Coca-Cola admits these natural flavors are the secret to its taste — and the company has never confirmed exactly what those are. The recipe is rumored to be locked up tight in a vault in Georgia, with only two executives knowing of its contents.

Back in 2011, radio host Ira Glass claimed to have found the actual Coca-Cola recipe in an article from 1979 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as he was researching a separate story. The secret flavorings, referred to as "Merchandise 7X," were, in fact, alcohol and the oils of orange, lemon, nutmeg, coriander, neroli, and cinnamon, combined with an apparently not-so-secret syrup made of coca leaves extract, caffeine, vanilla, caramel, lime juice, and lots of sugar. Coca-Cola denies this, though, saying the recipe was not the real thing. The world may never know the whole truth.