Your typical soda fountain in a fast-food joint features eight boring choices, usually offering nothing more exotic than "Orange." It's been that way for decades, but one of the oldest players in the market is finally shattering that paradigm. Coca-Cola is introducing a machine that can pour
100 different flavors. Early prototypes underwent testing earlier this summer and second-gen units are headed for limited markets early next year -- the same thing they said about those
self-cooling bottles last year. Assuming they do come to market, swapping out the highly-concentrated flavors is likened to changing a print cartridge, meaning new choices can come and go quickly depending on popularity. It all sounds refreshing, but we're not looking forward to the lines as the thirsty yet indecisive ponder 15 different flavors of Diet Coke.
posted Aug 29th 2008 10:52AM
If anyone's been to the Coke museum in Atlanta will agree that the uber fountain in the tasting room is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Easily over 100 flavors in there. It'd be neat to see some of those flavors come to the masses to try out.
Ahh, the first spotting of the term 'uber' in a post. Good for you, bro! You must be very smart and/or trendy! Wait. I meant that for 7 years ago.
Congratulations! First use of the word 'bro' in a post. Wow, it must be cool for your lexicon to be 'in' again.
You just know that someone, somewhere is going to be standing in front of this machine for five minutes and then finally scream, "What the hell? NO PEPSI?!??!"
Now if only the beer companies would design a machine like this...
i'll take rootbeer banana
Wow. You got uber-low ranked for that. (Wait, would that be unter-low?)
I agree, but after hitting up africa then russia, i had to return to the giant classic coke room.
Also, cherry birch beer NEEDS to be in America, now.
@Tony2X - wow, you really -zinged- me there. I humbly bow to your supremacy. Bro.
I thought it was Brah?
100 flavors of corn syrup? No thanks. Wake me when they get to cane sugar.
I was there earlier this summer, and it would be awesome to be able to get those flavors without going to Atlanta or all over the world.
Not Beverly.
yeah beverly is disgusting it tastes terrible!!! i cant see how that is a beverage and people drink it.
Yah I agree the tasting room is great! If you think this is a lame or great idea vote here: http://www.ratemyideas.com/story.php?title=Coca-Cola_readying_100-flavor_soda_fountains
Out of the 150 comments i think i am first to reply to this topic in the following.
YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YIPEEE!!!
i want this thing to come to Australia, i know it will, but in ages. every Hungry Jack's (Burger King) and McDonald's will have one!!!
i reckon one day you could buy a 1kg bag of like powder (contains the secret ingredients of the Coke Cola Amatil's drinks), bring it home and put it into a smaller version of these machines and then ask it to make something for you.
I'd be psyched is they simply had Cherry Coke, but Strawberry, Grape and a variety of other flavors sounds great as well!
He sounds like a human being who made a typo... KILL ALL THE REPLICANTS lol (yes I saw Blade Runner in class today, FTW :D)
@brad
who r u going to vote for?
ahh.. the internet, where typing "is" instead of "if" can get you berated by inbred homophobic dipshits at the drop of a hat
@carbonrain
He's going to vote for Bush again, who else?!
the grammar police think engadget is a police state,
FWI @brad, there is no edit post function, so you're not really doing anyone any favors ;)
Interesting use of capital letters, Brad... I could have sworn that when someone was typing a grammatically correct sentence, they used them on the first word, but I must be mistaken. Silly me.
Sad that these huge companies continue to flood the planet with diebetes inducing simple carbs and the environment clogging packaging that contains them. With all their money, they could innovate themseves out of this unethical mess.
tool
You don't need to drink the ones with sugar, you can drink the ones with pseudo-carcinogens instead.
A tool is useful... he is not.
At the end of the day, the consumer decides what they want to drink. I'm so tired of people blaming corporations for producing unhealthy food. If you don't like it, don't eat it - and most of all, don't bitch to the entire world cause no one gives a $hit! If they were putting these dispensers in a Kindergarten classroom, I might agree with you.
Also, by driving innovation like Coke is doing, they are actually reducing packaging waste. I think is more efficent and beneficial to have one machine that can dispense 100 flavours instead of walking into a Subway and choosing from 100 different bottled drinks in a fridge.
Anyways, stop crying and go back to planting trees you environmental hippie douche.
It's spelled diabetes with an a, and since this machine is spraying the drinks in cups it's actually causing LESS packaging.
I completely agree VA. People should just live their own life and stop bitching about other people's choices. It is not the companies fault - it is the consumers. So if they get diabetes it is their problem - not coca colas.
DIABEETUS
These are my testing supplies.
agree with wazzupalex.
VA, you have no clue. CC Inc. muscles aside competition through dubious tactics and leaves consumers with less choice. More flavours does not equal more choice if it simply means more soda and no real juices, etc.
Soda is crap, it is killing people and this issue is not simply about people choosing a brand they know or a drink they like. Bad habits need positive intervention to be broken (e.g. restrictions on unhealthy products), and healthy options need support (e.g. access to the market and message of reinforcement from health authorities and peer leaders). People also need to be clearly informed what is good food and what is rubbish. Many posting here, for instance, seem blithely unaware.
ScooterDe, Hitler called he wants his speech back.
Let people live their own lives. If they want to destroy their own lives let them. No one is forcing them to drink Coca Cola and it certainly isn't murder.
Slightly surprised that certain people aren't bitching about carbonated drinks having carbon dioxide in them that escapes in the air and causes global warming, my gift to you, have fun with that.
@ScooterDE
Although CC's flagship product is soda, they still offer many healthy beverages. Visit http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/brands/brandlist.html to see how many low calorie, low carb products they offer.
People do need positive reinforcement to break bad habits, but that is only true to a certain extent. If you walk up to a dispenser, see the choice of Water or Coke, and choose Coke, that is your decision.
Despite the fact that many foods are unhealthy, our bodies are built well enough to tolerate them as long as we exercise moderation. Instead of bitching at CC and McDonald's for offering unhealthy products, people should reflect on their own personal choices and ensure that whatever they are eating is not posing a serious risk to their health.
Also, keep in mind companies like CC and McDonald's get hammered by activists and lobby groups all the time. Why not take the energy and time aimed at corporations and instead launch a campaign focused on personal choices, healthy living and moderation? Some people need to complain and bitch to make themseleves feel better; I find it sad that people need to be reminded it is unhealthy to eat unhealthy food.
Oh BOO freakin' HOO, it's our lives, we don't need someone dictating what we can and can't drink, if we don't know what's in it then we're stupid to drink it.
VA said:
"At the end of the day, the consumer decides what they want to drink."
Only when offered actual choices. When you walk into a restaurant and they say they don't offer healthier choices than "Coke in 100 Flavors" or "Pepsi" and each of their associated sub-products, and you ask the question do you have real, fresh squeezed lemonade, or locally made root beer, or even something so simple as juice and you're told "No, we just have Coke, Water, and Iced Tea or Hot Tea" you're left with what amounts to miserable choices for your family. These consumers -- i.e. people who actually want to buy things and help the economy -- wanting something natural or handmade that we can drink, not something produced by mixing a bunch of chemicals together and hoping your liver and kidneys survive long term exposure.
"I'm so tired of people blaming corporations for producing unhealthy food."
Then continue to be tired and whiny about it. Corporations do produce unhealthy food. It's a fact, get over it. As a consumer I'd like natural foods to make a comeback. It'll help my family live longer. If you want to suck down Coke or Pepsi, feel free. When you die from cancer, don't forget to donate your will to cancer research so the researchers can come right back and tell you it was caused by drinking chemical-flavored soda products.
"If you don't like it, don't eat it - and most of all, don't bitch to the entire world cause no one gives a $hit!
If they were putting these dispensers in a Kindergarten classroom, I might agree with you."
They are putting soda dispensers outside of public classrooms, in the same building in fact as the students you'd like to protect -- and in many cases it's one of just a few things to drink in the school besides water, milk and orange or apple juice. Parents do give a $hit, and as consumers a good chunk of us who care about our kids give a $hit.
"Also, by driving innovation like Coke is doing, they are actually reducing packaging waste. I think is more efficent and beneficial to have one machine that can dispense 100 flavours instead of walking into a Subway and choosing from 100 different bottled drinks in a fridge."
I completely agree with this statement. I think it's fine to finally dispense with the lie that there is anything other than chemicals in something that says 10% fruit juice from concentrate, when all that really means is, we had some fruit juice, we distilled it into a chemical, modified it to make it more juicy and more sweet, mixed it with 6 different kinds of sugar and put it back on the shelf for you to consume. If they want to stop the excess litter, that's outstanding. Remind me of that however, once we recover from the thousands of plastic cups that we have to get from somewhere, which will further rely on petroleum to produce.
"Anyways, stop crying and go back to planting trees you environmental hippie douche."
You are whining again. Please don't whine when someone speaks truth to you, and leave the ignorance at the door please. This is the reading room, where we actually read and understand the points being made.
@J
If you're at a restaurant that offers only those choices, maybe the issue shouldn't be the drink your about to consume alongside your Big Mac, but the Big Mac itself.
@Everyone else
Why do people have such a hard-on for big government? I'm a smoker. If the government were to suddenly outlaw tobacco they've violated my rights. I have the right to give myself cancer and not let the government have any say in it. When it comes right down to it, its a matter of personal choice.
The things I choose to do:
Eat Red Meat
Drink Soda
Smoke Cigarettes
Drink Alochol
Have Unprotected Sex
etc
The things that you can choose not to do:
All of the Above
Unless you want to subsidize food chains offering more options as far as drinks go, then it simply is a matter of personal choice. Now you're going to say that it should be up to the food chain to offer more options. Unfortunately no it isn't, because that would cut into the bottom line of an organization whose primary purpose is to make money. But everyone seems to take issue with making money these days.
More people need to read Ayn Rand.
@CraigJ
1800 < 2050
Just remember, while upstanding citizens like 'matt merritt' choose to do all these things (you're quite the partier, arentcha, silly!), it's the rest of us that have to foot the bill when his no-responsibility ass is in the hospital without insurance or money.
While I agree, let people kill themselves, those that choose to become obese are often the ones that choose to blow their money on Coke, and not insurance.
Food (drink) for thought.
That's the biggest bunch of shit I've ever seen, all you people that think the big corporations are giving people diabetes are stupid. It's a choice the consumer makes. My dad has diabetes and has had it since I can remember, he continues to drink pop which has low sugar ie: diet pop. Which Coke and Pepsi so kindly make for people who either don't want sugar or can't have large amounts like diabetics. Diabetes is a lifestyle choice people make in my opinion after awhile it catches up and you have to make a 180 degree turn away from sugars and other carbs. There is only so much companies like Coke and Pepsi can do, could they do more we don't know because we don't know what they are working on right now. It's not like people don't serve water at every restaurant that they also serve pop and other sugary drinks.
Sad thing is, though, that even though people with Diabetes have access to Diet Coke or any Diet Soda, they are blissfully unaware that the chemicals in said diet sodas are probably helping to increase the insulin resistance of their Type 2 Diabetes. (Note: Probably. As in, has been shown in some cases to do so.) Not even regular soda has sugar: In the US of A it's all High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Why? Because sugar is taxed and HFCS is not. Mexico and Europe don't tax sugar imports and thus their sodas contain REAL sugar.
The problem is two fold, guys. For one, you have the big companies that don't use real sugar in their drinks in the USA that is most likely leading to the downfall of that nations soda-drinkers health. On the other hand, you have customers that don't know anything and thus can't make a choice. It's like giving a child the choice between a lollipop and a broccoli stalk but not telling them that the lollipop contains trace amounts of rat poison. Not only will they choose the lollipop, but even if you did tell them it had trace amounts of rat poison they wouldn't know what that meant. All they know is this: Lollipop tastes good! But, you're not being the bad guy, right? I mean, you ARE offering them a broccoli stalk also so.. you're being fair and balanced in their decision making process!
We should offer soda but perhaps someone should regulate what goes in to those sodas. Sugar isn't bad, despite what people think! Even if you think HFCS and other not-sugar-sweeteners aren't bad either, just don't drink a six-pack a day. Just don't make it your primary drink of the day guys. Everything in moderation. One or two sodas a day is MORE than enough. Fill in the gaps with water or milk or juice.
Who the hell did I hit?
Who said they wouldn't have diet versions? If you don't walk or bike most places, STFU about my paper cup. Don't forget to recycle that plastic bottle after you burned all that fossil fuel having it made so that you could waste more fossil fuel shipping it so you can drink tap water.
/I hate environazis
//I ride a bike
///Cars suc
////slashies rule!
To stupid hicks who haven't figured it out yet:
Soda is bad for you if not used in moderation. Hell, water will kill if you drink too much too fast.
If most of the liquid you consume is soda, that's bad. Try water. If you need energy, eat something or drink coffee if you want caffeine.
Keep your nanny state hands off my soda, beer, wine, whiskey, and anything else I want to drink.
I wonder why some people are pro-choice but want to take away the choices?
some folk here seem to think individual choices can be exercised in isolation from everybody else. That's sadly mistaken. The parent who guzzles soda will invariably pass that habit to their child. Thus a nation that thinks drinking soda is a 'right'.
Is it purely your personal right to do eat and drink in a manner that has you in hospital before 50 years of age, sapping the public health system or increasing medical insurance costs for everybody else? No; your choices have a long-term impact on your family, community, country and planet. Wise up and be a mature and decent person. If we all show some moderation and respect our children might have something worth inheriting.
ScooterDe, we're all really glad you don't drink soda. We would also like to encourage you to stop drinking hyper-self-righteous-bastard juice as it has been shown to be the single greatest cause of asshats.
ShutDehellup.
I'm thinking Ice Station Alpha at Disneyworld Epcot, sponsored by Coke. They have fountains to sample international Coke products like Lychee soda and Watermelon from places like Brazil and China. I do worry that this will make for ridiculous lines, most McD customers can't seem to handle the Coke/DietCoke decision too efficiently.
@mrpoo
"most McD customers can't seem to handle the Coke/DietCoke decision too efficiently." +1
I am one of them LOL. But then, I gotta say, when I am chugging my Big Mac, I CAN'T really tell the difference between regular and Diet.
However, to make myself feel less guilty for having Big Mac and Fries, I would go for Diet, despite the fact that i prefer Regular stuff.
I think it is hilarious that people drink diet cola and think that they are going to get/stay thin. In all honesty, I see a lot more obese people drinking diet cola than thin people. I've read that diet drinks trick your mind into thinking you're having something sweet while you drink them, but you don't get the satisfaction of having something that is ACTUALLY sweet, so you just crave more sweet things. Tap water FTW!
Maybe they could make it so you put your cup in, then make a decision. If you take to long, it takes your cup.
Personally, I prefer diet sodas. I've been drinking them since I was born, more or less, so the regular stuff tastes too sugary to me.
well.... i've gotta say, i think thats the first time i've ever heard anyone say "Tap Water FTW"
@ Brent maybe you see more obese people drinking diet cola than thin people because they are fat and they don't want to get fatter. Maybe thin people drink regular cola because it tastes better - and they really don't have to worry about anything.
To be honest, your better off drinking the non-diet stuff. The non-diet stuff is made out of a lot more synthetic chemicals in an attempt to emulate the sugary flavour. Such chemicals include Aspartame (a suspected carcinogen), and lots of acids (especially phosphoric). When these chemicals get into your blood stream, they lower the pH, making your blood slightly acidic. To counteract this, your body uses Calcium Hydroxide, a basic material, to neutralize it. It gets this from your bones, which causes them to break down, leading to Osteoporosis.
Both diet and non-diet do that, but diet a lot more so. Just a little chemistry for ya ;)
I've never understood the rationale of a big mac, large fries, apple pie, and a _diet_ coke.
The meal has 1800 calories. I don't think another 250 from a real coke is the cause of the weight issue...
Real Coke FTW.
@ Jeremiah Mahoney,
No, if those people did not want to get fatter, they would not be drinking ANY kind of soda. Diet soda just makes them feel less guilty about their choices.
Diet soft drinks are much worse for your health than regular soft drinks anyways. Of course they are lower in calories and sugar...that is because they (as Dillon said) use synthetic ingredients that are not ideal for human consumption. At least the body knows how to break down and process sugar.
Drinking water is the way to go for anyone who is health conscious. I've found that the more I drink water, the more I like it.
Jake Tobak: Personally, I prefer diet sodas. I've been drinking them since I was born, more or less
It seems that Jake's mom was Coca-Cola's beta model. However, the marketing department wanted to avoid the inevitable Engadget post: "Coca-Cola readying 100-flavor flesh fountains.
I'm sure they would have been lovely.
Rofl. I know exactly what you mean. I go for regular all the time. Diet has so much bad stuff in it. I am excited about this, though. I would love to go to the museum in Atlanta. I wish I was in a testing market for this thing.
I remember that at Epcot!! I absolutely LOVED the watermelon soda!!
By "Limited Markets" does this rule out getting one installed in my kitchen? That's a pretty limited market.
Everything winds up on Ebay a week after release.
Actually if it trully is as easy to change as an ink cartridge it could open a home market for dispensers. It all depends on how much Coke is willing to discount the machines.. The biggest reason we don't have em now is the huge amount of space the syrup holders take up.
This is fantastic. I loved Vanilla Coke and was totally devastated when I heard Coca Cola would no longer be producing it (and now, look at it, it's back!). However, I personally will not be using this machine, as my own dietary standards do not allow for soda.
@wazzupalex: What's so unethical about making a 100-flavor soda fountain? It's not their fault that Americans are as fat as they are, it's the Americans' fault! Do they force you to partake of their flavored and carbonated goodness? No. I say, let people who drink soda enjoy what they drink with an unimaginable-until-now array of awesome flavors that will surely peak even my interest.
(Note: I do, however, have a problem with a Slurpee ad I've been hearing on the radio. It claims that Slurpees are good for hydration, which is simply not true. False marketing = bad idea.)
You should try adding natural vanilla to a regular coke. Way WAY better than the imitation crap they're using.
...Haven't done that in awhile... have to add that to the grocery list.
Wild Cherry Slurpees from 7-11 are caffeine free... Why wouldn't it be good for hydration?
Slurpees are probably lacking in electrolytes, or contain a lot of salt (which you probably wouldn't noticeably taste). Also, just because it doesn't contain caffeine, that doesn't mean that it doesn't contain other chemicals that do similar, if not, the same thing.
Gatorade has a new Gridiron Ice slurpee out now as well... I can't imagine Gatorade peddling a product that decreases hydration... I'm just stretching now, my heart truly isn't in this argument...
"I can't imagine Gatorade peddling a product that decreases hydration... "
why? you think they really have a crack team of scientists using double-blind controlled studies to analyze rates of dehydration?
or maybe they just load it with as much color and processed sweetener as they can, making you consume it faster because for some weird reason you never seem to be satisfied.
(incidentally, Clif of Clif Bar fame make an electrolyte-drink powder sweetened with brown rice syrup and other healthy ingredients... tastes way better too)
http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_List.aspx?topicid=1&subtopicid=101
A direct link to a veritable gaggle of published works (Yes, even some double-blinds just for you, phan!) from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute including, but not limited to, "Hydration Research," "Hydration and Performance," "Dehydration and Rehydration," and "Fluid Absorption/Gastric Emptying."
So I guess to answer your question; Yes, they do really have a crack team of scientists using double-blind controlled studies to analyze rates of dehydration.
Haven't you seen the commercials? Would a marketing dept. ever lie?
All internet bitchery aside, you're probably right; I'm sure this thing is about as good for you as a nice pack of cigarettes on a warm summer day.
good god, there's really a "Gatorade Sports Science Institute"? the peer-review process is well revered there, i'm sure!
Technically, if you mix the eight flavors they give you now you can get thousands of "different flavors"... I just hope that's not what's going on behind the scenes of these things.
well, 8C8 + 8C7 * 2 + 8C6 * 2 + 8C5 * 2 + 8C4 = 1 + 16 + 56 + 112 + 70 = 255
That's only if you consider that you'll choose two flavors every time. If you assume that they can only choose a max of 8 flavors, but can chose one flavor 8 times, and choose as little as 1 flavor, you get a much bigger number.
if you had ever taken a stat course, you would realize there are that number accounts for choosing all 8 (8C8), choosing 7 or just 1 flavor (8C7 * 2), choosing 6 or 2 flavor combinations (8C6 * 2), choosing 5 or 3 flavor combinations (8C5 * 2), and 4 flavor combinations (8C4).
@John
*Geek Mode ON*
Thanks for the lesson in stats. But you are forgetting that 2 different flavors can be mixed in "n" different ways. 75% Cola + 25% Mountain Dew tastes totally different from 25% Cola + 75% Mountain Dew. By just taking 2 flavors, a 300mL cup and a dispenser with 1mL granularity I would be able to make 301 new flavors alone (300+0, 299+1, 298+2.... 1+299, 0+300). Now if the dispenser shoots out drinks in 0.1mL bursts, I can have 3001 new flavors.
While it is correct that there would be just 255 combinations each combination can produce large number of flavors, limited only by the dispenser's capability.
And if you are still interested in numbers, theoritically, applying limits as the dispenser granularity tends to zero, the number of combinations tends towards infinity. So, like Jason said, 1000s of flavors CAN be created using just 8 drinks.
*Geek Mode OFF*
If they put "Coke 2" in there, I will be frigging happier then all get out. Not New Coke, I'm talking Coke 2. That stuff was awesome.
Yes, but when asked to explain exactly what Coke 2.0 was, they couldn't come up with a concise description.
I hope they can make tootie fruitie or rainbow blasts! i love rainbows.
I like unicorns too. Maybe we can get a unicorn flavor!
I have a feeling that unicorns would taste so good.
Voldemort likes unicorn flavor too
It's Coke's Long Tail machine. How frigging cool is that!!
lol! Suicide anyone?
that's the first thing i thought of, a Suicide button.
after you.
"Yay! Now I can bring my two friends!"
Well I hope this thing gets each flavor just right.
The machine should have a "I feel lucky" button that serves that week's most sold flavour, and a "surprise me" one.
Technically speaking, they could just have tanks of concentrated flavors (not necessarily specific to a particular beverage), sweeteners, colorings, and a water supply and just program it to properly mix those different elements at the correct ratio and produce a nearly infinite number of different drinks. All you'd need would be an update to add new flavors.
Reminds me of a joke:
A man is walking through a park when he notices a blonde intensely sucking on the bottom of a Coke can.
Curious, he asks her what she's doing.
She says to him...
http://cackl.com/joke/view/590/Blondes+Love+Coke
I don't get it, what's so funny about her giving the guy a link? Seriously though, why couldn't you just post the entire lame joke in your post without linking?
Spam
I went to the Coke museum in Atlanta over a decade ago, and they had a fountain room with flavors from all over the US, but it was only like 30-50 different flavors.
They had a smaller room adjacent with flavors from other parts of the world. Some were really good, and I remember one was really nasty.
And, I tried each and ever flavor they had. Burp!
Beverly Cola. Nasty nasty nasty.
Pepsi needs to do this and bring back Clear Pepsi, that stuff rocked.
Dear Coca-Cola,
Just because you can, doesn't mean a Coke III (clear) comeback is a good idea. Remember how bad it failed last time?
Best Wishes,
Parched In Pennsylvania
Dear Pepsi,
Please make a Pepsi Kona comeback tour immediately. Coke Black sucked.
Love,
Dehydrated In Denver
Moar sugar!!! How about Pepsi flavoured coke?
That is the idea I have ever heard and I nearly fell out of my chair and dropped my bottled water.
I think they called that one New Coke
100 more way for americans to become whale sized blobs, crocs and fannie packs will have a great year.