When you think of beverages with a complex bouquet of flavors, what comes to mind? Wine, maybe? Fancy coffee and tea? Craft beers? What about Coca-Cola? Yes, there are people who appreciate the complexity of Coca-Cola. They now have a special glass from which to drink their high-fructose corn ambrosia.

Who would come up with such a wacky thing? Well, Riedel, an Austrian company that makes different glasses for different varietals of wine. These glasses can cost hundreds of dollars each, making the Coca-Cola glass seem like a bargain at only $20.

Still, twenty bucks is twenty bucks, and that’s money that I could be spending on ten bottles of Passover Coke. Are these glasses any good? Here’s Riedel’s marketing spiel:

Inspired by the iconic curves of the original Coca-Cola contour bottle, the Coca-Cola + Riedel glass is made to enhance the drinking experience. Developed by a tasting panel of industry experts and Coca-Cola lovers, it was determined that this form captures the distinct spices, aroma and taste of Coca-Cola and creates a magical sensorial experience.

Um, okay. Nobody knows the Coca-Cola recipe for certain, but traditional cola recipes do include spices like coriander and cinnamon. The important question is whether a special glass really enhances the experience. Fortunately, Gizmodo got hold of the fancy glass and investigated this important question. For the blind taste test, they tried different glasses out on a trained sommelier and writer Ashley Feinberg, “a person who enjoys Coke most of the time sort of.”

How do you have a blind taste test of different types of glasses? Simple: blindfold the tasters and hold the glasses up to their mouths so they can drink. This looks very strange. There’s a video.

Their results were surprising: both preferred the Riedel glass. Maybe all of that effusive praise for the glass’s design isn’t nonsense. Like wine and beer glasses, the vessel enhanced the flavor, and make the beverage’s carbonation less sharp without it seeming flat. The shape of the glass provided just the right balance of carbonation, aroma, and flavor.

Should you buy one? Meh, probably not.

Does a $20 Glass Built Just for Coke Actually Improve the Taste? [Gizmodo]
Coca-Cola + Riedel Glass [Riedel]

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