The Cola Rankings
First, the overall results table, sorted by the overall rankings (ties are sorted alphabetically).
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Smoothness | Flavor | Overall |
| Ginseng Up | 3.5 | 3.75 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| China Cola | 4 | 4 | 3.25 | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Walgreens | 2.75 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Boylan | 3.25 | 3.5 | 3.25 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Faygo | 1.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.5 |
| RC (A) | 4 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Coke | 2.25 | 3.25 | 3.75 | 3.25 | 3 |
| GT | 3 | 3.75 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 365 | 2.5 | 3.25 | 2.25 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Coke + Pepsi | 2.5 | 1.75 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Target | 1.75 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Thums Up | 3 | 2.25 | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Go2 | 1.75 | 3.5 | 2.25 | 2.5 | 2.25 |
| Pepsi | 1.25 | 3.25 | 2 | 2 | 2.25 |
| RC (T) | 1.5 | 3.25 | 2 | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Jewel | 1.75 | 2 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 2 |
| Wildwood | 1.75 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 1.75 | 2 |
| Blue Sky | 3.25 | 2.25 | 1.75 | 1.25 | 1.5 |
| Cricket | 1 | 2.5 | 1.25 | 1 | 1 |
Now, the individual tables. First mine:
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Smoothness | Flavor | Overall |
| Ginseng Up | 3.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Boylan | 3 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| China Cola | 4 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Faygo | 1 | 2.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Walgreens | 2 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Coke | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Coke + Pepsi | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| GT | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 |
| RC (A) | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Thums Up | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 365 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Go2 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| RC (T) | 1.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Target | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Jewel | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Pepsi | 1 | 3.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Wildwood | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Blue Sky | 3 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Cricket | 1 | 3 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 |
And Drew's:
| Brand | Aroma | Fizz | Smoothness | Flavor | Overall |
| China Cola | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Ginseng Up | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 |
| Walgreens | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4 |
| Boylan | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Faygo | 2 | 3.5 | 3 | 4 | 3.5 |
| RC (A) | 4 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Coke | 3 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3 |
| GT | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 365 | 3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 2.5 |
| Pepsi | 1.5 | 3 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Target | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Coke + Pepsi | 2 | 1.5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Go2 | 2 | 3.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 2 |
| Jewel | 2 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2 |
| RC (T) | 1.5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Thums Up | 3 | 2.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Wildwood | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Blue Sky | 3.5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Cricket | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Finally, the awards.
Best Overall Flavor Award: Ginseng Up
Best Aroma Award: China Cola (tied with RC's first test, but China
Cola wins since it did better overall and because RC's second test was much lower)
Most Enjoyable Fizz: Walgreens and China Cola (too close overall to
break tie)
Most Drinkable: Ginseng Up
The Bang for Your Buck Award: Faygo, which tied for fourth and
received significant praise yet can be bought for seventeen cents a can
And finally, the Money Pit Award: Cricket, which costs something like
$1.62 for a single bottle and then is absolutely disgusting.
Drew and I pose with Ginseng Up and Wal-Cola, our individual winners on flavor in the
taste test.
As it turned out, a cola taste test probably isn't the greatest idea we ever had. It's not quite as interesting as a root beer taste test, and we just don't like cola as much - even though we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of variation in flavoring, we only rated six of 17 brands above average, with a 2.68 average overall score, while 9 of 15 root beers in the 2005 test rated better than average, with an average overall score of 3.37. (Strictly speaking, of course, in both cases you might think that the curve should be a little more bell-shaped, but then this isn't exactly the world's most scientific study group.) Cola just isn't as fun. So stay tuned to this site, because to get the taste of cola out of our mouths, Drew and I are planning another root beer taste test very soon, re-testing a few brands from the earlier test and including a bunch more that we've found since. It's almost certain to be more fun. But until we meet again...