Different artificial sweeteners seem to affect people very differently. I quite like Coke, but Coke Zero is one of the more vile things I've ever drunk. Yet I also know people who claim they cannot tell the difference between Coke and Coke Zero. Pepsi Max on the other hand I have no trouble drinking.

I can tell the difference between Coke and Coke Zero, after having limited myself to mainly Coke Zero over the past few years to limit calorie intake (in the carbonated beverage arena - most of the time I am drinking water).

When I first tried Coke Zero, I found it better than Diet Coke, and closer in flavor to regular Coke. For me, Diet Coke has that strange Nutrasweet after-taste, which I have never liked.

I didn't find that with Coke Zero when I first tried it, seeking something that was nominally "zero-calorie" without having the bad aftertaste I associated with "diet" beverages (and other foods for that matter).

Now, though, when I drink a regular Coke (or worse, a Pepsi), I find it extremely overly sweet. I can still drink other "regular" colas, but they're not my go-to beverage choices any longer.

I do wonder how Jolt Cola would taste to me now; probably absolutely vile or something (I've also found that Grape Crush - which was already ultra-sweet - is almost unbearable to drink from a sweetness perspective).

I like all of it except Diet Pepsi for some reason (Pepsi Max is maybe my favorite), and even then sometimes I like Diet Pepsi. Occasionally I'll get one that tastes quite bitter, yet another time it will taste like a Pepsi.

This doesn't happen to me with any other diet drinks, not sure why this one isn't "consistent"- I guess maybe because Diet Pepsi I have more often from fountains instead of containers, since it's usually a backup when a restaurant has no other diet options