Cola brands over the years have differed in flavorings, and if one looks at a bottle of cola, one will see “artificial and natural flavors” listed as ingredients. Examining the original recipes for cola can give us some idea of the current flavors of cola.

Most everyone who drinks Coca Cola® knows that early additives to Coke included cocaine, hence the name. But cocaine does not add a strong flavor. By the mid 20th century, the cocaine had been dropped, and instead caffeine was added to give the drink the jolt that consumers had become adjusted to.

Recipes from the Good Housekeeping cookbook series in the 19th century include Kola nuts. Modern cola is rarely flavored with these bitter, caffeine-rich nuts, which grow in South America. A few small brands like Blue Sky, and Harboe still hold to original recipes, and the result is a sharper tasting cola.

Most cola, however, uses a flavoring called fantasia. Fantasia is a mix of vanilla, cinnamon and citrus, made into syrup. As well, cola gets it taste from phosphoric acid, which provides a more acid taste. Interestingly enough, phosphoric acid is often taken as an anti-emetic medication. It is far cheaper to offer flat cola, than drug store phosphoric acid, to help reduce vomiting.

Various brands of cola add flavorings in different amounts, accounting for the taste differences in brands. There are loyal Coke drinkers, as well as those who will only drink Pepsi®. Some are fans of Royal Crown®, or King Cola®. Sweeteners can also change the taste and acidity of the drink. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame or Splenda® can particularly change the profile of a diet cola.

Since aspartame and Splenda are far sweeter than sugar, the right mix between them and the other ingredients in cola is difficult to find. While aspartame was for a while the choice of most cola companies, more and more are switching to Splenda. Not everyone is pleased with the results of the switch. Often after a few years of trying a flavor, a company will reintroduce an older product.

Cola can also have flavorings added. In malt shops in the 1940s and onward, one could order a chocolate, cherry, or the ultimate cherry, chocolate cola. Adding grenadine or chocolate syrup made these colas special, and many find them superior to the cherry colas now available. There are few chocolate types of cola. Today many cola brands offer cherry cola, and lemon or lime cola. Some find the lemon particularly refreshing. Others complain cherry colas taste too sweet.