FAIRLEA -
No matter what soda you prefer, the cost of carbonation can quickly add up.
A typical 2-litter of a name brand soda costs around $1.50
By purchasing a generic brand soda instead of the name brand, you can save about 50 cents per 2-liter.
We put taste testers to work at the IGA grocery store in Fairlea to see if they could tell a difference between the name brand and the generic.
Throughout the taste test, the cup marked with a black circle indicates the generic brand.
First up for the challenge was A and W Root Beer versus the generic root beer.
"I don't believe it's quite as much root beer as this one. I think this is the better of the two," said Ronnie Baker of Ronceverte.
While Baker preferred the generic brand, other tasters said they favored A and W Root Beer.
"Yeah, I think it's a little bit watered down," said Trisha Davis of Clintonville.
"This one's a little lighter than this one," said Jerry Halstead of Lewisburg.
Next up for the challenge was Sprite versus lemon lime generic soda.
"Both of them have pretty good taste. I think this one has a little more carbonation to it," said Baker.
"That one's good. It has a very lemon lime taste, I like that," said Davis.
But could Davis believe she was enjoying the generic brand of Sprite?
"Really? I wouldn't have guessed that. This one has more carbonation, but it doesn't have as good a taste," said Davis.
Davis said she is used to paying more for Sprite, the soda that she did not prefer during the taste test.
"I always just get the regular. That's my favorite soda, Sprite, and that's what I thought this was. I would have never guessed. A lot of people say that they like the generic brand better and I was like, no, I like the name brand. But doing this, I like it a lot. I'd probably get this one next time," said Davis.
"As long as the taste is there, the brand probably doesn't make that much difference," said Baker.
Coca-Cola was the last brand we put to the test.
Two Coke fans were surprised at how good the generic brand was.
"Tastes better than what I've been drinking," said Halstead.
"Not as good as this one. I like this one (referring to the generic)," said Abby Terry of Caldwell.
"This one seems to be a little stronger, but flavors are both about the same," said Baker.
But one taster favored the Coca-Cola brand over the generic.
"It has a funny taste, a funny after taste. I think I like this one better," said Davis.
The tasters based their choices on carbonation, the tang of the drink, and the aftertaste of the sodas.
Although all taste buds differ, the majority of the soda tasters preferred the generic brand over the more expensive name brand.
You can keep the extra change, and still keep the tasty flavor.
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