What's up with the soda dispensers/fountains

And to add. The restaurants that had the full water filtration system had waaaaay better tasting sode. Try that out op. And around and see which joints have a filter system.

starfoxxx
And to add. The restaurants that had the full water filtration system had waaaaay better tasting sode. Try that out op. And around and see which joints have a filter system.

Good idea, I will.

reply to post by gwynnhwyfar

To me, corn syrup does smell somewhat sweeter compared to sugar water ( I boil large qty of filtered water with sugar twice a month in the summer to make hummingbird food so I do smell cane sugar and sometimes beet sugar depending on my source)
I wonder if the OP's soda back home does use sugar instead and I also wonder if there is a differing amount of sodium per serving between locations as well since the salt helps remove slightly bitter taste from food.

As a diabetic, I can tell you that there are distinct differences to how my body reacts to corn syrup vs. sugar. With the syrup in products, my glucose takes a lot longer to recover than with regular sugar so I do pay attention to what I take in especially if I know I am going to be sedentary for a while like when I am coding to meet a deadline.

Glad you didn't have to suffer some nasty smells for years on end during school. My wife's school was not far from a chocolate factory where they burn the chocolate with an alkaline substance to make that distinctive oreo flavor.... It was hard to smell that burnt sweetness all day but fortunately, they only did it a few times a month.

MerkabaMeditation
reply to post by gwynnhwyfar

 

Yeah, but I drink Coca Cola at least a couple of times a month, they use corn syrup and don't taste like chemical soup, but the Coca Cola from the soda machine tasted bad.

Do all of the soda fountains taste bad for the Coke product you are drinking? I can see a definite difference between what you get in a can/bottle vs. the fountain since the fountains all have a way to blend the product syrup with the CO2 and water. A lot of times I have noticed the fountains being too syrupy, perhaps that is what you taste?

evc1shop

MerkabaMeditation
reply to post by gwynnhwyfar

 

Yeah, but I drink Coca Cola at least a couple of times a month, they use corn syrup and don't taste like chemical soup, but the Coca Cola from the soda machine tasted bad.

Do all of the soda fountains taste bad for the Coke product you are drinking? I can see a definite difference between what you get in a can/bottle vs. the fountain since the fountains all have a way to blend the product syrup with the CO2 and water. A lot of times I have noticed the fountains being too syrupy, perhaps that is what you taste?

I almost alwyas try to taste the Cola from the Soda machine first, and then some other kind of soda in case there is just something wrong with the Cola - but they all taste as bad. I don't think it's the corn syrop, but I'm not sure.

reply to post by evc1shop


The smell of the finished corn syrup isn't what they were talking about, it's the smell of it being manufactured. It *IS* awful, I (unfortunately) live near just such a plant myself, and it can be really rank.

BobM88
reply to post by evc1shop

 

The smell of the finished corn syrup isn't what they were talking about, it's the smell of it being manufactured. It *IS* awful, I (unfortunately) live near just such a plant myself, and it can be really rank.

Ah, I have not had that experience. Noted for future reference.

thanks

MerkabaMeditation

evc1shop

MerkabaMeditation
reply to post by gwynnhwyfar

 

Yeah, but I drink Coca Cola at least a couple of times a month, they use corn syrup and don't taste like chemical soup, but the Coca Cola from the soda machine tasted bad.

Do all of the soda fountains taste bad for the Coke product you are drinking? I can see a definite difference between what you get in a can/bottle vs. the fountain since the fountains all have a way to blend the product syrup with the CO2 and water. A lot of times I have noticed the fountains being too syrupy, perhaps that is what you taste?

I almost alwyas try to taste the Cola from the Soda machine first, and then some other kind of soda in case there is just something wrong with the Cola - but they all taste as bad. I don't think it's the corn syrop, but I'm not sure.

edit on 9-11-2013 by MerkabaMeditation because: (no reason given)

If you could try the water on its own next time and then post results for us that might get to the bottom of it.
I'm out of other suggestions now.

I am willing to put money on it being the lines are not cleaned out enough, leaving a mildew film in them tasting musty. At least that's what I taste when getting a drink from one of those. I always try to pick up a drink elsewhere instead. 9 out of 10 times this leads to bad taste in fountain drinks.

Many products are made differently to suit the tastes of specific areas. For example when we went to Canada, their Heinz ketchup was sweeter and their fountain sodas were less sweeter. Even if the ingredients are identical the quantities of each ingredient may still differ.

Another point is you have to take the areas water into account in soda fountains. In some areas, the water is heavily chlorinated. In well water areas, it will definitely have a unique taste.

jaynkeel
I am willing to put money on it being the lines are not cleaned out enough, leaving a mildew film in them tasting musty. At least that's what I taste when getting a drink from one of those. I always try to pick up a drink elsewhere instead. 9 out of 10 times this leads to bad taste in fountain drinks.

That is certainly a possibility. Most of the lines are made of Tygon or Nalgene food grade material which do not impart flavor or bleed out chemicals so the tubing alone should not influence the taste but not flushing them and letting mildew form, hmm that could happen. Do you know if the tubes somehow drain back a little leaving an exposed area of an air bubble that could do this after the soda valve is shut off? I was under the impression that the lines were pressurized and so the fluid would always be evacuating the tube up until the time the flow is interrupted. With positive pressure at the valve there is little chance that air would be drawn back in and so that should leave the tube of soda liquid in an anerobic state which is detrimental to most mold growth as oxygen is required for growth.

I'm not sure how the mold could get in there but it may still be possible, especially if the machine uses two lines per valve where a second tank can be attached as a backup but not operating leaving the line full if stagnant air, this I could see.

It's possible they're using a chemical to flush out the system and 'disinfect it' and the 16 year old employees aren't flushing the stuff out entirely. I've had soda from vending machines that tastes downright nasty and like chemicals and from others that wasn't too bad, considering the product itself is more or less poison.

Oddly, I prefer tap water, run through my own filter if possible, to bottled water, which always tastes like plastic. The stores here sell an awful lot of bottled water. If I was afraid of the water coming out of the tap, I'd freekin' move rather than pay the same amount for water as for gasoline...

MerkabaMeditation
reply to post by SasquatchHunter

 

Yeah, soda fountains. There must be some of the ingrediants that makes it taste so bad. It's the same mix of ingrediants in Europe but those soda fountains never makes sodas that taste so chemically. Someone with a chemical lab should have that stuff tested and compared with what's in the European soda fountains.

edit on 9-11-2013 by MerkabaMeditation because: (no reason given)

I had/have the same problem, I think it's either the place not cleaning the nozzles or there is a mix up when they mix the ingredients. For years a taco bell near me anytime I got a fountain drink it would taste weird, it was kind of like pepperminty but kind of like no taste either. It was so bad that I just stopped drinking the drink that came with the meal number. For me the ones that didn't taste right was Baja Blast and Coke I think it was they both tasted the same and it was disgusting. The drinks are fine now though so I think it was the machine or the weren't cleaning it or something.

reply to post by MerkabaMeditation


Soda fountains are hooked into water supply and a co2 tank adds the co2 making soda. The mixing of the syrup and soda occurs at the tip of the fountain thats why if you run out of co2 youll see the syrup in the water that tastes gross. The trick is to little co2 is gross to much you get a metallic taste. So where ever you get your drinks from they need to adjust the co2 ratio would be my guess. I figure its probably the company supplying soda fountains in your area are setting them incorrectly probably to use more syrup or co2 to make money.

reply to post by MerkabaMeditation

I though soda drinks where often made from distilled water. Which is not good for you as it is to pure..

reply to post by MerkabaMeditation


My guess honestly is lack of cleanliness or maybe you drank some right after it was sanitized. They should be sanitizing the bulk tanks id guess once a month and im sure the chemical taste is in there for a bit. Just my guess!

signalfire
It's possible they're using a chemical to flush out the system and 'disinfect it' and the 16 year old employees aren't flushing the stuff out entirely. I've had soda from vending machines that tastes downright nasty and like chemicals and from others that wasn't too bad, considering the product itself is more or less poison.

Oddly, I prefer tap water, run through my own filter if possible, to bottled water, which always tastes like plastic. The stores here sell an awful lot of bottled water. If I was afraid of the water coming out of the tap, I'd freekin' move rather than pay the same amount for water as for gasoline...

Glad to see you post this.

Sometimes when "they" sanitize, "they" dont rinse good enough.

I don't know how many times my soda tastes like bleach or other cleaning agents.

liejunkie01
I don't know how many times my soda tastes like bleach ir other cleaning agents.

Yeah, that's what it tastest like -bleach. Someone with a lab should test the soda's. seriously!

Its the water fool.
The dispensers mix the syrup and water right there.

Depending on what the city treats their water with, mixed with the taste of the soda syrup, it can give you a fairly nasty taste.

Most people go their whole life and never notice it.

I, on the other hand, can't even drink the water nor the soda from bigger cities because of the chlorine content in it.

Chickensalad
Its the water fool.

The tap water nearby does not taste as bad, so it can't be just the water unless that tap water is purified unbeknowns to me.