Overview
- LabCoatz released a 25-minute video in early January detailing a yearlong process and posting a per‑liter recipe that has quickly drawn millions of views.
- Blind tasting reported by the creator found testers struggled to tell the clone from store-bought Coca-Cola.
- The analysis contends that more than 99% of Coke is sugar, caffeine, acid and color, with the vaunted natural flavors comprising less than 1% by weight.
- After a decocainized coca extract order was seized at the U.S. border, the replica relied on substitutes including tea tree oil and wine tannins, with the tannins providing a key late breakthrough.
- Practical hurdles remain for home replication, coca extract is not commercially available to consumers in the U.S., and no legal action by Coca-Cola has been reported.