If you had to guess what the secret behind that distinctively malty Biscoff flavour is, you probably wouldn’t say sugar ― but that’s likely what it is.
Similarly, red velvet cake’s earthy, tender flavour isn’t created by crimson berries or beetroot; traditionally, it’s the action of buttermilk and vinegar on Dutch-processed cocoa and baking soda that gives it its signature taste and hue.
It also contains vanilla.
So, it shouldn’t have shocked me that cola’s taste is partly down to an unexpected source; namely, the kola nut (yes, there is such a thing).
What’s a kola nut, and what other flavours are involved?
According to beverage company StrangeLove, “cola brands guard their own secret formulas with their lives, using generic terms such as ‘artificial and natural flavours.’”
Talk of Coca-Cola’s top-secret “7X” ingredient seems to confirm such theories.
Nonetheless, some ingredients stay constant, StrangeLove explains.
“Cola generally is a carbonated beverage which consists of these key ingredients; kola nut, citrus oils, vanilla and cinnamon,” they say.
This is usually mixed with a caramel base for that slightly sticky, moreish texture.
Kola nuts contain caffeine and are from tropical regions of Africa, Britannica says.
They look a little like the lovechild of chestnuts and cocoa beans.
They’re dried in the sun before being used in products like soft drinks and medicine, though Britannica says that “American and European soft-drink manufacturers, however, do not use the kola nut; instead, they manufacture synthetic chemicals that resemble the flavour of the kola nut.”
Nonetheless, “kola concentrate” is listed in Coca-Cola’s EU ingredients.
Anything else?
Given how secretive the biggest cola brand ― Coca-Cola ― has been about its 7x ingredient, many have speculated about what’s really in the world’s favourite fizzy drink.
A surprising amount of people use coriander seed in their attempted Coca-Cola remakes, alongside cassia (also known as Chinese cinnamon) and lavender.
Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton is said to have written a recipe into his diary before he died that included lavender, coca leaves, alcohol, coca leaves, orange, cinnamon, lemon, coriander, nutmeg, neroli, and of course 7x.
Of course, the recipe has since changed ― it no longer contains alcohol and certainly uses no coca leaves, so it’s likely other elements have been switched as well.
Given that the brand won’t even let the two people who know how to mix 7x on the same plane at the same time in case it crashes, I don’t reckon we’ll be certain any time soon...