This Vintage Soda Holds Up Impressively Well As A Zero-Sugar Cola

If you drink diet soda, you are probably a die-hard fan of a particular brand. However, when Tasting Table recently ranked five diet colas other than Coke and Pepsi, we discovered that there was one vintage soda that impressed us. In fact, it may even become one of your new favorite zero-sugar colas. Among the five sodas tested, RC Cola was the one that surprised us most. 

RC is a mostly forgotten cola that was a pioneer in the industry, and it is not often seen in restaurants or soda fountains. Yet when we tried it, we found that it tasted more like its non-diet counterpart than the other brands on the list. That is to say, it had the same unique flavor profile as Coca Cola, with hints of caramel, vanilla, and spice and a high soda-water-to-syrup ratio. It was not overly sweet and lacked the cloying artificial sweetener taste that is a hallmark of the worst Diet Coke copycats. If you prefer a super sweet, syrupy soda, this one may not be for you. But RC Cola has a surprisingly vocal fan base for a brand that rarely shows its face in public.

While RC Cola may not be the most expensive or showy soda brand, and its origins are rooted in a grocery store basement, it has nevertheless managed to earn somewhat of a cult following over the past decade or so. Perhaps because of that, its owner, Keurig Dr Pepper, is launching the brand's 2026 comeback. Fans of the brand are very vocal online, particularly on Reddit and TikTok. They claim that it is an underrated brand that is both nostalgic and affordable. In fact, on one Reddit thread, a commenter described RC Cola as "the Buick of sodas."

Elsewhere on Reddit, fans have claimed that RC Zero Sugar is "the best zero sugar cola," and that it is "hands down better than Pepsi Zero Sugar." When the zero sugar option was first launched, one excited fan rushed to the subreddit r/Soda to share their thoughts. Ranking it a solid 7.9/10, they claimed it has the "same basic cola taste of RC" without the artificial sugar taste. In the comments, fans said they eagerly awaited the potential release of a zero sugar cherry flavor, with one person declaring it "so underrated," and another saying, "I maintain a strategic stockpile despite the improved availability." On Amazon, RC Cola Zero Sugar has an impressive 4.5-star rating, nearly rivaling the 4.6-star rating for Coca Cola Zero Sugar. One notable review claims that it "blows Pepsi/Coke [out of] the water" and that the "zero sugar tastes exactly like the full flavor." Though it may be harder to find than other diet or zero sugar sodas, it may be worth seeking out — you never know, it may become your all-time favorite.