For An Extra Burst Of Flavor, Splash Some Coca-Cola Into Your Coffee

Is black coffee not enough to give you that burst of energy in the morning? Or, maybe it is, but the taste is too strong? If you don't mind the fizz and the extra sugar, iced coffee goes well with a splash of Coke or Pepsi (depending on your preference, or if you can tell them apart). It's a good enough pairing that both Coca-Cola and Pepsi sell soda with coffee, and you can buy cans of them already mixed together. But if you mix them yourself, you'll have more control over the caffeine, sugar, and most importantly, the taste.

For iced coffee with soda, you ideally want to choose a darker coffee roast. Dark roasts have bold, nutty flavor notes that are fairly straightforward and mix easily with the sweeter taste of Coca-Cola. Lighter roasts have more complex, often herbal flavors and much more caffeine. So if your goal is purely just the caffeine buzz and not taste, then maybe you'd choose a light roast.

How much Coca-Cola should you add to your morning brew? That's ultimately up to personal taste, as there isn't a hard science to this. Coca-Cola tastes sweet with a slight vanilla flavor, which mixes well with the more bold, bitter taste of coffee. Alternately, Pepsi has fewer vanilla undertones and a stronger citrus flavor instead, but is otherwise about the same. More soda will make your coffee taste sweeter, as if you're adding a packet of sugar, because that's more or less what you're doing, just with additional flavors to make your coffee taste more unique.

You can measure out how much caffeine and sugar your coffee-and-soda concoction will have. On average, brewed coffee has over four times the amount of caffeine as Coca-Cola, while instant coffee has three times the amount of caffeine. So a cup of coffee with a spritz of soda has more caffeine than an even split between the two. A mixture with more soda definitely has more sugar though, so keep that in mind. Black coffee has no sugar at all, while you'll find 39 grams of sugar in a Coke can, and Pepsi contains slightly more sugar.

Coke and Pepsi aren't the only sodas that can blend with your morning coffee. Ginger ale can add a mild kick to your coffee from its spicy ginger taste, without adding any extra caffeine. The sugary flavor of Dr. Pepper can give your coffee a twist that tastes vaguely reminiscent of cream soda. Or if you're only interested in making your coffee fizzy, you can mix cold brew or espresso with club soda or tonic water for a carbonated drink with a strong coffee taste. The drink is common in Japan, where it's referred to as "espresso tonic" and served over ice.

You may also be interested in sparkling coffee, which is coffee made with carbonated mineral water and citrus fruits. Sparkling coffee is a less sugary alternative, and mineral water is a good source of calcium and other nutrients. In Italy, espresso and mineral water are frequently served side by side because mineral water is a palate cleanser for the bitterness of the espresso, making the two a good combination in one drink or alongside each other.