Yellow Cap Coke Is Back for the Season—Here’s What That Means

Have you ever noticed a bottle of Coca-Cola in the store with a yellow cap on it? Those aren’t  part of some big promotion that Coke’s putting on and they’re not an error. It’s all according to plan. In fact, if you really pay attention, you’ll start to notice that yellow cap Coke materializes right around same time every year.

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So what’s yellow cap Coke and what does the yellow cap mean?

Every year leading up to Passover, Coca-Cola crafts a batch of certified kosher Coke for those who observe the holiday. Basically, because high fructose corn syrup is derived from a grain Coca-Cola’s recipe needs to be reformulated with cane sugar to make it Kosher for Passover. 

Does that mean yellow cap Coke is basically Mexican Coke? 

Pretty much, yeah—Kosher Coke is Mexican Coke without the added cost of importing it from our neighbors down south. Plus, Mexican Coke typically only comes in single-serving glass bottles, while Kosher Coke comes in plastic 2-liters. 

Obviously, this is great for Jewish folks who want a cold glass of Coke to go with their matzah and charoset at the annual Passover Seder, but people who aren’t practicing Jews get in on the action, too. Like Mexican Coke, yellow cap Coke has developed a cult following among gentiles who prefer cane sugar-sweetened Coke to corn syrup sweetened Coke. 

Does sugar-sweetened Coke really taste better? 

Well, that’s a matter of opinion. Coke made with cane sugar tends to be a little sweeter and it also lacks some of the bite people tend to want in a nice, crispy Coke. The Sporked team recently sat down for a taste test of a bunch of cola varieties (keep an eye on our YouTube channel for that) and unanimously preferred Coke sweetened with corn syrup. To each their own! 

Passover starts on April 22 and continues until April 30 this year. If sugar is your sweetener of choice, be sure to get your yellow cap Coke before it’s too late.