Any Passover Coke sightings yet?

[*anj*]

Last year I found out for the first time that right around Passover you can get Coke and Pepsi that are sweetened with cane sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup.

Okay, I want it to be known that I am not usually a soda drinker. I can't handle artificial sweeteners, nor HFCS, and I really do love to drink water. But every now and then (with pizza or Mexican food) I would love to have a Coke. Just one. So I want to buy a few bottles/cans of Passover Coke and stick them in my stash.

I've been in a couple of local stores, but haven't seen it yet. Have any of you seen it yet?

Thanks!!

[Unicorn]

Never knew that- very cool. Hey, if you ever visit TX, there is a little town called Dublin, that makes
Dr. Pepper with real cane sugar. It's the only place you can still buy the "real deal". I will definitely look for the coke tomorrow tho.

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

Never knew that- very cool. Hey, if you ever visit TX, there is a little town called Stephenville, that makes
Dr. Pepper with real cane sugar. It's the only place you can still buy the "real deal". I will definitely look for the coke tomorrow tho.

Down here in Phoenix, we buy Coke imported from Mexico at the Sam's. Also sweetened with real sugar. So yummy.

Barb

[*anj*]

I'm afraid we're too far north of the border to be able to buy those things at Sam's. I should check though....

The last time I had some was when my friend's dh traveled to Nicaragua and brought some back. It was so much better!:)

[Eliana]

Where are you?

The Albertsons on Mercer Island here in the Seattle area has an incredible Pesach selection. We'll be doing our first big shopping trip after Purim... well, after the Shabbos after Purim - probably Sunday or so. Do you want me to see if they have and get some for you? I could mail it to you...

[Leah]

Our Costco here in CA has the Coke imported from Mexico too-mmmm! :)

[*anj*]

Where are you?



Alas, NJ. It would make the price way too prohibitive, I think.
You are so, so sweet to offer, though. There is a town nearby that
has a fairly large Jewish community (they have a mikvah, an eruv, four Orthodox shuls and one Conservative.) They should have some in one of the stores there, but it's a little off the beaten path for me so I was hoping to find the Coke at a store in my town. When I didn't see it I thought maybe it hadn't come out yet, but I'll keep looking.

You are awfully nice to make such an offer, Eliana. Thanks! :)

[Dot]

Apparently not...that type of Dr Pepper has been sold at the Brookshire Bros here in Texas for a few years.

[Lorna in the boonies]

I can't help with your question, but in regards to the TX/Dr. Pepper thing, we drive right by the Dr. Pepper factory in Dublin whenever we go to the Metroplex. Dh and the kids have to stop *every single time*. They love getting the original stuff. (We don't have a Brookshire's in our area.)

(As for me, I can't stand Dr. Pepper in either form, so I don't understand why it's such a treat for them to stop . . . but it is.)

[Doran]

That's one of those little tidbits that just makes me go, "Oooh, Wow!"

Ummm....okay, it's so dang windy here that our trash pail just blew all the way from the back of our house onto our neighbor's front walkway! Guess I'd best do something other than sit here oooo-ing at your cool news. :001_huh:

I'll keep my eyes open (in MD) for the stuff. Not a soda drinker here either, but if ever I was gonna...

Doran

[Serendipity]

We can buy Coke sweetened with pure cane sugar from Costco and Sam's. Have you heard about or tried Jones sodas? They're made with pure cane sugar exclusively. Our Albertson's, Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart carries them. My favorite flavor is Lemon Drop.

:)

[Pster]

We can buy Coke sweetened with pure cane sugar from Costco and Sam's. Have you heard about or tried Jones sodas? They're made with pure cane sugar exclusively. Our Albertson's, Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart carries them. My favorite flavor is Lemon Drop.

:)

....to try the Jones soda's with the cane sugar. Can't remember tho if they make a "cola" version. Do they? They do have lots of flavors! I've seen them sold at Walmart and BJ's.

[~Tara~]

Whole Foods also has their 365 brand of pure cane sugar sweetened sodas. Other brands as well, I just can't recall the names.
Not sure what flavors...fruits and root beer...I don't know for sure about colas though. Haven't paid that much attention.

I'll be on the look for the coke around here though. I'm needing a soda fix LOL

[Whisperlily]

Apparently not...that type of Dr Pepper has been sold at the Brookshire Bros here in Texas for a few years.

I buy it at the Commissary, too. But I think we live pretty close to Stephenville... I'm not fully aware of my TX geography yet.


*Asking in (shameful) ignorance and curiosity... what significance is it, that they would offer non HFCS Coke at this time of year? Easter/Purim
How does it fit in?

[susie in tx]

You can also find the cane sugar sweetened DP at Central Market and Wal-mart here in the Metroplex. Personally, I think the stuff has some sort of nasty addictive drug in it because I can't drink it without drinking the entire six pack.

[BMC]

we're in NoVA and I can't tell you where it was purchased as it was on the pot-luck table. It was labeled with the kosher mark on the lid of the 2l bottle.

I was speaking to someone who keeps kosher, but I forgot to ask why corn sweetner wasn't allowed, but artificial sweetners were.

[susie in tx]

I was just reading this morning that some corn sweetener is allowed. I wish I could remember where I read that. Be wary of the word glucose on KFP labels. It can be potato or corn syrup.

[Mama Lynx]

You can also find the cane sugar sweetened DP at Central Market and Wal-mart here in the Metroplex. Personally, I think the stuff has some sort of nasty addictive drug in it because I can't drink it without drinking the entire six pack.

Yup. And I can't stand regular Dr. Pepper. But that stuff ...ooh, yum.

[Mamagistra]

Now the question is WHY do the good folks in Mexico get sugar in their soft drinks while we get cr@p? Hm? Is ours the only country to tolerate such unhealthful nonsense? :rolleyes:

FWIW, I love a good MexiCoke, ;) Dublin Dr. Pepper, or Jones Soda. We had some Blue Sky sodas on the weekend, but they contained glucose syrup, I think; they were still better than run-of-the-mill coat-your-mouth hfcs drinks. :ack2:

Our local H-E-B carries glass-bottled MexiCokes, fyi. :D

[Amy in NH]

Coca Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England headquarters in Bedford NH. They told me that their kosher Coke is made with sucrose, and they buy it from a plant in New York. It has been shipped to their retail distributors, and it should be in stores by Monday! Yay!

I wonder how long it will be good if I stock up? Can I buy 50 bottles to last a year? Will it all be flat? Hmmm. Maybe I should call them back... ;)

[*anj*]

Coca Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England headquarters in Bedford NH. They told me that their kosher Coke is made with sucrose, and they buy it from a plant in New York. It has been shipped to their retail distributors, and it should be in stores by Monday! Yay!

I wonder how long it will be good if I stock up? Can I buy 50 bottles to last a year? Will it all be flat? Hmmm. Maybe I should call them back... ;)

You rock!!! Thanks for investigating. It never occurred to me to call a local bottling plant. Great idea!

[Shannon]

anj-

This isn't exactly an answer to your question, but I haven the same craving for carbonated beverages with pizza and Mexican food. I don't know if you've tried carbonated mineral water at all, but it has worked well for me. :) It has become a staple in our home.

Shannon

[Eliana]

I buy it at the Commissary, too. But I think we live pretty close to Stephenville... I'm not fully aware of my TX geography yet.


*Asking in (shameful) ignorance and curiosity... what significance is it, that they would offer non HFCS Coke at this time of year? Easter/Purim
How does it fit in?

It is produced for Pesach (Passover). Torah Law prohibits us to eat, or even own, "chometz" during Pesach. Chometz (often translated as leaven or leaven products) is any of the 5 Biblical grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye, spelt) which have come in contact with water for more than 18 minutes. The laws around this are more stringent than other kashrus limitations, and there are a lot of protective layers on the Torah level prohibition.


We have separate pots, pans, dishes, etc for Pesach and have to kasher (make kosher) our kitchens especially for it. Since the prohibition is on owning as well as consuming, non-food products often have to be purchased especially for Pesach too.

One of the highest profile protective layers for Ashkenazi Jews (simple definition: Ashkenazim trace their ancestry to Eastern Europe, Sephardim to the Iberian Penninsula) is the prohibition on kitniyos (legumes (well, sort-of): it includes rice, corn, peas, lentils, peanuts, sesame seeds, beans, etc) Quinoa, however, is permitted (it is technically a grass not a grain) and is a boon to Ashkenazic vegetarians!

Why? Two main reasons are often given: 1) They can 'act' a lot like chametz and it can be hard to tell the difference between, say wheat flour and rice flour. 2) Grains of chametz can easily end up mixed in with kitniyos (not all Sephardim allow rice, but those that do must sort through in *grain by grain* on a white sheet - some say once, others say 3 times because of this risk.)

Since corn syrup is derived from corn, it is not allowed on Pesach, so special Pesach batches are done (all the equipment used has to be kashered and all the other ingredients also have to be kosher l'Pesach.)

Purim is tonight (hurrah! hurrah!) and Sunday we will do our first big Pesach shopping - everything from oil to herbs to sealed packages of sugar (we can't use our open ones because we've been using our regular utensils to scoop out the sugar)... We'll get non-perishables and, after preparing a shelf each in the refrigerator and freezer (thoroughly cleaned and then lined with wax paper or aluminum foil - though everything will still stay in taped-shut paper bags) we'll start getting our cheese and butter and frozen products. The milk and eggs we'll get closer to the holiday...

Our Pesach cleaning will start then too... We clean the house from top to bottom - every drawer, every shelf, every nook and cranny - making sure there is no chametz anywhere (a much more challenging proposition when I still had tiny ones who didn't understand what was going on!). At some point closer to the chag, we'll "turn the kitchen over" - we'll thoroughly clean the ovens, stove, sink, counters, etc and kasher them (if they can be kashered) and cover them - then, assuming every drawer, cupboard etc has been cleaned and either taped off or emptied out, we have a Kosher L'Pesach kitchen and can start cooking for the seders....

I hope this leaves you less confused rather than more!

[*anj*]

anj-

This isn't exactly an answer to your question, but I haven the same craving for carbonated beverages with pizza and Mexican food. I don't know if you've tried carbonated mineral water at all, but it has worked well for me. :) It has become a staple in our home.

Shannon

Oh yes, I usually drink either that or ordinary seltzer when I'm in the mood for something fizzy. Believe me, I really only even feel the "need" for soda 3 or 4 times a year, but when I'm hankering it...I'm hankering it.
I don't like hfcs or diet sweeteners because they are really just not even food, plus they both have weird effects on me. I get headaches from the artificial sweeteners and the corn syrup makes me fall asleep.

So yes, fizzy water is a big hit around here too! Thanks!! :iagree::001_smile:

[*anj*]

Eliana,
Do you "sell" your chometz prior to Pesach?
You didn't mention that, so I wondered if maybe the taping shut and sealing off takes the place of that.

I was a Religion major in college, and I have always had a huge interest in Judaism. There weren't many courses available through the Religion Department, so I took as many as I could through the Hebraic Studies Department. Technically I wasn't even supposed to take a couple of them, but I won the department head over because I was so into it! It was great fun, and I learned a lot. I don't know why I'm throwing that in...I guess just to let you know why I'd be interested in such a minor thing. After all, I was the one in class who asked why there needed to be kosher soap. That was so enlightening! :)

[Arch At Home]

Have you tried a health food store for soda made from cane sugar? I drink Whole Food's store brand. I believe that Reed's which is an upper end soda also is made from cane. It might even come in a regular grocery.

Arch At Home

[Eliana]

Eliana,
Do you "sell" your chometz prior to Pesach?
You didn't mention that, so I wondered if maybe the taping shut and sealing off takes the place of that.

I was a Religion major in college, and I have always had a huge interest in Judaism. There weren't many courses available through the Religion Department, so I took as many as I could through the Hebraic Studies Department. Technically I wasn't even supposed to take a couple of them, but I won the department head over because I was so into it! It was great fun, and I learned a lot. I don't know why I'm throwing that in...I guess just to let you know why I'd be interested in such a minor thing. After all, I was the one in class who asked why there needed to be kosher soap. That was so enlightening! :)


We sign a document authorizing our Rabbi to handle the sale, and, we hope. the repurchase of our chametz since it is a complex transaction...

Sorry, I should have mentioned it, but I'm never sure how much is just TMI! (And I know that I have a... uhm.. slight tendency towards verbosity :001_smile:)

We shut things off to be absolutely sure they don't get mixed in with the Pesach stuff... the kitchen would still be KLP if we didn't, but I'd be likely to mess it up by going on autopilot... having the cupboard or drawer I automatically try to open taped shut slows me down!

How neat that you've studied this! I always get little warm-fuzzies when someone who isn't living this finds the system, with all its wonderful minutia, fascinating too... You've put a smile on my face!

I'd better go see if my bakers, label writers, and basket fillers need any support or guidance.... :001_smile:

[Whisperlily]

I hope this leaves you less confused rather than more!


Yes, that was very helpful! And interesting. I'm so glad you took the time to write all that out instead of giving a "simple answer." I'll probably read it a few more times to catch all the details (and that's a good thing!).

:thumbup:

[Eliana]

Yes, that was very helpful! And interesting. I'm so glad you took the time to write all that out instead of giving a "simple answer." I'll probably read it a few more times to catch all the details (and that's a good thing!).

:thumbup:

Let me know if you have end up having more questions! :001_smile:

[*anj*]

Wooooohooooooo!!!!

They didn't have the Coke yet, but they had Pepsi, which I actually like better. The KP Pepsi has a white cap this year, and it says "KP" on top.
Yay!!:bigear:

[Ravin]

Around here (Phoenix area) and in my hometown back in TX, you can find Mexican coke, usually at the Mexican mom n pop grocery places and Food City. And the cane Dr. Pepper was available at Wal-Mart in my TX hometown (not sure about here, haven't looked). Year round, no need to wait for Passover.

Mexican coca-cola is made with cane sugar, not HFCS. Cane sugar is cheaper than corn syrup south of the border, where cane grows and corn isn't insanely subsidized.