Why are people loving the limited edition Oreo x Coke collab?

From a fundamental flavor perspective, we’re not surprised the Oreo-Coke collab has taken off. Here’s how each product satisfies the full sensory flavor experience.

Oreo Flavored Coke Zero

Taste — The canned drink is successful because is has complementing (sweet on sweet) and contrasting (sour vs. sweet) flavors.

• The Oreo flavor doubles down on the already sweet Coke flavor. You might think this would be too much. Still, many of our favorite food combinations pair two different sweet ingredients together: Chocolate fudge over ice cream, or maple syrup on pancakes.
• The combination doesn’t become cloying or overly sweet because of the high acidity of the drink. Coke’s signature sour recipe balances the doubly sweet can, meaning you can enjoy the treat while still feeling refreshed.

Texture — The added Oreo flavors give the soda a lightly creamy mouthfeel, which is reminiscent of a cream soda or float. This contrasts against the tingly, physical sensation of the bubbly effervescence.

• People don’t often think drinks have texture, but they do, and it matters: how much less satisfying is a flat soda vs the carbonated bubbles from a freshly popped can?

Aroma — Most of what we perceive as flavor actually comes from smell, so for a drink to “taste” like an Oreo, Coca-Cola has only had to add a few flavorings that smell similar to the sandwich cookies. Without even taking a sip, just whiffing a cracked can reminds you of the cookie.

Coca-Cola Popping Candy Oreos

Texture — Oreo has included their signature Popping Candy in limited editions before (anyone recall the red-white-&-blue “Firework” Oreos that show up around the 4th of July?). We think this is a clever way to recreate the tingly carbonation you get from sipping the soda, a Physical sensation rarely experienced during eating.

• Like flakey salt on a pretzel or steak, the popping candies add just enough novelty & crunch to each bite to keep you coming back for more.

Aroma — Again, most of flavor is actually just smell. If you were to plug your nose, the cookies would mostly taste sweet. But when you open the Oreo package, you immediately smell the iconic Coca-Cola aroma, even before taking a bite.

Human — Their is an important emotional element in all food, and it effects how we percieve flavor. As humans, we are loyal to our favorite (especially childhood) brands like Coca-Cola & Oreo. We love branding and striking color schemes, which has been a strong point for this collab.

Humans are biologically wired to pay attention to scarcity — if a food is in limited supply, we savor each bite all the more. By making the collab limited edition, people treasure the products more than if it were constantly available, which makes each taste special and somehow better.