Have You Ever Seen A Coca-Cola Bottle That Has A Yellow Cap? This Is What It Actually Means
Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known sodas around. Its red and white design has become iconic and has stood the test of time. However, some bottle caps are mysteriously yellow, even though the flavor is exactly the same as the original. Keep clicking through this story to find out the intriguing explanation behind these yellow Coca-Cola caps.
Colored Caps Sometimes Correspond To Flavors
Changing the caps of Coca-Cola bottles isn't anything new. The company typically does so to denote what flavor you're getting. For instance, vanilla-flavored coke has a beige cap.
Likewise, Coca-Cola cans have a different color near the top to signify the flavor, such as purple for cherry and green for lime. At this point, you might be thinking that the yellow caps are placed on lemon-flavored Cokes, but that isn't the case.
It's Only Offered Seasonally
Another thing that makes the yellow cap so mysterious is that it's only offered seasonally. This may not seem that unusual since certain flavors are seasonal, but the cap doesn't denote a flavor.
Sometimes, certain products come and go if the company is just testing them out, but these yellow caps don't just appear and disappear randomly. They arrive at the same time each year, and they leave around the same time. So what could they mean?
The Famous Coca-Cola Design
The yellow caps are a stark contrast against the red and white design that's remained practically the same over the years. It's not every day that a company comes up with such a successful design right off the bat.
That's partially thanks to a man named Frank M. Robinson, who was a financial advisor. He told Coca-Cola creator John S. Pemberton that the name would look great on bottles due to the two Cs. Pemberton took his advice and trademarked the name in 1893!
The History Behind Those Eye-Catching Colors
Once the famous drink had a name, it was time to think about the design. At the time, Cokes came in a glass bottle that showed the brown liquid inside.
They needed something that would pop more than the color brown, so they went with a bold red backdrop for their signs and wall murals. And what better color to stand out against red than white letters? Just like that, the iconic Coca-Cola design was born.
There Was Another Reason They Went With Red
Red is one of the most eye-catching colors, which explains why it's the color of stop signs and stop lights. But that isn't the only reason that Coca-Cola executives chose that color all those years ago.
They also did so to make transportation barrels stand out among the rest. A company spokesperson explained to Business Insider that the red barrels helped tax agents distinguish them from those containing adult beverages. But they didn't just go with any old red.
The Red Is A Unique Combination Of Tones
If you've ever wanted to paint something "Coke red" but couldn't get it just right, there's a reason for that. Coca-Cola uses a red that is a combination of three different tones.
To keep the red unique, they've yet to record it in design guides. That's why there isn't another red that quite matches in terms of paint colors. Unless you're an expert colorist, any red you use with likely be a tiny bit off.
Yellow Capped Coca-Cola Has A Slightly Different Recipe
Colorful Coca-Colas may not have made their way around the world, but yellow capped ones did! That's because there's a little more to these yellow-capped bottles than just flavor variation.
The caps may be the same original flavor, but that doesn't mean that they don't have a slightly different recipe. You see, Coca-Cola is typically made with high fructose corn syrup. The ones with yellow caps, though, replace the high fructose corn syrup with something else.
It's Specially-Made For Passover
Coca-Cola bottles that have a yellow cap are made with just one different ingredient than other variations. They have sucralose in them instead of high fructose corn syrup. Sucrose is made from beet sugar and cane sugar, where high fructose corn syrup comes from corn.
Since some Jewish people don't eat corn during Passover, this gives them an option so they don't have to miss out on the bubbly beverage. The tricky thing is that regular Coca-Cola is technically kosher.
Passover Changes What's Considered Kosher
Kosher is a Hebrew term that is used to describe food and beverages that are okay to consume. Some items that are kosher year-round are considered off-limits during Passover.
For example, chametz, which is the Hebrew term for anything that contains grains, is prohibited during Passover. That means that there can't even be a crumb in the house as Jewish residents won't be able to touch it until the holiday is over. Corn is even trickier.
Some Jewish People Have More Dietary Restrictions
Some Jewish individuals also observe kitniyot, which involves an even more restrictive diet during Passover. Typically those who have Ashkenazi, meaning Eastern European, ties, are the ones who observe kitniyot.
Kitniyot prohibits those following the guidelines from eating anything that contains legumes, as well as other varieties of grain. This is where corn comes in. Those observing kitniyot wouldn't be able to consume corn, meaning no high fructose corn syrup, either. That's why those yellow caps make all the difference.
Sucrose Was Coke's Original Sweetener
Swapping out high fructose corn syrup for sucrose is no big deal to Coca-Cola, considering that's how their original recipe started! They switched to high fructose corn syrup later on, to some peoples' dismay.
It turns out a rabbi by the name of Tuvia Geffen was responsible for the switch back to sucrose. In the 1930s, Coca-Cola was so popular that some Jewish individuals struggled to avoid the drink during Passover to observe kitniyot.
Orthodox Union Approved
Rabbi Geffen suggested that Coca-Cola swap out their high fructose corn syrup during Passover, and the company listened! They not only changed the ingredient, but they also got the mark of approval from the Orthodox Union.
That's what that O-U-P marking on top of the yellow cap indicates. Coca-Cola now offers kosher year-round products as well as kosher for Passover items. Bottlers have to get certified to produce both items, so they are only available in select markets.
Rabbinical Organizations Supervise The Production
The kosher Coca-Cola products are produced under the supervision of one of the company's designated Rabbinical organizations. They watch the entire process to make sure everything is up to kosher standards. Coca-Cola isn't the only company to go through this process.
Certain brands of honey, dairy, salmon, and tilapia products have also gotten the Orthodox Union's thumbs up. For instance, 365 Everyday Value's Atlantic Salmon and Kirkland Signature’s Tilapia Loins have also been certified kosher, just to name a couple.
Something For Everyone
Yellow-capped Coca-Colas only come around seasonally, so it may be worth a try the next time they do. Some prefer sucrose to high fructose corn syrup, while others just want to see what Coke used to taste like.
Whether you prefer the yellow cap or the red, it's helpful to consumers to have both options. This way, there's something for everyone anytime of the year. Now the next time you see that yellow cap, you'll know why!
