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Perfectly Replicating Coca Cola (It Took Me A Year)

LabCoatz · 10.5M views · 2026-01-08 · 25:05

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Overview

LabCoatz uses mass spectrometry, with help from other science YouTubers, to reverse engineer the Coca-Cola flavor and builds a chemically-identical replica. The video walks through a year of work on the formula.

On Hacker News

HN mostly cites it as a notable example of reverse engineering a famously secret formula, not as a recommendation.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2026–2026

Topics

ChemistryCooking & food
Search by tags
coca-colamass spectrometryreverse engineeringsoft drinks

What people said

bit-anarchist · 2026-06 · Reference

I don't think Coca Cola is a good counterpoint due to a couple of reasons: 1) there was a recent attempt to find the formula [1], but the primary reason that was infeasible is that, allegedly by the ingredient list, they use coca extract and, IIRC, only one company provides that in the US, due to FDA regulations. Even if they were find the formula behind, it wouldn't help much, so they're are trying to replicate the flavor instead. 2) Coca Cola is, before anything, a brand. It's not comparable to generic medications because people in general don't buy it for the formula specifically, but the expectation of flavor and taste associated with the brand. Even if you were to find the current formula, the Coca Cola Company can just change it. In regards to the last point, there probably is one (likely in heavily subsidized prices case), but, regardless, I don't see how your point shows patents are the reason anymore than a increase in competition, which we are proposing would happen if patents were abolished. [1] [VIDEO]

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tareqak · 2026-04 · Reference

Perfectly Replicating Coca Cola (It Took Me A Year) - LabCoatz : [VIDEO] This content creator used a mass spectrometer to find the flavoring used in Coca-Cola.

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znpy · 2026-04 · Reference

Reminds me a lot of this video where the authors claim to have essentially replicated the true coca-cola flavor: [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by LabCoatz, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

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Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

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