"Are the Coke folks trying to confuse us as they phase out Caffeine-Free Diet Coke?" [Photograph: dietcoke.com] Though I have for the most part weaned myself off diet sodas, every once in awhile I get a serious hankering for a cold, crisp, ever-so-satisfying 20-ounce bottles of either Fresca or Caffeine-Free Diet Coke. Is it just wishful thinking on my part, or is Fresca making a comeback? On two Delta flights this past weekend the flight attendants came down the aisle offering Fresca as one of the soft drink options. Thank you, Delta! But even though Delta is based in Atlanta, Coke's corporate home (Fresca is also a Coke brand), Caffeine-Free Diet Coke was not being offered. And maybe it's just... More

Last night, Diet Coke aired a new commercial starring Tom Colicchio. In it the restaurateur and Top Chef judge rolls his eyes at tall food, at plates artfully dressed with sauces, and at shrimp and beets skewered on a complicated arrangement of wires—all to highlight the "good taste" of the soft drink. More

Even if gravitational pull concepts go over your head, this video is pretty mesmerizing. (The enchanting background song by Camille Saint-Saëns may have something to do with it too.) Under normal gravity conditions, Diet Coke bubbles form around Mentos and rise up through the soda to create a powerful stream of bubbles, with lots of soda touching the candy. However, in microgravity, there is no "up." Bubbles that form just stay near the Mento and inhibit more cola from touching it. It's nice to know that a team of scientists are working on "Menticular" effects on soda pop in space. Watch the video after the jump.... More

Rough surface: One of the reasons why Mentos, magnified here, are fountain-makers. What really makes Mentos and Diet Coke form those fizzy fountains we love to watch on YouTube? Until recently, explanations were mere conjecture. But a physicist at Appalachian State University in North Carolina set her students on the trail. What they found: Diet Coke works best, even though other fizzy liquids were tested Caffeine does not accelerate the reaction, as had been theorized It is not a simple acid-base reaction, as had also been speculated What's happening, said the physicist, Tonya Coffey, is that Mentos are an ideal shape, texture, and weight to encourage carbon dioxide bubbles to form in the Diet Coke bottles.... More

The UK's Telegraph has a good set of pictures from the record-breaking set of simultaneous explosions of Diet Coke and Mentos in Leuven, Belgium. Or as it's known in Belgium: Coca Cola Light. Several videos of the event have appeared online - the best we could find are after the jump.... More

Over at beverage blog supreme The Knowlege For Thirst, Kfan just gave the new Diet Coke Plus a most curious review. If you haven't heard of it yet, it's a version of Diet Coke that's both sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium and fortified with vitamins and minerals. A healthy(-ish) soft drink? Say it ain't so! Have you spotted Diet Coke Plus in your area? Diet Coke addicts, what do you make of it? I'm one of those people who find all artificial sweeteners vile and will not touch diet sodas, but I'm still curious about what it tastes like.... More