Coke Blak

Okay, here's something else to look forward to in 2006: coffee-flavoured Coke.

Like I don't have enough of a caffeine problem already.

And the French are getting this first? What do the French know about coffee?

And why is it now, years after I've sworn off Coke that we're finally getting some decent flavours like Vanilla Coke and Lime Coke and Coffee Coke?

And why do they still produce the execrable Cherry Coke?

Bet there's one flavour Coke won't be selling anytime soon: Salt Coke. Back in school, we used to sprinkle salt in our Coca-Cola to make it drinkable. (The salt trick didn't work with Pepsi, though). Even these days, I still salt my Coke, on those rare occasions I'm having the black bubbly beverage and there're salt packets available. About one packet per regular cup is about right. For me, anyway. Salt just makes Coke taste better, I don't know why.

These, and other mysteries of the universe, will not be satisfactorily answered today, or indeed ever, since they assume an implicit understanding of both how Coca-Cola's marketing department works and what the consumer public has a taste for.