Ask ten people in Los Angeles whether soda tastes better out of glass and nine of them will say yes without thinking about it. The tenth one drinks it out of a can and is perfectly happy. Both of them are right, and the reason is not marketing. The container really does change what you taste, how cold the drink gets, how long it stays fizzy and how much you end up paying per serving. Since we deliver all three formats by the case, we get asked about this constantly. Here is the honest breakdown, and the cases we would order in each format.
Want to run the taste test yourself? Order a case of Coca-Cola in glass, a case of Coke Zero cans and a case of Coke Zero 20 ounce bottles and we will bring them to your door anywhere in LA.
Why the same soda tastes different in each container
The recipe inside is the same. Three things change around it.
- Carbonation loss. Glass and aluminum are both airtight, so a bottle or can holds its fizz for months. Plastic breathes a tiny bit. Over a long shelf life, a plastic bottle slowly loses carbon dioxide, which is why a forgotten two liter at the back of the garage tastes flatter than the can next to it.
- Flavor transfer. Glass is inert, nothing gets in or out. Aluminum cans have a polymer liner, and a small number of people swear they can taste it. Plastic can pick up a faint flavor from the bottle itself, especially if the bottle sat somewhere warm.
- Temperature. A glass bottle feels colder in the hand, an aluminum can actually chills faster in the fridge or cooler, and a plastic bottle holds its temperature longest once it is cold. For a cooler at the beach, cans win. For sipping on a patio, glass wins.
Put those together and you get the folk wisdom. Glass tastes cleanest and looks best, cans are the most practical, and plastic is the value play that works fine when it is fresh and cold.
The case for glass
Glass is the format people remember. The heavy bottle, the cap, the sound it makes on the table. It is also the format that most often carries the real cane sugar version of a soda, which is a bigger flavor difference than the bottle itself. Cane sugar colas taste cleaner and finish crisper than the corn syrup versions, and most of them only come in glass.
- Medio Litro Coca-Cola, 500 milliliter glass, 24 pack. The big Mexican bottle, cane sugar, the one that makes a taco night feel right. Our ranking of the best Mexican sodas covers the rest of that shelf.
- Pepsi Cola, 12 ounce glass, 24 pack. Sweeter and rounder than Coke, and the glass bottle makes it feel like a diner.
- Retro Sprite, 355 milliliter glass, 24 pack. The newly released American made glass Sprite, and it flies out of our warehouse. More throwbacks are in our retro soda roundup.
- Coke Zero, 8 ounce glass, 24 pack. A tiny bottle that is exactly one serving, perfect on a dinner table.
- Canada Dry Real Cane Sugar Ginger Ale, 12 ounce glass, 24 pack. The ginger ale you actually want with a sandwich.
The trade off is weight and price. A case of glass is heavy, which is the whole reason we deliver, and it usually costs more per bottle than the can version of the same drink. Glass is for the table, the party and the drink you sit down for.
The case for cans
Cans are the working format. They chill fast, stack in the fridge, fit in every cooler and cost the least per serving of any 12 ounce option. A 36 pack of cans is the single best value per drink on our site, and it is the format we recommend for anyone stocking a garage fridge or an office.
- Dr Pepper, 12 ounce cans, 36 pack. Thirty six cans in one box. This is the household case.
- Sprite, 12 ounce cans, 35 pack. The lemon lime everyone drinks, in bulk.
- Coke Zero, 12 ounce cans, 24 pack. The zero sugar cola that tastes closest to the original.
- Pepsi Soda Shop Real Cane Sugar, 12 ounce cans. Proof that a can can carry cane sugar too.
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale, 12 ounce cans, 36 pack. The mixer case, and the upset stomach case.
If you are hosting and space matters, cans are also the format that lets you fit three flavors in one ice chest without a game of Tetris.
The case for plastic
Plastic bottles are the value and convenience format. A 20 ounce bottle has a cap, so it survives a car ride, a lunch box and a half finished afternoon. The two liter is the cheapest way to pour soda for a crowd, and it is the right call for a party where drinks go into cups anyway.
- Mountain Dew, 20 ounce bottles, 24 pack. The resealable bottle for people who drink half now and half later.
- Cactus Cooler Orange Pineapple, 2 liter, 8 pack. The Southern California party soda, in the party size.
- Fanta Strawberry, 2 liter, 8 pack. Kids’ birthday standard, punch bowl standard.
- Squirt Ruby Red, 2 liter, 8 pack. The grapefruit soda that mixes into everything.
The rule with plastic is simple: drink it fresh and keep it cold. A two liter opened at a party is at its best that day. It is not the format to stockpile for six months.
Which format for which occasion
- Dinner table, date night, taco night: glass. The bottle is part of the experience.
- Garage fridge, office fridge, gym bag: cans. Cheapest per serving, fastest to chill.
- Kids’ party, watch party, punch bowl: two liters. Pour into cups and nobody wastes a half full can.
- Car, lunch box, desk: 20 ounce plastic. The cap is the feature.
- Beach and cooler days: cans. They chill in minutes and do not break on the sand.
Most households end up ordering two formats at once, a case of glass for the good stuff and a big case of cans for everyday. That is the order that hits our free delivery threshold without trying.
How much fizz do you actually lose
For a can or a glass bottle within its date, almost none. Both are sealed against gas loss for the life of the product. For plastic, the loss is slow and only noticeable near the end of the shelf life or after the bottle has been sitting warm. If a plastic bottle tastes flat on the day you open it, the problem is usually that it was stored warm and then chilled quickly, which pushes the carbonation out faster once opened. Store two liters cold and upright and they will pour fine.
Once opened, all three lose fizz at about the same rate. A resealed two liter keeps most of its carbonation for a day or two in the fridge. A can or a glass bottle does not reseal, so drink it.
The price side
Per 12 ounces, cans are the cheapest, then two liters when you pour them, then 20 ounce bottles, then glass. Glass costs more because the bottle itself costs more and weighs more to ship. That is exactly why buying glass by the case from a delivery service makes sense: the heavy part is our problem, and a 24 pack price is always better than buying six packs at a corner store.
Every product page on our site shows the case price with California CRV already included, so the number you see is the number you pay. Prices in this post were correct on the day it was written and can change.
Frequently asked questions
Does soda in glass really taste better?
Most people say yes in a blind test, and there are two real reasons: glass is completely inert so nothing changes the flavor, and glass bottles are the format that most often carries the real cane sugar recipe. If you want the cleanest taste, get glass with cane sugar.
Why do cans chill faster than bottles?
Aluminum conducts heat far better than glass or plastic. A can in an ice bath is cold in about ten minutes. A glass bottle takes closer to twenty.
Is plastic bad for the taste?
Not when it is fresh and cold. Plastic breathes a little over months, so a two liter that has been sitting in a warm garage for a long time will taste flatter. Buy what you will drink within a few weeks and store it cold.
What is the best value format?
A 36 pack of cans, like the Dr Pepper or Canada Dry above. Per serving, nothing on the site beats it.
Can I mix formats in one order?
Yes. Every case counts toward your local delivery minimum and toward free delivery, so a case of glass plus two cases of cans is a normal order.
Browse the full soda aisle, pick your format, and let the cases come to you. New customers can use code GET10OFF for 10 percent off a first order.
