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Lisa Cam

Does Coca-Cola in a glass bottle taste better than in a can or plastic bottle? Ask fans of the drink in Hong Kong and most will say yes.
This is not just down to personal preference; it is lore passed down from generation to generation as truth.
“That’s what we were told since we were kids by our parents,” says Cecilia Wong, a television host and wine and spirits critic.
“I hear a lot that glass-bottled Coke tastes better,” says Yu Yat-yiu, a food and culture writer. “But only in Hong Kong – I’m not sure if people from other countries or cities feel the same way.”
In Hong Kong, there is a particularly nostalgic link between bottled soda and dai pai dongs (open-air food stalls), where glass bottles were historically kept cool inside heavy-duty chest freezers or ice baths.
Because glass has high thermal mass, the drink within – once taken out of the cooler – stays cold for longer than in thin aluminium cans. This intense chill provides a satisfying contrast to hot, greasy local staples like stir-fried beef ho fun or deep-fried salt-and-pepper squid.
Caness Chan, head of public affairs, communication and sustainability at Swire Coca-Cola in Hong Kong, adds that the dense glass “locks in the bubbles better” and “when paired with hot dishes with wok hei [‘breath of the wok’], the difference becomes more noticeable”.

The science behind the theory
Does this debate between glass and plastic/aluminium have any scientific evidence to back it up?
In a 2009 article in Popular Science, Dr Sara Risch, a noted food chemist and founder of the consultancy Science by Design, was quoted as saying that aluminium cans are typically lined with a polymer protective coating. This lining can absorb tiny amounts of soluble flavour compounds from the soda, subtly altering or dampening the flavour.
Risch also noted that plastic (PET) bottles contain the plastic compound acetaldehyde, which can slowly transfer into the drink over time, giving it a faint, plasticky aftertaste.
On the other hand, glass is entirely inert, non-porous, and does not leach any compounds or chemically interact with the drink. It delivers the exact, unaltered flavour intended at the factory. Glass also holds carbon dioxide pressure far better than plastic, which is slightly gas-permeable. This prevents the carbonation from leaking, resulting in a much crisper, fizzier bite when opened.
“It does taste better, with richer bubbles, and the glass bottle can keep the cold temperature longer, which is very important for drinking Coke,” Wong says. “It tastes better when it’s chilled.”

The sweet taste of Hong Kong
Locally, the pervasive rumour that glass-bottled Coke tastes better may have been perpetuated by another factor.
Unconfirmed fan theories suggest that Hong Kong’s bottled formulation historically used molasses – a rich, complex by-product of sugar refining – which gave the local cola a deeper, more robust flavour than its overseas counterparts.
Why could that have been? Well, the Coca-Cola bottling franchise in Hong Kong has been held by the Swire conglomerate since 1965, when it acquired a majority stake in Hong Kong Bottlers Federal, gaining the exclusive Coca-Cola franchise. Swire had long been a big player in the sugar industry; in 1881, it founded Taikoo Sugar and built the world’s largest, most advanced refinery at the time in Quarry Bay to leverage its shipping network.
Swire’s interest in Coca-Cola came as it sought diversification into the emerging consumer food sector, and it built a local bottling plant right next to its historic Taikoo facilities.
“Like most, I always imagined that iconic, deep-amber hue was born from the bubbling vats of Taikoo Sugar – the result of rich molasses or a meticulously caramelised syrup,” Yu says.
However, it is worth noting that Taikoo Sugar ceased local refining in 1972 and moved its operations across the border to the mainland due to changing economics, throwing doubt on the molasses theory.
And in the 1980s, Swire modernised operations by shifting from glass to high-speed automation, launching aluminium canning lines and plastic bottling to meet massive supermarket demand. Before this, the aluminium cans were imported from other Southeast Asian countries.
Chan of Swire Coca-Cola says: “While I cannot comment on the proprietary formula of Coca-Cola, I can say that it is the same soda whether it is in a plastic bottle, aluminium can or glass bottle.”

Tweaks for local palates
It is no secret that Coca-Cola uses different sugars depending on the market. Coke made in the US has used high-fructose corn syrup since 1984, while Mexican Coke – often lauded by fanatics as the superior version – has kept cane sugar.
By the 2010s, the opinion that Mexican Coke tastes better than American Coke had taken hold, leading to a specialised import market for Mexican Coke in the US and multiple studies and taste tests.
In July 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that he was speaking to Coca-Cola about reinstating cane sugar in the soft drink’s recipe. The tweaked version in glass bottles was launched in selected US supermarkets at the end of last year.
As for which container it tastes best in, it is a scientific fact that it varies – but it is also best enjoyed with a good meal.


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Does Coca-Cola taste best in glass bottles? Why Hong Kong drinkers will say yes

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Food & Drink

Backed by science, local tradition and one unproven rumour, food experts explain why Coke in a glass bottle beats plastic ones and cans


Backed by science, local tradition and one unproven rumour, food experts explain why Coke in a glass bottle beats plastic ones and cans.


Hong Kong

Swire Group

Does Coca-Cola taste best in glass bottles? Why Hong Kong drinkers will say yes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Backed by science, local tradition and one unproven rumour, food experts explain why Coke in a glass bottle beats plastic ones and cans

Backed by science, local tradition and one unproven rumour, food experts explain why Coke in a glass bottle beats plastic ones and cans