Why does Coke Light taste so different to Diet Coke??
I'm a fan of Diet Coke and love the lemony not-exactly-Coca-Cola flavour it has. When I moved to the Middle East, I didn't really notice that they didn't have it till approximately a week after landing, I went to a restaurant and asked for "Diet Coke". What came out was a Coke Light in a can and a cup with ice. My feelings were slightly hurt but seeing that it looked almost identical to a DC I shrugged it off and drank it.
But it didn't taste the same? When I go out to restaurants now, I always ask for a Coke Light now (though they mostly have Coke Zero which is not my fav) but it doesn't taste identical to Diet Coke. I thought the only difference was the branding, because a lot of companies in the Middle East tend to change things from "diet" or "low fat/skim" to "light/lite". My suspicions were confirmed when I went back on break to Toronto, where I went to a local drug mart of mine and got a bottle of DC. It tasted better than the Coke Light??
Guys I know this is such a non-issue but this slight nuisance is making me turn to Coke Zero for that same refreshment (and that means things are getting bad given the fact that I don't like Coke Zero) because somehow Coke Zero tastes better than Coke Light here. Please help!!
EDIT: I'm canadian btw I've not tasted american DC but I assume it tastes the same as we haven't banned aspartame either!