From Kansas to Kashmir, you’ll recognize Coca-Cola everywhere. The iconic red and white color scheme tells you exactly what you’re getting, no matter what continent you’re on. But when you’re back home and at your local corner store, some Coke bottles may look a little different. Those yellow caps—they weren’t there before.
However, far from being some kind of mistake, these unique bottles actually convey a special message to consumers, and only those in the know are even aware of it.
So, what makes these yellow caps so unique? Well, usually, the caps tell you what flavor the drink is—beige for vanilla, for example. But that’s not the case with the bright yellow ones. Additionally, these special bottles are not available all year round. You’ll only recognize them within a certain time frame—spring is the time of year when yellow caps appear in supermarkets, so keep your eyes open, and you might see them in real life.
But what makes them special? Well, before you ask if there are any other changes to watch out for, let’s be clear: we’re just talking about the cap here. There is no yellow-colored liquid or anything, and everything else on the bottle looks the same—from the famous logo to the red and white on the label. Everything is identical to your regular Coke bottle. Yes, if it weren’t for the caps, you would never know there was anything unusual about these bottles. Take those lids off, and even John Pemberton would have trouble telling the difference. He’s the guy who first combined the ingredients for Coca-Cola, in case you didn’t know.
But after Pemberton came up with his brilliant work, he stumbled upon a huge problem. At this point, the fizzy, sweet brew didn’t have a name. However, that soon changed when Pemberton’s financial advisor dispensed some wisdom. Yes, Frank M. Robinson earned his place in the history books by inventing Coca-Cola. Talk about striking gold. According to the brand’s website, Robinson said the two Cs would look good in advertising, and he wasn’t wrong. From there, he also designed the popular Coca-Cola logo, which became a trademark in early 1893.
But he never expected that. Imagine telling Pemberton or Robinson that their creations would still exist some 130 years later. We imagine they would be pretty shocked. How about the famous colors? When did Coca-Cola introduce this red and white scheme? Well, it happened in the company’s infancy. In the 1890s, Coca-Cola used murals to advertise, and even then, the young company seemed to have its branding under control. The murals used red as a background and had lettering in white. Sound familiar? But that wasn’t really the turning point.
In 2018, a company spokesperson told Business Insider, “Starting in the mid-1890s, we began painting our barrels red so that tax officials could distinguish them from alcohol during transport.” Since then, the colors have simply stuck. But which red does the beverage giant actually use? In reality, there is not just one shade. The red you see on Coca-Cola products comes from a trio of separate tones blended together, and the end result has never been officially recorded in design guides. Meaning, you’ll just have to improvise if you want to paint a room Coke red.
So, it’s easy to see why the yellow caps stand out so much. They contradict a color combination that has been in the public eye for over a century. The sunny hue practically pops against the scarlet label. But the caps may not be as noticeable in the South Pacific. Well, at least this bright yellow would clash with the cans that Coca-Cola’s South Pacific branch released in 2014. For a short time in this far-flung part of the world, you could buy Coke emblazoned in five different colors: green, purple, blue, orange, and pink. With the yellow bottle caps, however, the situation is somewhat different.
Yes, they are limited, just like the colored cans. But there is a slight variation in the drink’s ingredients when comparing this formula to that used in standard Coca-Cola. While regular Coca-Cola contains high-fructose corn syrup, the yellow top bottles do not. Instead, these drinks use a substance known as sucrose, a sweetener derived from both beet sugar and cane sugar. And on paper, that might seem pretty random—why replace a single component and nothing else?
It’s actually quite simple: the change is being made for those celebrating Passover. Along with a number of other foods, corn syrup is off the table during the annual Jewish holiday. But sucrose isn’t off limits, meaning people celebrating Passover can still enjoy a yellow cap Coke. The special caps are essentially signs that say this drink is kosher during Passover.
Kosher is a Hebrew term that translates as suitable, appropriate, or correct. Simply put, it’s like a seal of approval. And if something is not kosher, that means you cannot eat or drink it during Passover. The strange thing, however, is that Coca-Cola is actually considered kosher all year round. So why can’t Jews just pick up the regular bottles? What makes Passover so special that it warranted a different colored Coke?
Now, this is where things can get a little confusing. Food and drinks that are considered kosher during the rest of the year may still be prohibited for Passover. And standard Coca-Cola falls into this particular category. That’s because the rules get stricter when annual leave rolls around in the spring. It all has to do with something in regular Coke you see. So, what are Jews not allowed to eat or drink over Passover?
Well, for starters, everything that falls under the chametz category. This Hebrew term describes foods with grain ingredients, meaning anything containing oats, spelt, wheat, barley, and rye is forbidden. But there’s more to it than that. Any food that rises during cooking is also off-limits. And if, for example, a loaf of bread has been lying on a surface in the house, the residents must remove all traces of it before Passover. Yes, down to the last crumb. Attentive people literally cannot touch chametz for the duration of the holiday.
And we can’t forget kitniyot either. Similar to chametz, it also has to do with what is forbidden during Passover. Not all Jews are required to observe kitniyot. If you don’t have Ashkenazi, that is Eastern European ties, you’re usually safe. But that only covers about a quarter of the world’s Jews anyway. Kitniyot prohibits you from touching legumes and even more grains. And since corn falls under this umbrella, that means Coca-Cola should be banned for Passover—unless it contains sucrose instead of the high-fructose corn syrup.
Yes, a small change can make all the difference. But back to the yellow caps. You should know that they aren’t the only sign of a Passover-friendly cola. If you look closely, you will see that the plastic lids also have “L” printed on them. This means that the Orthodox Union has given the product a thumbs up and confirms that it is kosher. This body is also responsible for maintaining the rule over other foods and beverages. It’s a fascinating process to read about, isn’t it?
Finally, for those of us who are not Jewish, the pros and cons of kosher standards are probably a mystery. But if you’re still not sure which cola is safe to consume during Passover, Coca-Cola can enlighten you. “The Coca-Cola Company offers products year-round, kosher, and kosher for Passover (KFP),” a spokesperson said. “In the United States, both Coca-Cola and Diet Coke are available as KFR and KFP at locations where the bottlers have chosen to be certified kosher for Passover. Products are available in select markets during the Jewish holiday of Passover.”
