End of an Era: Diet Coke to Lose its Distinctive Silver Can

But perhaps to their dismay, in an attempt to counter declining soda sales, the Coca-Cola company is now rebranding all their products, including Diet Coke. They are slapping a large red circle over most of its silver shell. Having witnessed the devotion of Diet Coke-heads to their pop of choice, we had to know how they feel about losing such an important part of Diet Coke's public image.

Sophie is in her mid-twenties and was, she told me, physiologically predisposed to Diet Coke addiction. According to family legend, immediately after birthing Sophie, her mother called out for someone—anyone—to fetch her Diet Coke. "Too scared to refuse, my father obliged and then watched in silent horror as my mom went on to breastfeed me from her aspartame-saturated boob, giving me my first hit of caffeine and causing me to undulate wildly in the crib," she told me. "One could argue I've literally been hooked since day one."

I asked Sophie why she likes Diet Coke so much. "It's a real rush to feel the eroding of one's esophagus without the protective sugary film of Coke proper," she replied, explaining the texture is the best part of the Diet Coke experience. "The taste is 'good' I guess—soothing in an empty, chemical way—but it's that fizz I crave."

"Something is taken away from the dining out experience if the restaurant only has Pepsi products." That's Nicholas, another Diet Coke lover in his mid-twenties. Like Sophie, Nicholas is into the chemical quality of Diet Coke; he likes how it is "sharp" and "biting." Because Diet Coke has been in his life for so long and because he drinks it with such regularity, Nicholas says that it has become a ubiquitous part of his life. This is true "even on the days I don't drink it," he explained.

But if Diet Coke fans are particular about the texture and taste, they're especially concerned with what form their soda consumption takes. "I take it ice cold straight from the bottle," Sophie said, like an adult baby who sustains herself on Diet Coke instead of milk. "The signature silver cans are much too small, as are the glass bottles," she continues. "There's certainly something satisfying about swigging straight from a big'un (two-liter). But those big guys lose their crisp edge fast," she adds, "so you have to gulp quickly."

Nicholas told me that he most enjoys fountain and canned Diet Coke. In college, he infamously used the pop as a mixer in every alcoholic beverage he ever consumed. This is not something that Sophie agrees with at all. "I will not drink cocktails involving Diet Coke as alcohol dilutes and sullies the experience," she said. "I will accept fountain soda if desperate, however, more often than not, the trash water from the dispensing machine gets in and mixes with the good stuff, rendering the end result unsatisfyingly flat."

Both Nicholas and Sophie told me that their "addiction" to Diet Coke has waned in recent years. "I'm down to one per diem at the moment," Sophie said. "But there were some dark days in which I'd require at least forty ounces in my system, often consuming much more than that over the course of the day."

"If you are a restaurant without Diet Coke, you better hope I do not darken your doorstep when hung-over," Sophie told me, explaining the depths of her devotion to the beverage. "I need my medicine."

"I'd say on average, I drink one twenty ounce bottle of Diet Coke a day," Nicholas says of his current consumption habits.

It's important to note that both Nicholas' and Sophie's experiences parallel the reported statistical decline in Diet Coke consumption. According to the Washington Post, Diet Coke sales have dropped 20 percent between 2010 and 2014, and will continue to fall.

Sophie explained that she's cut back because, while still obsessed with Diet Coke, she's no longer addicted. Gone are the days of purchasing and lugging bottles and bottles of Diet Coke on her way into the office in the morning. But maybe, she told me, there is something not quite right about her relationship to the pollutant. "After answering these questions, I suspect I have some lurking masochistic tendencies," she said. "It hurts, but in a good way."

And what about their reactions to the rebranding? Broadly's survey of the Diet Coke community shows that fans aren't too upset about the change in packaging. "I am not overly concerned about the costume change," Sophie said. However, there is some uncertainty, as with all major changes that occur in our lives: "It's very possible I'll change my tune when the shift occurs," she worried.

"I don't think this is a big deal at all," Nicholas said. "I mean, they are keeping some small part of the original design, but I never really had much of a connection with the physical design of the can." Besides, he told me, though he doesn't ever drink regular Coca-Cola, his favorite color is red. "I think what most Diet Coke drinkers are loyal to is the taste first and foremost and probably the brand as a close second," Nicholas said.

Sophie added that while she doesn't give a shit about the new packaging, she would absolutely not accept a change in recipe. She communicated this to me as a threat, as if she were speaking to someone else, perhaps an invisible third party. Her ominous warning to the Coca-Cola corporation was ambiguous and forceful. I found it incredibly frightening. "Don't change the recipe," she stammered. "We will notice."