This is NJ’s favorite soda. And no, it’s not Boost!

Remember the so-called "cola wars' that began in the '70s and '80s? As Pepsi’s star continues to dim and Coke clearly won that long ground battle, it’s become more of a "world cola war."

Many people's favorite soft drink shifted away from those two giants over the years. There have been many more brands on the battlefield. The beverage consulting firm Power Brands just concluded a study using Google Trends data to determine which was the favorite soda in every state.

Survey says!

First of all, it sure as heck isn’t Boost here in New Jersey.

Sorry, Burlington County. That hyper-local concoction you kidded yourself into thinking was tasty so many years ago isn’t even part of the conversation. It’s just too niche, too local of a product. And frankly, this weird, hard-to-find local soda is pretty awful. I think it’s like saltwater taffy or a holiday fruitcake. It exists, but my theory is that people just give it to others and no one ends up actually consuming it.

Now if you were making a safe bet on New Jersey’s favorite soda, you would go with the odds and bet on Coca-Cola. Coke is the favorite in more states than any other after all, racking up 14 states that put it at No. 1.

Those Coke-loving states are Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Nevada.

But not New Jersey.

You might think Pepsi would have earned next-favorite status in the number of states but no. That’s how far Pepsi has fallen. It’s actually Dr. Pepper in the No. 2 group with nine states putting it as their favorite. Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, West Virginia, Idaho, Alaska love it most.

What is New Jersey’s favorite soda?

It’s Sprite.

We love it here. And I get it. The standard cola taste is played. The smoother lemon-lime citrus taste is superior. Now sure, I only drink diet soda, and my lemon-lime choice is Diet Mountain Dew, but that’s only because it has the caffeine. I’m not a coffee drinker. Never liked the taste. So that’s my caffeine choice. And Sprite has none. It’s a caffeine-free beverage and it’s New Jersey’s favorite soft drink along with five other states. Those are Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.

Pepsi falls to the fourth place with only five states having it as their favorite: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

You'll never guess the favorite soft drink of North and South Dakota. It's Kool-Aid. I didn't see that coming any more than I did the guy busting through the wall.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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