I tried diet soda when it first came out, and never finished the first can. It had a terrible chemical after-taste, which acted as a sort of warning to me.
I’ve never had another sip of the stuff.
That would have been either cyclamates or saccharin. Aspartame or sucralose taste fine to most people.
I remember back in 1961 when we moved into a rental house and my dad found a bottle of saccharin tablets. He popped one in his mouth expecting a burst of sweetness, instead he almost threw up and ran to the sink and spit it out! BITTER!
It is so bitter it fools the mind into thinking it is sweet.
Then there was the time mom found some IDEAL liquorice and broke off a piece. We heard her scream clear in the other room. Real bitter with no sugar.
Then the time I sneaked into the kitchen and stole a piece of unsweet chocolate. Never again!
I can no longer stand sugar free sodas!