The one thing that New Coke didn't have was Pepsin, which is what makes Pepsi, a Pepsi, and a Coke, a Coke.
Pepsin is a flavoring in Pepsodent toothpaste, Beemans Gum, most root beers. Once you can identify it, you can't mistake it. And that is why a "new coke" was never going to be a Pepsi. It was sweeter tasting, even though it contained the same about of sugar. I didn't hate new coke, it was OK, but I liked and still like Coke better.
Cool, you learn something every day. Thanks.
New Coke had a lot less fluoric acid (I think it was) than Old Coke. I remember somebody complaining that New Coke “doesn’t give you that tear-your-throat-out-feeling.”