Comment by tuetuopay

I live in France and there definitely is this feeling. I may be biased, because I only drink coke zero, which has a distinct "dryness" to it wrt other sodas. However, it's the only non-zero soda where I notice this feeling.

Children have a much more sweet tooth than adults, so it may be the reason you did not notice it, as it would not necessarily register as bothersome. I liked to bite into direct sugar cubes as a kid, which I would definitely not stand today.