Cola is a sweet carbonated drink, usually with caramel coloring and containing caffeine. The flavor of the soft drink sometimes comes from a mixture, or fantasia, of vanilla, cinnamon, and citrus flavorings. The name comes from the kola nuts that were originally used as the source of caffeine.

The drink may also be caffeine-free, and although some people disagree on calling such a drink cola, neither the cola companies themselves nor the vast majority of cola drinkers would make such a distinction. Cola drinks are generally sweetened with corn syrup, sugar or an artificial sweetener.

Major brands of cola include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Royal Crown, Virgin Cola, Dixi Cola, Iris Cola, and various local producers. Among colas, German brand Afri-Cola had a higher caffeine content (about 250 mg/L) until the product was relaunched with a new formulation in 1999, and has it again since a second relaunch with the original formulation in April 2006. Thums Up is a popular cola brand in India. Inca Kola is another brand that is marketed in many countries by the Coca Cola group; it is the major cola in some South American countries. tuKola and Tropicola are brands from Cuba; the former is also sold in Italy. Star cola is a brand from Gaza-Palestine marketed by Mecca Cola and Zam Zam Cola.^* There is also an open source recipe for a cola drink, OpenCola.

Being carbonated, colas are acidic & although this has no effect on the drinker, can react violently with some chemicals, such as baking powder, mentos or dry ice. Upon mixing these substances with cola (or any other carbonated drink) cause the carbon acid to bubble, creating foam & massively increasing the pressure in the bottle, resulting in either the bottle or the cap giving way.

Etymology

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The word cola may have been introduced into the mainstream by the major producer Coca-Cola, as they saw their trademark slipping into common use, much like Xerox, Sellotape or Band-Aid have in some areas. They successfully defended the exclusive use of their name and its diminutive form "Coke" by suggesting the alternative of "cola drink" as a generic name for similar types of carbonated soft drinks.

Cola news

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In 2002 a new brand, Mecca Cola, aimed at Muslim customers (with the slogan Think Muslim, Drink Muslim), was launched in France by Tawfik Mathlouthi. It is inspired by Iranian Zam Zam Cola. The product became available in the UK in 2003. Some of the profits are directed to the Palestinian cause, and to domestic charities. A similar product with a similar concept, Qibla Cola, was launched in 2003 in the UK. Cola Turka, a Turkish brand (25% market share in Turkey), and Zelal Cola are also popular among the Muslim community in Germany.

See also

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• Soft drink
• El Che Cola
• Coca Cola
• Pepsi Cola
• Royal Crown Cola Also Known As RC Cola
• OpenCola
• Soda
• Cola (CMS)
• Root Beer
• guarana
• Dr Pepper
• Kodomo Beer
• Cola Cao

External links

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• Cola and Mentos mints trick
• SoftDrinkGuide.com
• OpenCola recipe (originally published by Cory Doctorow)
• Straight Dope article about caffeine levels on soft drinks

Cola

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