Colombiana is another South American “cola champagne” in the vein of Goya and Inca Kola, produced by Postobón in Colombia. This was yet another Pike Place Market discovery, and to be honest, was definitely a winner. Colombiana was very tasty, and was actually smoother than Inca Kola, with a very nice coconut flavour riding along underneath the fruity, South American cola.
This is another Pike Place Market purchase. A perennial favourite in South America, Inca Kola is the classic golden cola, with a nice fruity flavour to it. It is very sweet, without being overbearing, but unfortunately uses HFCS as its sweetener, so it can get a little cloying.
Inca Kola is a Peruvian drink which has since come under the auspices of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola actually owns the name everywhere in the world except for in Peru, where it is owned in joint venture between Coca-Cola and the original family manufacturer.
I’ve seen Inca Kola referred to as an”acquired taste”, but I found it to be quite an easy drink, and completely inoffensive. It seemed to be no more an “acquired taste” than any other new beverage may be and, while certainly not bad, nothing that I would bother seeking out.
I found this bottle of Goya Cola Champagne (GCC) in a little shop at Pike Place Market in Seattle a few months back. The conceit is obvious, but could this really be the champagne of colas?
Well, no. But it was pretty good. The GCC has a soft cola taste typical of most South American varieties, and likewise eschews the caramel colouring for a more tropical orange. The sweetness level is a bit milder than Inca Cola, but the corn sugar still leaves something to be desired. There was almost an Irn-Bru aftertaste, that was interesting in a cola, and it came in a bottle, so I wasn’t just tasting the can. All in all, it was an enjoyable drink,