The new Coke...
February 9, 2010 10:21 PM Subscribe
Bolivia has a new softdrink that puts the Coca back in the cola... It shares a key ingredient with the original Coke and this new cola beverage seems to have the backing of the Bolivian government.
It isn't really clear whether this is going to contain cocaine or just a coca flavoring extract (which Coca Cola still contains). Extracted coca leaves produced by the legitimate pharmaceutical cocaine industry are used in the production of lots of products.
posted by nanojath at 10:33 PM on February 9, 2010
posted by nanojath at 10:33 PM on February 9, 2010
Do people get dependent on chewing coca leaves, or coca tea?
posted by solipsophistocracy at 10:33 PM on February 9, 2010
posted by solipsophistocracy at 10:33 PM on February 9, 2010
Coca no es droga [via]
"La coca no es blanca. La coca no es negra. La coca es verde. Consume hoja de coca: alimento y medicina." (Translated: Coca is not white. Coca is not black. Coca is green. Consume coca leaf: [food?] and medicine.)
posted by filthy light thief at 10:36 PM on February 9, 2010
"La coca no es blanca. La coca no es negra. La coca es verde. Consume hoja de coca: alimento y medicina." (Translated: Coca is not white. Coca is not black. Coca is green. Consume coca leaf: [food?] and medicine.)
posted by filthy light thief at 10:36 PM on February 9, 2010
I speak from first hand experience - coca tea is fantastic for coping with high altitudes, and helped my mother with head aches, though it may not be a great idea to consume before taking drug tests (not known from personal experiences, but not something I'd test).
posted by filthy light thief at 10:43 PM on February 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:43 PM on February 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
In other news: Black market Bolivian Coca Colla to sell for $5.00 per can in the U.S.
posted by zardoz at 10:53 PM on February 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by zardoz at 10:53 PM on February 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
Yeah, but is it sweetened with HFCS?
posted by 2N2222 at 11:05 PM on February 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by 2N2222 at 11:05 PM on February 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
Clever name -- Colla (or Qolla) is one of the names for a pre-Columbian civilization based in present-day Bolivia.
posted by dr. boludo at 11:30 PM on February 9, 2010
posted by dr. boludo at 11:30 PM on February 9, 2010
Every day of our hike I was the one making everyone wait. I would watch from behind to see if we'd taken a wrong turn, then walk the hypotenuse. On the third day, I chewed coca leaves for the first time. I honestly felt nothing, even though I spent the whole day way out in front yelling "come on, guys! It's this way!"
posted by esprit de l'escalier at 11:38 PM on February 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by esprit de l'escalier at 11:38 PM on February 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
Good. I was getting tired of snorting Mexican Coke.
posted by JackarypQQ at 11:38 PM on February 9, 2010
posted by JackarypQQ at 11:38 PM on February 9, 2010
In my experience the tea has little noticeable effect. But the leaves (when chewed with a little alkaline wood ash) make your mouth go numb and cause you to talk endlessly. Only trouble is, it's hard to feel very "scarface" with half a hedge in your mouth.
posted by rhymer at 12:19 AM on February 10, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by rhymer at 12:19 AM on February 10, 2010 [6 favorites]
Not sure if it was big in the U.S. but roughly five years ago Canadian liquor stores were stocking something called Agua, a Brazilian liqueur made from coca. I remember buying two bottles for a housewarming party (my own) and consuming both in the space of maybe an hour. It was weird in that sense - like a normal drunk feeling but with sudden adrenaline rushes. I can remember going into the backyard for a cigarette, feeling typically inebriated, and then, spotting my friend bent over the fence puking, almost instinctively running over, grabbing his legs, and tossing him all the way over the fence.
Yeah, the next time I felt the urge to drink it, I went to the store and they had stopped selling it, telling me that it was ruled illegal or something. Too bad.
posted by mannequito at 12:39 AM on February 10, 2010 [6 favorites]
Yeah, the next time I felt the urge to drink it, I went to the store and they had stopped selling it, telling me that it was ruled illegal or something. Too bad.
posted by mannequito at 12:39 AM on February 10, 2010 [6 favorites]
Coca, of course, is a big deal in terms of identity down there, just like guns or trucks are to people in New England.
I think I'd have coca over big trucks any day, though.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:22 AM on February 10, 2010
I think I'd have coca over big trucks any day, though.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:22 AM on February 10, 2010
...but roughly five years ago Canadian liquor stores were stocking something called Agua, a Brazilian liqueur made from coca.
I went to Vegas in 2006, and one of the bars had a sign for that stuff. I can't remember whether I tried it or not, much less the rest of that night...
posted by Evilspork at 5:22 AM on February 10, 2010
I went to Vegas in 2006, and one of the bars had a sign for that stuff. I can't remember whether I tried it or not, much less the rest of that night...
posted by Evilspork at 5:22 AM on February 10, 2010
A few years ago a friend gave me a large shopping bag of raw dried coca leaf from Peru (don't ask how she got it in, trade secret in the profession she's in). I had a year's worth of coca leaf tea and took to drinking it regularly. It was extraordinary stuff; a very clear, clean, high-energy buzz like a very mild coke high. It was way better than coffee for working through the night, yet never too much. Awesome stuff. Like Ritalin in a cup. This is the stuff Quechuans use to defeat altitude sickness.
Plus it was absolutely delicious; a high alkaloid green tea flavor, but milder and sweeter and completely yummy. It also seemed to work well for stomach pain.
If that stuff was available in the US legally, the coffee business would be hurting badly. I'd switch from coffee to coca tea in a heartbeat.
Since then, I've had commercially prepared coca leaf tea (in S. America, where it's a supermarket item). It wasn't nearly as powerful as the raw dried leaf I had, but still amazing.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:26 AM on February 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
Plus it was absolutely delicious; a high alkaloid green tea flavor, but milder and sweeter and completely yummy. It also seemed to work well for stomach pain.
If that stuff was available in the US legally, the coffee business would be hurting badly. I'd switch from coffee to coca tea in a heartbeat.
Since then, I've had commercially prepared coca leaf tea (in S. America, where it's a supermarket item). It wasn't nearly as powerful as the raw dried leaf I had, but still amazing.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:26 AM on February 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
In Bolivia, they've been making products that incorporate coca extract for a long time now: coca toothpaste, coca shampoo, coca wine...
Frankpa puka llaqwan. Noqa llapani chay akata tukuymanmi!
Franks red hot sauce. I put that shit on everything!
I just dare someone to correct my lousy Quechua!
posted by drlith at 5:35 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Frankpa puka llaqwan. Noqa llapani chay akata tukuymanmi!
Franks red hot sauce. I put that shit on everything!
I just dare someone to correct my lousy Quechua!
posted by drlith at 5:35 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
It was weird in that sense - like a normal drunk feeling but with sudden adrenaline rushes. I can remember going into the backyard for a cigarette, feeling typically inebriated, and then, spotting my friend bent over the fence puking, almost instinctively running over, grabbing his legs, and tossing him all the way over the fence.
So, Red Bull and vodka, basically.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:39 AM on February 10, 2010
So, Red Bull and vodka, basically.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:39 AM on February 10, 2010
It seems like a neat idea, but I'm a little disappointed they're just making it Coca Cola with two L's and a similar logo.
Coca, of course, is a big deal in terms of identity down there, just like guns or trucks are to people in New England.
Wait, what? I've never heard of "guns and trucks" as cornerstones of New England cultural identity.
I think you mean "to people in the boondocks."
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 5:43 AM on February 10, 2010
Coca, of course, is a big deal in terms of identity down there, just like guns or trucks are to people in New England.
Wait, what? I've never heard of "guns and trucks" as cornerstones of New England cultural identity.
I think you mean "to people in the boondocks."
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 5:43 AM on February 10, 2010
>: So, Red Bull and vodka, basically.
Or Allen's Coffee Brandy and milk. It goes down easy, and it's dangerous. It also outsells any other alcoholic beverage in my state. Calling it liquid crack would be kind. It also tastes good.
>: Wait, what? I've never heard of "guns and trucks" as cornerstones of New England cultural identity.
If you leave the major urban centers like Boston or Portland, yup, it's guns and trucks.
I'm not talking the boondocks, just areas that aren't big cities like Boston or Lewiston-Auburn.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:55 AM on February 10, 2010
Or Allen's Coffee Brandy and milk. It goes down easy, and it's dangerous. It also outsells any other alcoholic beverage in my state. Calling it liquid crack would be kind. It also tastes good.
>: Wait, what? I've never heard of "guns and trucks" as cornerstones of New England cultural identity.
If you leave the major urban centers like Boston or Portland, yup, it's guns and trucks.
I'm not talking the boondocks, just areas that aren't big cities like Boston or Lewiston-Auburn.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:55 AM on February 10, 2010
I'm just angry that cokeheads get to have a legal(?), government-sponsored beverage before potheads to.
posted by Jon_Evil at 6:24 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Jon_Evil at 6:24 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Can I add it in my Red Bull and Vodka or will that kill my ecstasy high?
Asking question for 90s rave kid
posted by cazoo at 6:33 AM on February 10, 2010
Asking question for 90s rave kid
posted by cazoo at 6:33 AM on February 10, 2010
In Peru, you can buy coca tea in tea bags at the supermarket, but I don't know how much actual coca is in a tea bag. It's on the shelf with all the other tea. I was too much of a coward to try to bring some back with me.
posted by bentley at 6:45 AM on February 10, 2010
posted by bentley at 6:45 AM on February 10, 2010
I'm not talking the boondocks, just areas that aren't big cities like Boston or Lewiston-Auburn.
You appear to be located in central Maine. I think we have different definitions of what qualifies as the boonies. ;)
It would also explain our differences in what we think of as New England culture. Here I'd say it's more chowder, boats, lighthouses, maritime culture in general. I also think of Vermont and New Hampshire.
My hometown is definitely not a big city, and I currently live in a rural area where farms, cows, and turf fields are the typical scenery, and I still haven't heard that.
I'll agree to disagree, however. Your "Allen's Coffee Brandy and milk" sounds like an alcoholic version of my state's favorite drink, which shows me we're kin all the same. I'll have to try that sometime.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:59 AM on February 10, 2010
You appear to be located in central Maine. I think we have different definitions of what qualifies as the boonies. ;)
It would also explain our differences in what we think of as New England culture. Here I'd say it's more chowder, boats, lighthouses, maritime culture in general. I also think of Vermont and New Hampshire.
My hometown is definitely not a big city, and I currently live in a rural area where farms, cows, and turf fields are the typical scenery, and I still haven't heard that.
I'll agree to disagree, however. Your "Allen's Coffee Brandy and milk" sounds like an alcoholic version of my state's favorite drink, which shows me we're kin all the same. I'll have to try that sometime.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:59 AM on February 10, 2010
The International Narcotics Control Board has called for years for a ban on coca leaf chewing.
So does this board exist to tell the world not to use substances that white people disapprove of?
posted by TrialByMedia at 7:07 AM on February 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
So does this board exist to tell the world not to use substances that white people disapprove of?
posted by TrialByMedia at 7:07 AM on February 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm just angry that cokeheads get to have a legal(?), government-sponsored beverage before potheads to.
Buzz Cola is flagrant false advertising!
posted by The Whelk at 7:48 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Would that ingredient be sugar as opposed to the high-fructose corn syrup that's in Coke nowadays?
posted by Rarebit Fiend at 8:55 AM on February 10, 2010
posted by Rarebit Fiend at 8:55 AM on February 10, 2010
"Ah ! I hear it comes in cans in this country!"
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 10:38 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 10:38 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, down Maine, they like their coffee brandy. Caffeine, sugar and alcohol, and now you're ready to beat up a moose and assault the police officers who try to stop you.
posted by longsleeves at 11:17 AM on February 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by longsleeves at 11:17 AM on February 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
That's why I like Maine so much, longsleeves.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 11:26 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by bitter-girl.com at 11:26 AM on February 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
I feel like their being asinine by using a red label similar to Coca-Cola, plus Coca Qolla would have been a better name. I'd say they have every right using the name of the plant because nobody else uses coca similarly, but any extra similarly will simply prevent them from exporting many places.
posted by jeffburdges at 1:17 PM on February 10, 2010
posted by jeffburdges at 1:17 PM on February 10, 2010
I think coca tea is legal in the US, but very hard to find. You should be able to bring commercial preparations of it with you on return from South America.
But I think you'd get hassled with a non commercial preparation of it. I'm not sure if there is a difference between the commercial tea and the raw leaves, but I've had both and the raw leaf tea I made was asskickingly stronger than the commercial stuff, at about the same flavor density. I only ever used 3-5 little leaves per cup of tea, by weight less than a teabag of crushed leaves.
posted by fourcheesemac at 1:48 PM on February 10, 2010
But I think you'd get hassled with a non commercial preparation of it. I'm not sure if there is a difference between the commercial tea and the raw leaves, but I've had both and the raw leaf tea I made was asskickingly stronger than the commercial stuff, at about the same flavor density. I only ever used 3-5 little leaves per cup of tea, by weight less than a teabag of crushed leaves.
posted by fourcheesemac at 1:48 PM on February 10, 2010
If you want to make it legal, just start selling it on Wall St. ;)
posted by jeffburdges at 2:38 PM on February 10, 2010
posted by jeffburdges at 2:38 PM on February 10, 2010
Happened in Colombia already. Googl Coka Sek and you will find a lot. While you can argue that Coka Colla likely violates a trademark, Coka sek did not. Coka Cola took easily care of this and just bribed some gouverment officials. Where would it lead if any idot could just start opening his own business?
posted by yoyo_nyc at 3:20 PM on February 10, 2010
posted by yoyo_nyc at 3:20 PM on February 10, 2010
Oh gosh, coca tea.
Two houses ago, my roommates were big into Puerto Rico. I'm no good at it, it always seems inconsequential next to, like, chess. Give me a good fierce Queen's Gambit, I don't want to like fuck around with wood or whatever. But anyway one day I came home and they were playing a game and my one roommate was like, "If you're not going to play, try the tea." I said, "Uh, no thanks," and he said, "No, really, the tea. Try it."
I sat down by the table and had a cup, and watched the game progress, and almost immediately, I started feeling a kind of ecstatic peace settle over me. My nervous system wasn't doing anything in particular, but I was fantastically aware of its doing nothing in particular. I sat there looking at the board, and looking at the cards in my roommate's hand, and suddenly, everything all made sense to me. I understood who was playing for what resources, and what immediate goals. I understood who was competing with who. The properties of the game formed a sort of database in my head, and I was able to collect every detail of every turn, and accurately parse them as evolutions of every roommate's motive.
I got in on the next game, and I absolutely dominated. I shit-talked like Vladimir Putin. I accumulated exactly the resources I need, knew who wanted to trade with me and who didn't. I always intuitively knew the optimal strategy. It felt like I was cheating at something impossible to cheat at. Again, never been good at this game.
Anyway so afterwards I suddenly felt great exhaustion and went straight to bed and the next day in the kitchen I saw my one roommate and I was like, "Hey I was really good at Settlers of Catan last night." And he was like, "Yeah but also you were drooling on your pants the whole time, also you didn't really blink at all."
Coca tea.
posted by voronoi at 12:12 AM on February 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Two houses ago, my roommates were big into Puerto Rico. I'm no good at it, it always seems inconsequential next to, like, chess. Give me a good fierce Queen's Gambit, I don't want to like fuck around with wood or whatever. But anyway one day I came home and they were playing a game and my one roommate was like, "If you're not going to play, try the tea." I said, "Uh, no thanks," and he said, "No, really, the tea. Try it."
I sat down by the table and had a cup, and watched the game progress, and almost immediately, I started feeling a kind of ecstatic peace settle over me. My nervous system wasn't doing anything in particular, but I was fantastically aware of its doing nothing in particular. I sat there looking at the board, and looking at the cards in my roommate's hand, and suddenly, everything all made sense to me. I understood who was playing for what resources, and what immediate goals. I understood who was competing with who. The properties of the game formed a sort of database in my head, and I was able to collect every detail of every turn, and accurately parse them as evolutions of every roommate's motive.
I got in on the next game, and I absolutely dominated. I shit-talked like Vladimir Putin. I accumulated exactly the resources I need, knew who wanted to trade with me and who didn't. I always intuitively knew the optimal strategy. It felt like I was cheating at something impossible to cheat at. Again, never been good at this game.
Anyway so afterwards I suddenly felt great exhaustion and went straight to bed and the next day in the kitchen I saw my one roommate and I was like, "Hey I was really good at Settlers of Catan last night." And he was like, "Yeah but also you were drooling on your pants the whole time, also you didn't really blink at all."
Coca tea.
posted by voronoi at 12:12 AM on February 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Whoa. You guys are drinkin' some crazy strong coca tea! I fell into a habit of chewing the leaves (with a nice dash of llipta or baking powder) when I was in the Andes last year, and it certainly made hiking easier (and, yes, numbed the mouth). But I never felt any effects from the tea!
I do mourn the fact that coca is illegal in the U.S.. As a study aid, I found it so much more pleasant and effective than caffeine. And I'd place it next to nicotine for its ability to aid prolonged bouts of concentrated creativity.
posted by artemisia at 1:57 AM on February 11, 2010
I do mourn the fact that coca is illegal in the U.S.. As a study aid, I found it so much more pleasant and effective than caffeine. And I'd place it next to nicotine for its ability to aid prolonged bouts of concentrated creativity.
posted by artemisia at 1:57 AM on February 11, 2010
I used to think that coke came in a bottle or can
Silk underwear
Wasn't right on a man
Hush puppies and sneakers
Now it's alligator shoes
Because downtown came uptown for you
posted by bwg at 5:48 AM on February 11, 2010
Silk underwear
Wasn't right on a man
Hush puppies and sneakers
Now it's alligator shoes
Because downtown came uptown for you
posted by bwg at 5:48 AM on February 11, 2010
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