The Soda Post

One of the fun things about wandering around grocery stores in different parts of the world are the local products you come across that you don't see at home.  With that in mind, I've bought and drank several different kinds of soda that were mostly bad. Basically Coke and Pepsi don't have to worry.  Let's run through the list for your amusement.  As a note, I'll describe what they are (with help from internet research after the fact) but when I drank all of these I was going in blind with hope springing eternal.

Kofola

Where?: Prague, Czech Republic

What?: A cola type soft drink.  A pharmaceutical company was trying to find uses for excess caffeine from coffee roasting and the syrup they produced led to this.  It became popular in the communist era because of the lack of access to Western products.
Any good?: No, it's terrible.  I didn't come close to finishing the bottle.
What did Chrissy think?: "Gross, it's like non-alcoholic Jagermeister."

Almdudler

Where?: Vienna, Austria

What?: It's a soft drink made with grape and apple juices and herbs

Any good?: Not really.  It starts off as oddly fruity but gets more bitter as you continue drinking.  Hard to describe (sort of like ginger ale) and you think it might be good at first, but it gets worse not better.

What did Chrissy think?:  "Weirdly tasty."  She of course only had two sips.

Cockta

Where?: Ljubljana,  Slovenia

What?: A Slovenian soft drink made from rose hips, herbs, lemon, and orange.  It isn't caffeinated.  It was also popular in the communist era because of the lack of access to Western products.

Any good?: No, it's really weird.  I expected it to be similar to cola from the color but it has a way sweeter taste that is strange.

What did Chrissy think?: "It's like someone spiked Coke with Sweetarts."

Sky Cola

Where?: Zagreb, Croatia

What?: It's cola.  Owned by a large conglomerate that dominates the Croatian market.  They have the most popular bottled water, mayonnaise and supermarkets in the country.

Any good?: Not bad, but nothing special.  It's cola which I like, but I prefer Coke.

What did Chrissy think?: "Yeah, that's cola."  Noticing a theme?

Pipi

Where?: Split, Croatia

What?: It's orange soda made by a company based in Split who also makes other sodas and alcoholic beverages.  Apparently they went bankrupt not that long ago and shut down for a bit, but they are back up and running.

Any good?: I know it's called Pipi and it's yellow which is unfortunate, but it's pretty good.  I enjoyed it.

What did Chrissy think?: "It's like carbonated Tang."