What’s the best (and worst) cola in the world according to our Japanese writer?

While we usually focus on news from Japan or Asia, sometimes we like to flip things around and give our readers a Japanese perspective on other cultures. We’ve given you a Japanese person’s take on New York ramen before, and today we’ve got another taste-testing piece for you! But this time, we’re casting a slightly wider net by sending one of our writers to try all the Coca Cola flavors on the planet at World of Coca Cola in Las Vegas.

Read on to find out if he likes your country’s cola flavor!

If you haven’t been to World of Coca Cola before, it’s basically a Coca Cola themed museum–and we’re guessing there are no Mentos allowed in the door. After checking out the installations, visitors can sit down to a taste-testing of the various Coca Cola flavors of the world–16 are available at any given time–for a mere US$7. Be sure to bring a toothbrush!

The 16 Flavors

After paying the drinks, patrons get two trays of plastic cups filled with a colorful assortment of carbonated liquids. Settling down at a table our writer Yuuichiro had a lot to choose from–but before we start, here are the 16 flavors he ended up with for tasting.

1. Inca Kola (Peru)
2. Fanta Magic (Estonia)
3. Fanta Pineapple (Greece)
4. Bon Bon Anglais (Madagascar)
5. Vegitabeta (Japan)
6. Fanta Melon Frosty (Thailand)
7. Smart Watermelon (China)
8. Kinley Lemon (England)
9. Fanta Kolita (Costa Rica)
10. Sunfil Mint (Djibouti)
11. Lift Manzana (Mexico)
12. Bibo Kiwi Mango (South Africa)
13. Ciel Aquarius (Mexico)
14. Smart Apple (China)
15. Beverly (Italy)
16. Mezzo Mix (Germany)

One cola to rule them all!

Okay, it’s actually three colas. For our taste-test, Yuuichiro will tell us the top three best and worst colas in the world in his opinion and explain what he liked (or hated) about them.

First, the three best colas in the world are:

1. Kinely Lemon (England)

2. Smart Apple (China)

3. Bibo Kiwi Mango (South Africa)

Next, the three worst colas in the world are:

1. Beverly (Italy)

2. Sunfil Mint (Djibouti)

3. Fanta Kolita (Costa Rica)

What’s to love?

Yuuichiro had this to say about his top three choices:

“The Kinely Lemon had a flavor that tasted as if they had taken the sweetness from the Japanese Lemon Squash drink. It had a slightly bitter taste, and the moment it was in your mouth, the acidity of the lemon was almost too much, but the shock was refreshing. I drank it all at once!

“The Smart Apple in second place was like a carbonated apple juice. It definitely seemed like something kids would like and had a sweet taste. The Bibo Kiwi Mango in third place had a kind of pineapple characteristic to it. It felt a bit too sweet, but that sweetness was perfect for the Las Vegas heat.”

So for those of you who’ve been to World of Coca Cola recently, does that sound like your top three as well? Or do you think Yuuichiro’s taste buds need to be recalibrated?

What’s to hate?

At the other end of the spectrum are the three flavors that simply did not agree with Yuuichiro. Here are his impressions of these three disappointing drinks.

“On the other hand, the worst drink was the Beverly from Italy. There was absolutely no sweetness to it, and it had such a hard taste that you couldn’t really call it a soft drink! Maybe it was too adult? It was too much of a hurdle for me anyway.

“The second worst was the Sunfil Mint from Djibouti, which tasted like peppermint juice. [Translator’s note: Eww!] The peppermint was far too strong, and it was like mouth wash… If someone tried to sell these worst two in Japan, I think they’d have a very hard time getting people to accept them.

“The Fanta Kolita from Costa Rica didn’t have a particularly bad flavor or anything like that, but it really had this feeling of ‘food coloring has been added’ to it. That made it the third worst.”

Well, while we’re sure Coca Cola doesn’t like seeing any bad press, this seems like a fair assessment. Hopefully they won’t be sending any guerrilla assassins our way!

▼And, in case you were wondering, here’s the Vegitabeta from Japan.

Finally, Yuuichiro wrote that while there were the few that seemed rather…unpleasant, he found the drinks pretty enjoyable overall. So if you like Coca Cola–or just need to escape the heat–the World of Coca Cola in Las Vegas seems like a good watering hole!

It looks like the 16 flavors are rotated in and out, so you might have a slightly different experience when you go, but be sure to share your thoughts on the flavors in the comments. Do you think Yuuichiro has good taste? Or is he actually a robot with a broken taste function?

If you’re in Las Vegas right now, here’s the contact information. The website below will provide information for the location at the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta, the headquarters, as well.

World of Coca-Cola
3785 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
10:00～23:00
(702) 270-5952
World of Coca Cola

All images by RocketNews24
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