Paul M Foster wrote:
> Robert Snyder wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 9/18/06, *Robin 'Roblimo' Miller* <robin@roblimo.com
>> <mailto:robin@roblimo.com>> wrote:
>>
>>
>> >
>> > I agree, getting it to where an equivalent number of people
>> like it
>> > and Coke would be great. However, I don't think "making it taste
>> just
>> > like Coke" should be the method of accomplishing that.
>>
>> Best way to make OpenCola popular is to include "A taste of
>> Columbia's
>> Finest(TM) in every bottle."
>>
>> The active ingredient could be obtained through informal "open"
>> channels
>> instead of dealing with all that FDA beureacracy nonsense, and
>> the end
>> product could be sold by independent street corner entrepreneurs
>> instead
>> of through proprietary retailers.
>>
>> I suspect there would be strong market demand for OpenCola in no
>> time at
>> all, even with a $0 ad budget!
>>
>>
>>
>> I would more than be happy to travel down to Columbia to get spent
>> coca leaves like the what is used in Coca-cola. I am sure that there
>> are a few good people down there that would help me get them into the
>> country. As they are a perfectly legal product as they are already
>> giving up the extract that becomes columbia's finest.
>>
>
> First, Columbia is one of several cities in the U.S. Colombia is a
> country in South America. Second, I believe there is no longer any
> trace of coca leaf ingredients in Coca Cola. I believe the caffeine in
> Coca Cola is derived from other sources now. Could be wrong, but I
> just saw a program detailing the history of Coca Cola, and changes
> made over the years in the formula, particularly with regard to coca
> leaves.
>
> Paul
>
I'm pretty sure that there is no caffeine in the coca leaf, but there is
coca in Coca Cola according to this,
"According to popular belief, the coca leaf extract cocaine
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine> was once added to Coca-Cola, per
se. Because cocaine is naturally present in untreated coca leaves, small
amounts of cocaine were also present in the beverage. Today's Coca-Cola
uses "spent" coca leaves, those that have been through a cocaine
extraction process, to flavor the beverage. Since this process cannot
extract the cocaine alkaloids <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaloids>
at a molecular level, the drink still contains trace amounts of the
stimulant^[25] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_Cola#_note-20> . The
United States DEA
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_Enforcement_Administration> oversees
the importation of coca for Coca-Cola, and later sale of the extracted
cocaine to the drug industry
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_company>.^[26]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_Cola#_note-21>"" --
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca_Cola
I don't think that Roblimo was speaking of spent ones when he was
prophesying the success of the beverage. I hope that I'm not the only
one who caught the implied meaning there. On a funny side note, I'm
pretty sure that Coca Cola does not use spent coca leaves in countries
where the plant is not controlled. I'm pretty sure that the Coke I
drank in Peru had a little something special about it. There was not
enough substance there to give an appreciable effect in any case, but
the flavor was out-of-this-world! It just kind of makes me wonder if
they would even bother in a place where coca is the country's completely
legal major cash crop.
Food for thought. (or would that be beverage for thought...)
--Michael
-- "You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements." ~ Norman Douglas----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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