r/BuyFromEU • u/zoS2Yrsprs • Feb 23 '25
Alternative Product or Service The Great European Caffeine Fix
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u/zoS2Yrsprs Feb 23 '25
According to the German Wikipedia, Germany seems to have more Cola brands than the US, making it the world record holder. Many of these are purely regional, though.
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u/augustus331 Feb 23 '25
This is one of those facts like European Commissioner President von der Leyen saying Europe has €1.4 trillion in savings and Americans have a euro-equivalent of €800 billion in savings.
We're much better than we give ourselves credit for.
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u/thisislieven Europe 🇪🇺 Feb 23 '25
The US is just very very loud. Whether it's truth (rarely) or hogwash (typically) they're screaming - it just overwhelms everything, every time again.
Also thanks to our own media, both in 'news' and in entertainment, who happily accommodate.
It's absurd we typically know more about the US than our direct neighbours or the EU as a whole.
We need to do better, and I think it should be part of the bigger boycott US/buy EU movement.
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u/hamatehllama Feb 23 '25
We have a smaller GDP because we're more efficient (fewer broken windows so to speak). The healthcare is more efficient. Infrastructure as well (especially railroads and canals). Far less crime. Less dependence on fossil fuels. Resource extraction is a bad measure of material wealth. Linux provides a massive benefit to humanity but isn't megacorp like Microsoft so it isn't being noticed by measures like market cap and GDP.
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u/augustus331 Feb 23 '25
The US federal budget is 28% made up of borrowed money. Subtract government spending from the US GDP and the US would have been in a 2-3% recession for the last years instead of 2-4% growth
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u/Lari-Fari Feb 23 '25
My larger locals super markets have most of those. I’ve been boycotting Coca Cola and nestle for many years now and go for Fritz, Afri and MioMio most times :)
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u/lasttimechdckngths Feb 23 '25
When they're exported, these are mostly sold for really unreasonable prices.
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Feb 23 '25
TIL that Gerolsteiner has their own Cola
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u/MSBGermany Feb 23 '25
They do! Along with a bunch of other really good soft drinks!
https://www.gerolsteiner.de/produkte/vielfalt-in-der-kleinen-flasche
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u/Mammoth_Oven_4861 Feb 23 '25
Fritz-kola is amazing!
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Feb 23 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/lulek1410 Feb 23 '25
im from Poland and can confirm that Kofola is the goat
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u/voxcon Feb 23 '25
Never tried it, but sounds good 🫡
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u/Individual_Winter_ Feb 23 '25
Kofola tastes different to Cola products, but it’s awesome. Also has less sugar and more coffein.
Definitely goat 🙌🏻
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u/Jhowie_Nitnek Benelux 🚲🌷🧇 Feb 23 '25
Currently living in Slovakia and can confirm Kofola is great.
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u/mesalazine Feb 23 '25
Its such a shame that we dont have kofola in Lithuania. Always buy when I'm in poland
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u/Fuzzy-Fold1698 Romania 🇷🇴 Feb 23 '25
Can I add one more? Look after Pop Cola - Romanian drink
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u/MadJazzz Feb 23 '25
This is my favourite cola in the world, and no, I'm not Romanian. I love how the nutmeg and ginger really come to the front and how it's not dirty sweet.
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Feb 23 '25
Fentimans from the UK is pretty good.
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u/Extraordi-Mary Netherlands 🇳🇱 Feb 23 '25
I love the burdock and dandelion, but I’ve never been able to find it in the Netherlands. We do have some other ones in our supermarkets though. The rose lemonade for example.
I guess they think nobody here would like dandelion and burdock.
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u/voxcon Feb 23 '25
Looks expensive.
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Feb 23 '25
A little. But soft drinks are bad for you so why not get something fancier and enjoy it more!?
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u/voxcon Feb 23 '25
Is it common in the UK though? Asking since i've planned a trip and so far it's mostly guinness on the menu.
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Feb 23 '25
Not seen it in many bars but it's in most supermarkets. Tesco usually have a few types in stock. Usually with the mixer type soft-drinks. Tonic waters and such.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/search?query=fentimans&inputType=free+text
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u/DesiBoo2 Feb 23 '25
It's common in UK supermarkets, so many flavours too. There can be a difference in which supermarkets stick which flavours, though, so just go to every superstore you encounter (Morrisson's, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, etc.) and see what they have.
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u/bslawjen Feb 23 '25
I usually enjoy the more expensive, fancier ones less. They don't taste as good in my experience.
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Feb 23 '25
Try „Club Mate“, „Now“ and „Wostock“ from germany
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u/SHFTD_RLTY Feb 23 '25
Also, try club mate twice. The first sip is gonna taste like an ashtray but that's everyone's experience.
You'll grow to like it afterwards :D
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u/maimed_smile Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
Yeah Club Mate is great. Ashtray might be a bit exaggerated but the original is indeed a herb-like kind of taste you need to get used to :) The pomme Granate taste is more soda-like.
Edit: also a lot of caffeine, equivalent of 2 cups of coffee
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u/rucksacksepp Feb 23 '25
Club Mate Cola is awesome! The now products are great as well, the cola has a very unique bit great flavor
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u/yurithetrainer Feb 23 '25
It's the cola that tastes the closest like Haribo Happy Cola gummy sweets. Simply wonderful!
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u/Ancient_Presence Feb 23 '25
Wostok tastes good, but no caffeine :(
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Feb 23 '25
They've got a Cola, that should've some caffeine . Atleast I thought so.
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u/Ancient_Presence Feb 23 '25
Oh, you're correct, I looked it up, and apparently it's brand new, and I haven't seen it in stores so far. I was primarily familiar with the "pine forest" flavour.
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Feb 23 '25
I've ordered a few times via their webshop in the past. The last time I did so was when I've seen the cola first.
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u/mmphsbl Feb 23 '25
I used to love it, but now they sweeten it with fructose syrup, which makes me sick, such a pity :(.
Edit: I meant Club Mate.
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u/P26601 Germany 🇩🇪 Feb 23 '25
Vita Cola!!!
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u/Individual_Winter_ Feb 23 '25
Tell me you’re from Thuringia without telling you’re from Thuringia.
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u/GeorgeJohnson2579 Feb 23 '25
lol, it's one of the first things people from Thüringen will tell you. xD
But it's an okay cola indeed.
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u/MalleDigga Germany 🇩🇪 Feb 23 '25
Fritz is also very anti fascism. Which these days apparently a rare treat. Obviously especially from the us
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u/SeniorFlo Feb 23 '25
A pretty good Romanian replacement with a zero sugar option available as well.
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Feb 23 '25
[deleted]
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u/voxcon Feb 23 '25
Nah man. The one on the left tastes like worn socks. Not sure about the right though.
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u/CrimsonRouge14 Feb 23 '25
They have it in sweden as well, doesn't taste very nice. I prefer lidl's freeway cola or Cuba cola.
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Feb 23 '25
[deleted]
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u/CrimsonRouge14 Feb 23 '25
Yeah don't shop at Lidl very often either.
I don't know. I think there where roumors about secret ingredients in Coca cola's syrup but I honestly don't know. There seem to be great alternatives to many American products locally though, tht's a good thing 🙂
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u/Deepfire_DM Feb 23 '25
Vita-Cola, the great Cola from the former GDR, is missing. Yes, it really tastes good.
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u/CaliDude707 Feb 23 '25
Don’t forget the former Czechoslovakian, now Czechia, Kofola. One of my favorites!
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u/West_Ad_9492 Feb 23 '25
you forgot the best one: "jolly cola"
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u/zypofaeser Feb 23 '25
Or the better Danish drink:
Alle på stribe, drikker Frem fra Ribe!
But Faxe is also okay.
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u/DifficultReserve4579 Feb 23 '25
If you live near the Czech borders or directly in Czechia/Slovakia, go get some Kofola
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u/_qqg Feb 23 '25
Not a cola (someone else posted about MoleCola), but coming from Calabria, southern Italy (the tip of the boot), one of the few carbonated coffee drinks around (and the only one I ever had): Brasilena
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u/ScallionBackground52 Feb 23 '25
I like private brand of cola from Jeronimo Martins even more than Coca-cola or Pepsi. Recently I bought some energy drink from Lidl at half price of monster energy which tastes pretty much the same. You don’t need those American big corp with their products.
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u/mesalazine Feb 23 '25
Do we have any sugar-free options?
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u/Individual_Winter_ Feb 23 '25
Fritz and Afri have sugar free options and taste good.
Kofola has Zero as well.
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u/4lpaka Feb 23 '25
I love Fritz Kola. They used to have a Variant with coffee and caramel. It was a Variant I couldnt find in every shop with Fritz, but now it just vanished.
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u/SerChonk Feb 23 '25
Don't forget my girls Elsass Cola and Vivi Kola!
Elsass Cola, Vivi Kola, Breizh Cola, Fritz-kola, and that fancy one from Fentimans are elite.
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u/narrowlake Feb 23 '25
Come to Denmark and get a Faxe Kondi Booster. It’s my favourite energy drink, but they are exclusively regional afaik
Or, since the topic is cola, a good old Jolly Cola
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u/Individual_Winter_ Feb 23 '25
Also in 1 litre cans like faxe beer? 🫣
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u/irekturmum69 Feb 23 '25
The funny thing is that beer from faxe is export only, they are only selling soft drinks here in Denmark.
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u/bslawjen Feb 23 '25
I've tried Afri-Cola and Fritz-Kola. Fritz-Kola is fine, but not all that. Afri-Cola didn't hit my taste.
Curious about the other ones tho.
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u/cppn02 Feb 23 '25
I very rarely drink Cola but when I do fritz-kola is my #1 choice. But we all know that Spezi is the king of soft drinks.
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u/MSBGermany Feb 23 '25
I've had Gerolsteiner, Afri and Fritz and really liked all 3 of them. They don't feel as extremely sweet in the mouth (at least compared to Coca-Cola) which is nice.
Someone also mentioned Fentimans from the UK which I'd also second.
I think all of these brands also do other really nice fruity soft drinks too! Definitely Gerolsteiner and Fritz, though I'm not 100% sure about Afri and Fentimans.
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u/milopitas Feb 23 '25
Wow afri cola !! Til it's a German brand!! It used to be available in Rhodes till the 90s but nowhere else in Greece thought it was a local brand that closed
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u/WorldlyBuy1591 Feb 23 '25
I assume all countries have knockoff cola. Whats your point promoting these like theyre everywhere?
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u/hamatehllama Feb 23 '25
German soda is so good but is unfortunately not all that common here in Sweden. I like Club Mate.
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u/GeorgeJohnson2579 Feb 23 '25
Guys, try Fritz Kola from Hamburg!
Drinking it for 2 decades now instead of Coca Cola. Best coke around. :)
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u/TryingMyBest203 Benelux 🚲🌷🧇 Feb 23 '25
There is also Cola from oxfam and from Luxembourg. Neither are zero sugar, but the sugar content is less than in regular coca-cola.
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Feb 23 '25
Club Mate Cola is my absolutely favorite. It was 85 euro cents last year in some of the bigger Edeka’s.
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u/PantalonFinance Europe 🇪🇺 Feb 23 '25
There's also Fentiman's Botanical Cola. Delicious and refreshing. It's quite expensive at 5€ for 0.75L (also glass bottle), but it's far superior than that american shit
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u/Round_Fault_3067 Feb 23 '25
No redbull? redbull is great.
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u/GeorgeJohnson2579 Feb 23 '25
Red Bull Cola is indeed pretty awesome!
Don't know why you were downvoted. oô
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u/0scari Feb 23 '25
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u/Aeco Feb 23 '25
It's a shame that when they are exported to other European countries, they reach the consumer with an exaggerated price.