At some point in their life, everybody develops a love of fizzy drinks (a fact that everyone here at Colorado's Best Drinks appreciates to no end). For some folks that love affair is brief, for others, it lasts a lifetime. But how much does the average person actually know about these omnipresent, refreshing, affordable beverages? We're willing to bet the answer is "not that much". So, in the spirit of enlightenment, we've have compiled the following list of ten things you (probably) didn’t know about soda.
1: The name "soda" comes from "sodium"
The name "soda" dates back to pre-artificial carbonation days when fizzy water was rare and found only in nature. That naturally carbonated water was typically high in sodium and so over time acquired the name "sodium water" which was modified to "soda water". When artificial carbonation techniques were invented the "soda" label stuck.
2: Commercially available soda was available only in pharmacies at first
When they first became commercially available carbonated beverages were sold exclusively in pharmacies. Why? Because the artificially carbonated beverages were linked, rightly or wrongly, to naturally sparkling water which had long been thought to provide health benefits. And since pharmacies are all about distributing medicines that provided health benefits...
3: You can use soda to remove rust
That’s right. If you’re out of rust remover you can reach into the fridge and use your favorite soft drink to remove the rust on the bumper of your classic car. That’s because most soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, which is also found in commercial cleaning products and is a known rust removal agent.
4: Humans purchase 6,700 aluminum soda cans every second
It is estimated that humans consume 180 billion cans of soda per year. Dig into the number a bit and you’ll discover that’s an unbelievable 6,700 cans of soda per second. What’s even more incredible is that a few of those are not Sparkling CBD Soda! Okay, even if more than a few are not our CBD beverages, the sheer numbers alone point to the need for effective recycling efforts. Something we wholeheartedly support.
5: Fanta and Volkswagen have something in common
Nothing against Fanta which is a fine brand, but what could that popular brand of soda and one of the world’s most popular car brands have in common? They were both created in Germany during the years prior to WWII. Volkswagen was the result of an initiative by Hitler to create a car for the German people (the common "volk"). While Fanta came about because trade embargos made it necessary for the Germans to come up with their own brand of soda.
6: Diet soda has pretty much disappeared
It wasn't that long ago that "diet soda" was everywhere. Today, you'd be hard-pressed to find a soda that uses the word "diet" in its name. Why? Because marketers have determined that young people today find the idea of dieting to be distasteful for various reasons. At the same time, many of them are health conscious and don't want to consume sugary drinks. As a result, diet drinks have been renamed "sugar free" drinks.
7: You’ll find some funky soda flavors if you travel a lot
While most of our CBD Soda flavors reflect the classics like cola and ginger ale, you will find some pretty unusual flavors if you spend a lot of time traveling. For instance, curry flavor soda is a hot item in Japan, bird's nest flavor soda is popular in Vietnam, tamarind flavor is all the rage in Mexico and even here in the US, you'll find gravy, turkey and pickle-flavored sodas.
8: The original name for root beer was root tea
When it was first brewed in the mid-19th century what we now call "root beer" was marketed as "root tea". The recipe called for sarsaparilla, sassafras bark and various herbs and it was promoted as a cure-all for what ailed you. Charles Hires (he of Hires Root Beer fame) changed the name in the 1870s in an effort to broaden its appeal. It worked, and not long afterward the name root tea faded from the spotlight.
9: Artificially carbonated water was invented in 1767
We tend to think of carbonated drinks as being a fairly recent invention, when in fact the process of artificially carbonating water dates back to 1767. It was then that Joseph Priestley discovered that by placing a bowl of water over fermenting beer and feeding the so-called "fixed air" that was a natural byproduct of fermentation back and forth through the suspended water, it would take on the fizzy character of fizzy spring water.
10: Glass blowing machines improved soda's early popularity
Early soft drink pioneers had a problem: how to distribute their product? Some used heavy, unattractive tin cans, while others confined distribution to pharmacy soda fountains. It wasn’t until Michael Owens invented the automatic glass blowing machine in 1899 that soft drink manufacturers had a dependable, affordable method of getting their product on store shelves. While we at Colorado's Best Drinks use aluminum cans these days we acknowledge our industry’s debt to the ingenuity of Mr Owens.
The Bottom Line
Well, there you have it. We hope you found some or all of the above items illuminating and don’t forget to order plenty of CBD Beverages for the upcoming holidays.