Spezi

A couple of years ago I reviewed Mezzo Mix and Schwip Schwap, two German cola and orange soft drinks. I also remarked at how the orange and cola combo were unusually popular in Germany but not much of a think elsewhere. Recently, I encountered yet another German orange and cola soda in Spezi. The Riegele Brewery in Augsburg, Germany created the Spezi name in 1956 and it was originally the name of a beer. Many American breweries got involved in bottling soft drinks during the prohibition era, but Germany never had such a period. Although Riegele owned the Spezi name they did not enter the soft drink market until many years later when they discovered that pubs were making cola and orange soda drinks mixed to order. Because this was inefficient for bartenders Riegele decided to bottle pre-mixed cola and orange sodas with the Spezi name. Spezi ColaOrange grew in popularity as the so-called "original" orange cola. But soon demand outpaced supply and Riegele spun off Spezi into a separate company in the 1970's and licensed the bottling rights to local breweries all over.

It's an attractive looking bottle at just a quarter-liter, or about 8.5 ounces. The pleasant orange aroma is not unlike the other orange cola sodas tested previously. Carbonation levels are light. I find this flavor a pretty even mix between the orange and cola, however I think the orange tastes more like orange juice than an orange soda which is interesting. It also doesn't leave much of an aftertaste. All in all its not unpleasant but not surprisingly great either. It's a fresh option and I'd recommend giving it a taste if you are lucky enough to come across it on your journeys.