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A taste of Brazil: How guaraná soda became a national icon
- dtagames 4y agoAlthough this article doesn't say so, Antártica is the most popular brand and a pretty terrific soda. Think ginger ale with a kick. You can find it in many Latin grocery sections in CA, FL, and TX.
- hcrisp 4y agoI love Guaraná and agree that Antarctica is the superior brand! Wikipedia describes the taste as "mild and slightly apple-like, with a berry after-flavour" [0] but I agree it is more like ginger ale or like spiced ginger beer. It is pronounced "gua-da-NAH". It is also called "Brazilian champagne" [1], has as much caffeine as Coke, but much less sugar even though it tastes as sweet due to the Guaraná taste. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%A1_Antarctica https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%A1_Antarctica [1] https://sodapopcraft.com/what-is-guarana-soda/ https://sodapopcraft.com/what-is-guarana-soda/
- doodlesdev 4y agoAFAIK Guaraná Antártica doesn't have much caffeine at all, that's one of the reasons I like it more (can drink it at night). It might not even have caffeine at all, although I can't find that information anywhere.
- blacksmith_tb 4y agoI would think that must mean it doesn't contain much Guaraná either, since it has twice as much caffeine as coffee[1]? 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarana
- doodlesdev 4y agoThat's actually certainly possible, most of it is probably water and sugar lol. Although I haven't managed to actually find the amount of caffeine online, when I get another one I'll see if that information is available in the drink. Anecdotal [0]: The federal government has attempted in the 40s to require that Guaraná sodas had at least 0.5% of it's contents in Guaraná seeds, however even that was already too much caffeine so it didn't happen! edit: Found a source for this, Guarana Antarticá has around 1/10 of the caffeine in Coca-Cola [1]. [0]: https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%A1_Antarctica https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%A1_Antarctica (in portuguese, try translating with DeepL or Google Translate) [1]: https://www.mundoboaforma.com.br/lista-de-20-alimentos-que-contem-cafeina/ https://www.mundoboaforma.com.br/lista-de-20-alimentos-que-c... (in portuguese, try translating with DeepL or Google Translate)
- hcrisp 4y agoSeveral sites I found list Guaraná Antarctica as having 30 mg of caffeine vs Coke's 34 mg [0]. It is also similar in sugar content contrary to what I initially found. [0] https://sodapopcraft.com/what-is-guarana-soda/ https://sodapopcraft.com/what-is-guarana-soda/
- maleldil 4y agoThat doesn't match with my personal experience comparing the effects of Guaraná Antarctica and other sodas (eg Coke). Also, websites in Portuguese [1] claim that Guaraná contains only 2-4 mg of caffeine per 350ml. I wasn't able to find an official source. [1] https://www.mundoboaforma.com.br/lista-de-20-alimentos-que-contem-cafeina/ https://www.mundoboaforma.com.br/lista-de-20-alimentos-que-c...
- worewood 4y agoThere is a "zero" variety now that has no sugar and IMO is tastier than the original, just like Coke zero
- tmm84 4y agoHere in Japan I mainly see Antártica for sale. Only at a Brazilian specialty store did I find a different brand of it. Now, I gotta try them all.
- barathr 4y agoAnother interesting thing about Guarana is that it's a relative of Lychee, Rambutan, Longan, Quenepa, etc. -- you can see it by the fruit and the black seed in the middle. And many seeds in this family can be used to produce a soap, though some are better than others.
- whyenot 4y agoYes, they are all in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae). One has to be a little careful, though, because many of the seeds of plants in this family contain bioactive compounds that can be quite poisonous. For example, in ackee. By the way, maple (Acer species) have also now been moved into this family based on genetic evidence.
- choletentent 4y agoAntártica is not the best, Fruki is IMO the best one. David Beckham was one photographed taking one home (not payed publicity).
- rafabulsing 4y agoFruki is pretty good, roughly as good as Antártica imo (though I'd give Antártica a slight edge still). But it's only found in Southern Brazil, while Antártica is available nationwide, so the latter is much more popular. The one regional soda I'd like to see become more popular is Mineirinho, which I've only ever seen sold in Rio de Janeiro (the state). It's such a peculiar/interesting taste, have not had it in years now. Rio also has a regional guaraná called Guaravita, but it's not really a soda as it's not carbonated. It's more like a juice (and it's marketed as "natural guaraná"). It's pretty good too! Damn, this conversation made me thirsty lol
- forinti 4y agoI've almost given up on soda for the last 12 years. The funny thing is that my taste has shifted and all the colas have become nasty, but Guaraná I still enjoy.
- celim307 4y agoWho remembers Bawls soda
- srgpqt 4y agoBawls is still sold today, but hard to find. They have an online store too, if you can stomach the shipping costs…
- brailsafe 4y agoFairly sure MemoryExpress in Canada sells it.
- colechristensen 4y agoMy local microcenter stocks it.
- systems_glitch 4y agoIndeed, ordered a 12-pack last month! You can buy it through Amazon too, IIRC I got free shipping on the order.
- simianpirate 4y agoHow about Josta? It was my absolute favorite as a teenager.
- codetrotter 4y agoI remember a friend of mine from the University brought me along to one of the LAN parties in his home town. And one of the things he told me to look forward to was that they sold Bawls Guaraná at the party. He was right, they did and it was the first time I’d tasted it. I liked it. They were blue bottles of glass, with kind of a bumpy texture of a surface. Looks like these bottles look about the same, or even exactly the same, still, judging from results on Google Images.
- fein 4y agoI first heard of it from watching PurePwnage, then it became a hipster soda in my town a few years later. 05/06 was an interesting time. I think I've had it once or twice, but nothing memorable. The real tragedy is that I haven't been able to find Stewarts Key Lime locally in the better part of a decade.
- doodlesdev 4y agoI must say every time I leave Brazil, even though I don't really enjoy the country that much, I REALLY miss Guaraná LOL. It's so much better than any other soda, specially in the US where Coke has something like 5 tons of sugar per milliliter. I often wonder why the national companies haven't managed to widely export these or produce them elsewhere, I think a lot of people would really enjoy it. Meanwhile Coca-Cola has made their own version of Guaraná called Kuat [0], but it's mehh at best, I seriously hope it doesn't mess with outsider's perception of the drink. They then created yet _another_ soft drink with Guaraná under the Fanta brand [1], that one is better IMO but a lot of people don't like it too. Wonder what's so different between those recipes. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuat_(drink) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuat_(drink) [1]: https://the-soda.fandom.com/wiki/Fanta_Guarana https://the-soda.fandom.com/wiki/Fanta_Guarana
- s5300 4y agoDo you have any experience with BAWLS (guarana) & how it compares to what you get in Brazil?
- doodlesdev 4y agoUnfortunately never tasted it, seems like it's also pretty hard to find nowadays. Next time I hop in the US I might take the plunge and order it from their online store LOL. Something I do know is that Guaraná soft drinks generally have really low caffeine amounts (they have less than 0.5% of the composition as actual Guaraná extract), meanwhile Brawl is highly caffeinated, not sure if added or just a higher concentration of Guaraná.
- gota 4y agoCoca-cola has acquired one of the most prominent regional variations (as mentioned below by tambourine_man) - Guaraná Jesus It's pink, tastes like bubblegum and sweeter than other Guaraná sodas I've tasted https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%A1_Jesus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%A1_Jesus Edit: the can depicted in the Wikipedia picture is not the design I like and am familiar with: https://www.sucos.com/artikel/guarana-jesus/ https://www.sucos.com/artikel/guarana-jesus/
- tambourine_man 4y agoThere are hundreds of Guaraná and chapéu-de-couro sodas from tiny brands all over Brazil. It’s part of the touristic attraction of many small towns to taste a local guaraná soda.
- virgulino 4y agoVery true. It is also part of our local identity. I get nostalgic just remembering our local Guaraná Pureza, which I haven't enjoyed in decades. http://flavorsofbrazil.blogspot.com/2010/10/guarana-pureza-micro-brewed-soft-drink.html http://flavorsofbrazil.blogspot.com/2010/10/guarana-pureza-m...
- tambourine_man 4y agohttps://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61mjg8Er2+L._AC_SX466_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61mjg8Er2+L._AC_SX466_.j...
- karmicthreat 4y agoIf only I could have my Josta back!
- conroydave 4y agoCtrl+F, Yerba Mate, zero results. I'm ashamed of you all HN!
- miffel 4y agoMaybe because Yerba Mate is more of a Taste of Paraguay? :)
- freitasm 4y agoIt's very common in the southern states (Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul).
- virgulino 4y agoWhere the ingredient is called Erva-Mate, and the drink is called Chimarrão. https://youtu.be/unZL_HwMLIg https://youtu.be/unZL_HwMLIg
- petronio 4y agoInterestingly I've never heard chimarrão here in Paraná, here it's either chá mate (can be hot or cold) or tereré (cold), so it might be a RS & SC thing.
- vitorgrs 4y agoWhat? Where you from? I'm from Paraná, and we know Chimarrão... Even other states know Chimarrão, though they don't drink.
- forinti 4y agoParaguay and also Uruguay, Argentina, Southern Brazil and anywhere where gauchos have moved. Interesting fact: Uruguay is a heavy consumer of Mate, but doesn't produce any.
- malshe 4y agoGuarana Antartica is very popular in our family. The best part is that they have a diet version and it’s no different than the regular. If anyone wants to try it, there are plenty of sellers on Amazon (no pun intended) https://www.amazon.com/Guarana-Antarctica-Guaraná-Flavoured-Rainforest/dp/B0083TLAEK/ https://www.amazon.com/Guarana-Antarctica-Guaraná-Flavoured-...
- lb1lf 4y agoI believe Antarctica are also behind the Amargo (bitter) tonic-like soft drink - a favourite whenever I am in Brazil (along with Guarana, of course!)
- neilv 4y agoIf anyone in the US wants to try it, I used to find it at Brazilian-owned ethnic markets. Beware that it can have a lot of caffeine. (Personally, I now minimize caffeine intake, for health reasons.) If you want caffeine, hopefully you can get an accurate ballpark of how much a particular soda will contain, and work it into your intake budget.
- Natsu 4y agoYou can just get it on Amazon, too.
- cnity 4y agoWhat were the health reasons, if you don't mind me asking?
- kayodelycaon 4y agoNot OP. For me, caffeine causes panic attacks. Even decaf coffee/tea causes increased anxiety.
- neilv 4y agoAmong other things, caffeine for me (even the amount in a decaf) seems to overall adversely affect sleep, mood, and GI. It can also be bad for some inner ear conditions. I'm fortunate to be energetic and enthusiastic by default, and don't need to be caffeine-powered on top of that. The whole coffee aesthetic experience is neat (including nursing one in a cafe, a warm mug cupped hands on a lazy weekend morning, or the image of carrying one as walking to the office on a crisp morning with purpose), but I can find other experiences, and the cravings for the taste of it subside within a couple months of quitting.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- vegardx 4y agoGuaraná Antarctica is my all time favorite soft drink. I've stopped drinking soft drinks more or less entirely, but I still allow myself a can of Guaraná Antarctica every now and then. Luckily it's very hard to come by, and at $3-4 per can, prohibitively expensive to buy in any quantity.
- nwatson 4y agoIn North Carolina I've found Guaraná Antarctica much cheaper at grocery stores like Compare Foods (carries Latin American products, even cashew-fruit concentrate (Marañon in Spanish, not Cajú), another great Brazilian beverage).
- fellowniusmonk 4y agoI just wish we could get Baré in the U.S., definitely my favorite guaraná, a lot of great stuff doesn't make it out of Northern Brasil.
- DebtDeflation 4y agoYou can buy guarana syrup for around $8 for 900ml on Amazon and make your own soda. I personally use it for homemade acai bowls.
- fmeyer 4y agoI used to drink guaraná powder mixed with mate tee to keep up with my working and study schedule when I was at uni.
- maleldil 4y agoInterestingly enough, the guaraná soda doesn't contain a lot of caffeine: just 2mg per 350ml can.
- rodrigodlu 4y agoYou can buy the dehydrated seed here in Brazil in drugstores, specially the smaller stores. Some truckers use it all the time, under the tongue, to avoid controlled meds as well. I'll try to mix with my mate, never tried. :)
- maleldil 4y agoI used to buy it in powder form in a drugstore near uni. It didn't dissolve well in water, in my experience, but was quite effective.
- leke 4y agoI found this drink in my local supermarket in Finland and decided to try it. It was amazing, but after a little research I realised that it probably had way too much caffeine which as a coffee drinker, I should have less of. As someone who has integrated into Finnish culture, nothing was going to replace my coffee, so I stopped drinking it.
- glanzwulf 4y agoIf I'm not mistaken it has less caffeine than Coke or Pepsi. But I haven't had it in a couple of years, not a big fan personally. edit: ok so it seems that is the case for the brand (guarana antarctica) I know of (and the only one I saw sold/advertised where I come from)
- lsferreira42 4y agoGuaraná with ice and a slice of orange is one of my favorite drinks of all time And when it's on the weekend, you can also put a little bit of vodka