Natural Cola Flavor

I am cutting carbs wherever I can, and drinking them is absolutely not worth it. But, I also don't want to continue to feed my brain's addiction to "sweet", which means diet pop is also out. So, for a couple of years now, my "pop" has been fruit-flavored, unsweetened, 100% seltzer (such as Safeway Refreshe, Talking Rain, or LaCroix). Most people who still drink soda tell me they hate it (actually that's just sweetness addiction) but I've gotten to the point that it tastes totally normal to me. Anyway, I used to drink a lot of Coke, and sometimes I just miss that "cola" flavor. I've complained to my wife numerous times, "why doesn't someone make a pop that tastes like cola, but just isn't sweet?".Well, a bit of searching online and what do you know...you can do *exactly* that. I add somewhere around 1/4 teaspoon of this extract to a 12 oz can of my wife's plain, unflavored seltzer. And you know what? It is actually pretty darn good. I even got my wife started on it, and i've never once seen her drink a sweetened cola. Keep in mind that the flavor is milder than actual store-bought cola at this amount of flavoring, and it isn't sweet at all...but I really like it! (And I didn't try and bump up the dosage of extract since it was already getting used up fairly quickly). The flavor isn't really Coca Cola...I'd say closer to caffeine-free Pepsi/RC (alas) but to someone who hasn't had a cola in a couple of years it hits the spot. Since there's no caffeine in this stuff, it doesn't quite have that bitter edge that caffeinated colas have. I'm going to be doing some experimenting to see if I can add a bit of an "edge" to it by adding some Kola Nut extract...will report back here if that's a success.Bottom Line: if you've been missing cola and are trying to avoid sweetened drinks...I give this a strong recommendation. I got great service from All Star Extracts, and by the way, if you end up liking it, you can order bigger 4oz sizes directly from their website.Update 3/24/16: So, I *did* end up purchasing the Sunflower Botanicals Kola Nut Extract, All Natural, 2 Ounces, Dropper-Top Bottle (here on Amazon) and, yes, it does actually make a great complement to this product. Adding both together makes your cola taste more like "the Real Thing (R)" plus you get a bit of a kick from the natural stimulants in the kola nuts. Note that if I want a caffeine free version, I leave out the kola nut extract. FYI.Update 2/9/17: Still making the cola flavored seltzer. I noticed the other day that La Croix has come out with their own cola flavored seltzer, so figured I need to try it (even though it was $5.49 for EIGHT cans!!). The La Croix 'NiCola' flavor reminded me of about 45% vanilla, 35% chocolate soda, and maybe 20% cola. I really doesn't taste like cola at all, and I didn't love it. I was thankfully able to confirm that my 'homemade' cola was a lot better and actually tastes like cola. Plus, it is WAY cheaper than 69 cents a can!

I'm wondering what the positive review people were thinking. Then I realize that we all taste things differently. At any rate, to me this does not taste like cola at all. It has a note of pine or aromatic. I had my wife taste it and she felt the same. Not a cola substitute.It is also a very small amount (1 oz.) for the price if you were to use a teaspoon for every 12 oz.

The taste is good. It tastes similar to that of Zevia cola. Stir the flavor in before drinking it.

I think the seller did a great job imitating the flavor of cola using essential oils. I can taste citrus oils as well as nutmeg and perhaps something floral, and I think it's pretty darn close. I will admit that the first time I tried it in plain sparkling water it took me about half a glass to decide if I liked it, and now I really only use a drop or two per 16 oz. of plain sparkling water for just the hint of cola flavor that I prefer. I think if a person wanted to kick the cola habit this product with a little stevia would be a great way to do it.

I've been putting off writing this review because I have to include two other products along with this one. I also bought LorAnn Oils Cola, 1 Ounce, and Sweet Leaf Wisdom Stevia Cola Lq 2 oz. at the same time I bought this product. I didn't like any of them separately for making a cola drink. But when I combined all three I got the taste I wanted. This is as close as I've come to getting a drink flavor that I can use with my soda machine that simulates a real cola drink and has no carbs. I and my family are very happy with our new no carb cola drink. Also it lasts a long time. After I combined the three I put part of it in 2 dropper bottles and the rest in a small jar. When I want to make a bottle of soda with the soda machine, after I get the fizz, I add 3 to 4 squirts from one of the dropper bottles. If you make it this way you will figure out how much you need.

It's pretty good, and I can report the flavor has no negatives to it like no weird aftertaste, no bitterness, it's really easy to add to appropriate foods.It's even kinda tasty adding a drop to a can of commercially made cola..Does have a lot more cinnamon going on than what I think of in colas, but not in a bad way.

I'm not sure what other reviewers on this product think cola taste like, but I'm disappointed that I trusted their reviews. This has more of a cilantro/star anise flavor. Let's not forget rather than glycerin or alcohol as the carrier, it has xanathan gum and far too much of it, giving it the texture and consistency of thick snot or..... another male bodily fluid, especially in cold soda, which was what I purchased this product for. So this awful white gummy stuff is floating in my soda, I had to shake the soda water to get it to distribute. To sum things up don't make my mistake on this product I have to keep looking because I LOVE cola flavor but this just isn't it.

The description is mostly honest in how it is written, but there’s a line in it that contains the phrase “Cola Extract.” This suggests it has what it describes, but I believe the author is using it as a proper name, hence the capitalization. The bottle label also reads Natural Cola, but it becomes clear that this is a specific blends of other oils. The flavor leans towards cinnamon. It’s not similar enough to cola for me to purchase again, but I’ll use the rest in mixed drinks. A pleasant gastronomic surprise is that it makes my burps taste like cola a little. :)