China is well known for its counterfeit products and you can find a Chinese knock off for just
about anything! From toothpaste to handbags and electronics, to simpler things like food
and drinks. Some of the knock-offs are really good while some of them are quite funny. China
creates so many faux products because everything is already "made in China"! They have easy
access to manufacturing anything they desire with a fast turn around. It’s time to quench
your thirst and take a look at the top 10 Chinese knock-off sodas.
Dr. Anything But Pepper
The former CEO and president of the Dr. Pepper/7-Up
Company once said that they always maintained you cannot tell anyone what Dr. Pepper tastes
like because it’s so different. It’s not an apple, it’s not an orange, it’s not
a strawberry, it’s not a root beer, it’s not even a cola. It’s a different kind of
drink with a unique taste all its own. Yet there are many imitators of the unique Dr.
Pepper taste, and all have sought to replicate not just the soda’s flavor, but also it's
branding. If you are in China looking for a can of Dr. Pepper you're probably going
to find Dr. Bob and every other name you could think of before you get to the Pepper. Here's
a list for Dr. Pepper you can find in China: Dr. Bob, Dr. Thunder, Dr. Skipper, Dr. Fine
Soda, Dr. Perky, Dr. Snap, Dr. Perfect, Dr. Becker, Dr. Bold, and Dr. Right. Which of
these doctors would you trust? The prices of these knock-off drinks are practically
the same as the real ones although most are slightly cheaper. Yet most people who buy
them just want the cheaper option or do not pay attention to the imitation’s differences,
while others prefer them and find them perfectly drinkable! Dr. Pepper has always claimed it
was a blend of 23 unique flavors. Who would have thought that there would be more fake
Dr. Pepper products than the actual number of flavors used to create the original. With
at least 24 Chinese variations of Dr. Pepper to choose from, would you go for the counterfeit
or pay the price for the original?
Mountain Shoutin'
Seem familiar? Similar to Mountain Dew in
look and taste but the name rhymes a little better, Mountain Shoutin'. Originally Mountain
Dew but in China, there are at least 8 different versions of this soda. You have anything from
Wild Mountain to Mountain Frost to choose from! Here’s a "quick" list of Mountain
Dew knock-offs: Mountain Lightning, Mountain W, Mountain Rapids, Mountain FROST, Mountain
Shoutin’, Mountain Explosion, Mountain Lion, and Wild Mountain. Just hearing this list
feels like the workout of climbing a mountain! The good news with all these knock-off mountain
dews is you don't really need to stress about proceeding with caution as much as you would
with alcohol in China. It’s also very common to find fake alcohol that can make one very
ill. Usually, it's wine, certain beer brands like Budweiser and Corona, or spirits like
Whiskey. Approximately 30% of China's alcohol is fake, so before you pick up a Mountain
Shoutin' to use as a mixer be wary of the alcohol! And if you are using some fake Mountain
Dew as a mixer, the bigger question to ask is why?
The New Sprite is Flite
Flite is another perfect copycat soda with the same look and taste of the original, Sprite.
China makes up to about 63% if not more of the world's counterfeit items. China’s
trademark law regulates patent registration and there is a legal "loophole" that allows
food and drink companies to continue using their branding of choice during the application
process until a final decision is made. As a result, some of the producers use similar
trademarks and sell their products during the application process where others find
other loopholes or just keep doing it until they get caught. So before Flite got registered
they could have been the false sprite, and the recipe for the soda could be almost identical.
The copycat drinks that are sold in the Chinese market technically all have the required manufacturing
license, while some also have registered trademarks. If you can have 7 Up, Sprite and other clear
sodas that taste rather similar, what’s wrong with another one such as Flite? Though,
I don’t think we will be seeing this any time soon in the North American market.
Future Cola
The Cola of the Future? Probably not but it's another breed of Cola so to speak and from
a popular company called Wahaha. The Future Cola tastes like a cross between Coca-Cola
and Pepsi yet has a red and white label that strongly resembles the Coca-Cola Company’s
world-famous one. Coincidence? We think not! Wahaha's company goal is to have Future Cola
sit on the same shelves as it's original competitors Coca-Cola and Pepsi and sell for roughly the
same price. To put into perspective the push Wahaha is making to accomplish this goal,
in 2003 Wahaha’s total beverage production was 3.75 million tons. This production amount
exceeded that of Coca-Cola's production in China! N ow that's a lot of colas! It’s
extremely popular to drink Coca-Cola and is a favorite drink for the Chinese. They love
Coca-Cola and any variation of it, you can typically see people walking down the street
with a cola from 7/11 in their hand or ordering one at a restaurant.
China Cola, Another Cola
Then there's another breed of cola called China Cola. This one is actually a licensed
product from a Chinese company and it’s distributed by Reed’s. For those who like
to drink Cola, then this China Cola could be a healthy alternative to drinking the regular
Coca-Cola because it has no preservatives, it's caffeine free, and not so sugary and
sweet. The reason why it’s called "China Cola" is because it’s made with Chinese
herbs! It smells just like the regular cola you see in the supermarket and looks almost
the same but a few minor differentiators. The color is a little bit darker and as for
the texture, there’s a lot less carbonation in the beverage. The cola is refreshing and
bubbly nonetheless and after a few sips, you will notice that it isn't as sweet as the
regular ones that you see on the shelves. Reviews say the sweetness in the cola tastes
almost like it's fake but that's probably because of the Chinese herbs confusing the
palate. The sweet taste does not stay long in the mouth due to the effect of using raw
cane sugar as the sweetening ingredient. Some even say it's one of the best cola-like beverages
that are out there on the market.
Hey Song Sarsparilla
Perhaps this is the truest "root beer" you can find in China. From the label to the taste
as well! Instead of a root beer knock off, you might as well go for the one that's coming
from the actual root used in root beer, right? Hey Song Sarsaparilla is a popular Chinese
drink that can be found in supermarkets and convenience stores but it seems to have a
better reputation with the Westerners than it does amongst the Chinese! Sarsaparilla
is actually considered an equivalent to Root Beer but it has a somewhat medicinal taste.
With mixed reviews, there are some that love it, some say it tastes like a black cherry
root beer, and then there are some who hate the drink. The Chinese don't like this root
beer soda and find it hard to swallow because it reminds them of a mosquito repellent called
fengyoujing. I mean would you want to drink something that smells like Johnson's OFF mosquito
repellent? Yikes! But for a Westerner that has never used fengyoujing, sarsparilla is
as nice and tasty as regular root beer, but described to be not as strong and with less
of a licorice taste. Sarsaparilla is very common in Asia and a popular flavor you
can find in drinks across other Asian countries, not just China.
Diet Water
Looking for the diet soda? Well, instead you can find diet water. As if water has calories,
sugar or fat to be taken out of it to make it a diet product. Get slim with the "diet
water" in China? Of course. Coca-Cola, Sprite or Pepsi will have a diet version loaded with
artificial ingredients but what do they do with water to make it diet? Our guess is it's
a marketing tactic to get people to buy the new "diet water". Perhaps this is clever considering
the water scams in China. The police have previously uncovered a scam in which plastic
bottles are filled with tap water or poorly treated water and then sealed with quality
standard seals to make it seem as though the water was good quality as well. The bottles
have been shown to have traces of E. coli and fungi. More than 100 million bottles of this
falsified water are sold every year! The bottled water scam is not a new thing in China and
has been going on since at least 2002. Water companies are constantly trying to build trust
with their consumers. So, maybe diet water is purified water and doesn't contain fungi?
Maybe that's what makes it diet.
Arctic Ocean Orange Soda
There's a Fanta wannabe on the shelves in China and it's called the Arctic Ocean Orange
Soda. As the Spice Girls would say, if you wanna be my lover you gotta get with my friends...
and so this drink made friends with Pepsi and that's how it made its way around China
with a good reputation. It is a refreshing, naturally flavored orange soda that looks
just like Fanta. In the 1990s the Arctic Ocean Orange soda was bought out by Pepsi.
Even before the orange soda was bought out by the giant company, it had become the orange
soda for many consumers in China. You can find it at almost any shop for about 3 RMB.
Its polar bear logo on glass bottles was very iconic. Perhaps it reminds you of another
glass bottle that uses polar bears as their symbol? Coca-Cola. Since Fanta is a Coca-Cola
product it almost seems as though they took the Coca-Cola bottles and mascot, combined
it with a Fanta like soda and created the Arctic Ocean Orange soda. Sounds like a perfect
blend of things we love.
Gewasi Fermented Bread Drink
The kombucha of China! Gewasi Fermented Bread Drink is a carbonated fermented beverage that's
quite weird! Whereas kombucha is a fermented tea drink, of increasing popularity in North
America, China decided to take a different route - instead of a fermented tea, it's even
better... bread! This drink is based on the classic Russian beverage, Kvass. Imagine the
drink as a combination of bread and a bubbly drink merging into one. Instead of taking
a bite of the loaf, you taste it in liquid form after infusing the flavors of bread into
a sweet, carbonated drink. If you’re a bread lover and gut health conscious this might
just be the drink for you, and it is a commonly seen drink throughout China. It smells like
bread and tastes like bread! No need for baking bread to get that comforting aroma throughout
your home - just crack open a bottle of Gewasi Fermented Bread drink instead (it's much easier
right?). Some say this drink tastes amazing and is a favorite but others find it very
strange to drink a bread-like tasting carbonated sweet soda. It definitely sounds worth a
try.
Watson's Ginger Ale
Watson's brand is the largest health care and beauty care chain store in Asia. It’s
very popular in China and you can find this chain store in many shopping malls! The Watson's
brand has many products of their own and has even gone as far as creating a common soda
that's popularly used to aid with nausea, used as a mixer for drinks or just enjoyed
on its own! The ingredients list they use is similar to well-known brands like Schweppes.
Watson's brand ingredients are water, white sugar, food additive, carbon dioxide, citric
acid, edible essence, sodium benzoate, and caramel color. Schweppes in comparison uses
carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, flavorings, caramel color, and sodium citrate. Watson's
has also mimicked making other sodas like tonic water. The copycat sodas many times
use the same ingredient list as the originals just change up the name and logo. Relatively
similar in taste, ingredients, and names, but with a small difference in price - if
you had to choose would it be the original soda or the counterfeit one? Some of them
are so good you can easily make the mistake to grab the knockoff, whereas for others it
would be a conscious choice. Then, of course, there are also many sodas that China also
carries that are unique and fun. Sometimes they are popular solely because of the packaging!
A Taiwanese company, Ocean Bomb, has sparkling water flavored sodas like white grape and
peach but the cans resemble Pokemon and the Pokemon characters. There are at least 7 of
these sodas with a different flavor per character, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pikachu,
Snorlax, Jigglypuff, and a Master Ball. These types of sodas are also very popular amongst
the Chinese even though they aren't knock offs, they are an imitation of popular soda
flavors, loaded with sugar and have fun packaging. What's next... perhaps a Hello Kitty soda?!
I’d drink to that.
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