It is not that often that I get chance to hit up a new cola, but not only did this happen once, it happened twice in the last week. Both of the bad boys were from Cambodia, with the second quite literally being Cambodia Cola.
Sound familiar? Well if you live in Cambodia not only will it sound, but also look familiar. That is because Cambodia Cola is made by Cambrew, the same cats who make Cambodia Beer.
What the Cambodia Cola
Cambrew Ltd. is one of Cambodia’s main beverage producers, originally founded in the 1960s in Sihanoukville. They are best known for Cambodia Beer, which dominates the local lager market. Over time, Cambrew expanded into soft drinks, bottled water and energy drinks, and Cambodia Cola is part of this wider portfolio.
The cola was launched recently to compete with local rivals like Ize Cola and V Cola. Backed by Cambrew’s full manufacturing and distribution network, Cambodia Cola carries local heritage and national pride, making it a proper Khmer-made soft drink for domestic consumption.
Trying Cambodia Cola
OK, so I will set the scene. There I was in Kampong Thom, perhaps the least interesting town in Cambodia, save for the fact the Pol Pot family live nearby. So I go off looking for street food and end up in Kampong Thom Salmon. Turns out there is no such thing as Kampong Thom salmon, just regular salmon served in Kampong Thom.
At the restaurant though, they did what most Khmer restaurants do and provided warm drinks at the table. I duly asked for a Coke and was told the can that looked like a beer was in fact Cambodia Cola. I simply had to try it.
Is Cambodia Cola any good
OK, so it was not as fizzy as I would have liked, nor as flavoursome. Cambodia wise it would fit in between Ize Cola, which is great, and V Cola, which tastes like a coffin. Overall a ColaQuest score of 6.5. Ize gets a crazy 8.
Does it go with liquor
Alas I only tried it as a chaser for the great drink of Soju, but overall I would not say it would be great. Perhaps it could pair with a cheap vodka, or rum, or even Khmer Whisky. It would not though be great as a cocktail base. And if you are not in Cambodia you are unlikley to try this as it is probably not gonna end up one of the main exports.