Roll Your Own: Coca Cola Blāk
Monday, March 31, 2008
While watching the Grizzlies get owned by the Hawks (73-46 at the break) like some recruits in Halo (bungie.net thinks I'm a 27...my copy of Halo and Xbox360 say I'm a 28...30 here I come!), it occurred to me that I have not yet posted any details concerning the quasi-resurgence of Coca Cola Blāk.
While I can't say that I found it by accident (I was searching for something like "home made Coca Cola Blāk"), I can say that I have searched in the past and never found anything remotely helpful. I have even tried some mixing of coffee and Coca Cola (both diet and regular) and have never come up with anything even remotely palatable.
But all that came to an end last week. Like I said, I was searching for something akin to "home brew Coca Cola Blāk," right after I started up the cold brew coffee factory again, and found this entry on Uglydoggy.com. The author had found a caffeine add-in called Stok. Mixing a package of the regular (ie - non sweetened) variety into a can of Diet Coke, the poster was able to create something that even Coca Cola itself had neglected: Diet Coca Cola Blāk (are you tired of the macron yet? i know i am).
I assumed that Stok (which sounded like some sort of German energy drink) was probably not available in my area. In an ironic twist, it was in the same place where I originally found Coca Cola Blāk...thats right, the neighborhood BP. My particular neighborhood BP has since been reborn as Circle K, but I'm not sure if they have all undergone similar transitions or not. Anywho, yesterday I stopped in for some Diet Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper (which they did not have) and decided I would check the self service coffee area just in case. To my utter shock, they had 4 bins worth, 2 each of sweetened and unsweetened. I did not have any Diet Coke on hand that day, but today at work I grabbed a can as soon as I got to work and mixed all the ingredients. Sure enough, it tastes like what I remember Coca Cola Blāk tasting like: Coca Cola with a hint of coffee. The Diet Coke made all the difference. Plus, as uglydoggy.com's author pointed out, the stuff is free, so as long as you can get your hands on it and Diet Coke, you're good. Well, good assuming you liked Blāk in the first place, which I think only myself and the fellow from uglydoggy.com did, seeing how quickly it left the market.
A word of advice if you plan to "brew" one: take a drink of the Diet Coke first to create a little room in the can. The Stok add-in likes to bubble up, so if you add it to a full can of anything, you're going to run out of real estate very quickly. Cheers!
3:33 PM
Dude, totally off topic but how is the running going??
3:49 PM
That is off topic. I award you no points...
Actually, running has taken a bit of a pause. I ran on Sunday, March 30th then I felt all bad on Monday and did not run. Meant to do it today, but just didnt get enough sleep. I'll be back out there tomorrow morning. I've started playing basketball at Bellevue, so its always a pain to decide if I should run the morning of a game. Also, my shins are usually too sore to run the day after. I need to redo my whole sked at this point.
How was Denver(?)?
11:03 AM
ON TOPIC: Speaking of Circle K. Mary heard me refer to a Circle K location about a month ago, and she was fascinated and enlightened.
Think of this: to New People, like kids / Mary, the logo is a K. It happens to have a circle around it. But she had always thought that " K " was such an odd name........... how is a Newbie to know that in that particular case you include the shape around the 'name'? Because then it would be Square BP or Rectangle KFC or, you get the idea.
And maybe I'm just sharing this with you because I added Stok to my cold brew this morning.
Talk about being on topic.
I should get a PRIZE.
12:12 PM
ON TOPIC: Circle K for sure. Even the website is circlek.com, which at least makes it certain that they have not officially changed their name (unlike KFC who is KFC, no longer Kentucky Fried Chicken). But that is odd. Although, you can ask Jessica, I call BP the B&P, which I know is not the same but similar...maybe?
Also, you put a Stok shot in your regular (already caffeinated) coffee? Any heart issues to report? And, do you just gank 'em from Circle K? I got nervous last time, so I grabbed one of their 16 oz cups for coffee and just filled it up with Stoks. I got 10 of them in there and it cost like $1.50, so .15 per shot...not too shabby. I think it depends on your Circle K's staff how many you can get for free.
OFF TOPIC: Dude, I ran this morning. Even after so many days off, I still clocked in at 30 minutes and felt great. Chalk it up to the whole "human body is a miracle" thing.
2:15 PM
I bought coffee at the shape K and just threw a handful of Shok into my purse. No one cared or noticed. I really thought it the same as when I've grabbed creamer or napkins or stirrers to use later, in the car.
I also bought Mary a sprite and pretzels; I didn't go in and just walk out with a baggie of shok.
Of course I added it to my coffee; what else are you supposed to do with it? (I don't drink coke, you know). No palpitations as yet.
B & P = WRONG.
3:46 PM
you know, it never occurred to me what people would put this in, other than coke/diet coke. total brain fart.
anywho, i guess it is for people to put in their coffee, but is it retailers just saying "we have weak coffee," or just for that extra kick of caffeine? interesting.
and i didnt mean to imply anything about the stok being free or not free. i assume it is like creamer and whatnot since it is right there next to lids, napkins, stir sticks, splenda, sugar, etc at the Capital K.
finally, doesnt B&P take you back to your childhood when you would go to the A&P grocery?
10:39 PM
We didn't shop at A&P, we went to Corondolet. On Summer Ave.
Back to Red K; I don't think they are worried about the message of weak coffee (and by the way, it was good coffee, surprise!), they can just offer something more than others.
11:43 AM
hey, I need some more brew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12:32 PM
MORE brew already? Here's a tip: slow down. I've still got some of mine left, but I guess I do have the whole coffee machine at work going for me.
I'll start up the lab tonight! Should be ready sometime tomorrow mid-morning-ish.