I don’t particularly like soda.

In fact, I avoid drinking soda most of the time. Any kind of soda to me usually just tastes like sweet bubbles of sugar, which I’m not really a fan of.

It’s not a deep hate that I have for soda, I’ll drink it if it’s the only option – but if there is something else available (like water), I usually choose it.

I’m much more inclined to drink a cup dark robust coffee, a comforting tea, or bottle of locally brewed beer.

All of this is true, until I land back in East Africa (mostly Kenya or Tanzania) and have my first beverage: always a Stoney Tangawizi!

I love it so much that I might even get my hands on a Stoney prior to making my way to the butcher for a couple kilos of nyama choma.

There’s a pungent mist that is exerted as soon as the bottle is popped, the trapped pressure escapes. I take my first sip, closing my eyes to ponder and thoroughly enjoy the up-the-nose burning sensation that delightfully accompanies the initial swig.

It’s a moment that I remember from long long ago, a soda so powerful it can make you cry.

What is a Stoney Tangawizi?

You might be curious now, what kind of soda is this? Tangawizi is the Kiswahili word for “ginger.”

Imagine an intense Gingerale, a ginger sensation that seems like it was injected with fierce steroids, combining a solvent and reactant that fosters a potent chemical reaction. The recipe is beyond brilliant!

The soft beverage is produced in East Africa by Coca-Cola and bottled into brown bottles.

I’ve been drinking Stoney Tangawizi for 18 years now, and though I drink soda very rarely, I could drink Tangawizi everyday!

I’m open for other suggestions, but as of now, I’ve never had a soda on earth that is as good or as powerful as a Stoney.

Ever had a Stoney Tangawizi soda in East Africa?  How did you like it?  What’s your favorite soda?