Bizarre Soft Drinks I Have Recently Encountered: Postobon Manzana

WHAT IT IS: An apple-flavored Colombian soda.

WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED: Food Dimensions, the awesome grocery store where I do my general shopping here in Brooklyn.

WHO MAKES IT: Postobon, the largest beverage company in Colombia.

HOW IT TASTES: Like an apple-flavored Jolly Rancher.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Hot pink color, suggesting several potential flavors (none of which are apple); a name similar to that of Red Sox relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon; a boast on the label that the drink contains both “artificial and natural flavors.”

NOTES: I’m perplexed as to why anyone would color an apple soda Hello Kitty pink, but Postobon Manzana doesn’t taste good enough for me to give a crap beyond this sentence. Take THAT, lofty Colombian beverage manufacturer!