goya: malta & refresco

I'm not sure why I keep torturing myself with these Malta drinks. Each one is worse than the last. Yet, I keep spotting them in my local bodegas, and clearly people drink them and like them. I've yet to develop a taste for them and probably never will. Life goes on.
One of the most prominent Maltas in my neighborhood is Malta Goya.

Claiming to be nutritious, and brewed in a similar style to beer (hops and barley), this nonalcoholic  beverage borders on Sangria Senorial territory. And by that I mean terrible. Don't get me wrong: I love a good beer--even a good stout--so the fact that I cannot stomach a Malta is slightly puzzling. Yet, they are everywhere. I guess since I didn't grow up on Malta, it might be a taste that I never acquire. Or maybe one day I will wake up and crave the taste of chewed-up crackers mixed with grass and dirt, and then, lo and behold, a Malta will be waiting for me. I mean, it took me until after college to really like beer (man, that was a sad realization -- I missed out on good beer!!), so maybe by the time I'm 50 I'll be all about the Malta. And looking at how many Malta's there are in the world... I'm afraid that I will have to keep drinking them until I like them. It will take me until I'm 50.

Goya doesn't just stick to Malta though. In my travels I've also found Refresco Goya: a line of tropical fruit drinks. Being the adventurous type, I went for the coconut flavor over your typical berry flavor. I think I'll stick with the berries next time.

As for the design of the cap (always the most important part!) Malta Goya proudly struts its stuff. Big and bold and blue. Refresco is slightly more "refreshing" looking, as if saying, "Look! A tropical refreshing drink! I'm using a relaxed and cool font as opposed to the bold flavor of Malta." At least they advertise what they are! I'll give them points for that, but don't expect anything more....