The Coke bottle collector that Hans contacted was called Bauer Sanders, a tycoon in the book publishing industry.
On the way to Phoenix, he contacted Bauer. They arrived in Phoenix at noon, had lunch, and arranged to meet at Bauer's suburban villa in the afternoon.
Phoenix was very hot in mid-July. The city lived up to its name of "Phoenix City." It was simply the nest of the fire phoenix.
At 1: 30 in the afternoon, their truck stopped at the suburban villa area. It was a high-end residential area next to a small lake, surrounded by lush trees.
Hans made a phone call, and a middle-aged white man wearing sunglasses waved at them in front of the villa.
After the three of them entered, the middle-aged white man shook hands with them and smiled. "I'm Bauer. Welcome in, I've prepared some cold drinks."
Hans wiped his sweat and said, "Mr. Sanders, although Phoenix is a very developed city, I suggest you move to Flagstaff. That's more suitable for people of your status."
Bauer laughed and said, "I have to admit that Phoenix is too hot in the summer, but I don't have the money to move to Flagstaff. My money is spent on collecting drinks and other products."
"I didn't understand why people like to collect drink bottles, but now I understand. People in Phoenix must love cold drinks," Li Du said.
They entered the living room of the villa and saw that there were wooden shelves all around the wall. There were many drink bottles on the shelves.
Li Du took a quick look. There were bottles of Pepsi and Coca-Cola, but there were also bottles of Sprite, Heineken, Danone, Nestle, Budweiser, Gatorade, Red Bull, and so on.
Among them, the soda bottles were all glass, and there were no plastic bottles. This was because the taste of the soda was related to the carbon dioxide content in it. If the carbon dioxide was lost, the taste would not be very good.
Glass bottles were much more airtight than plastic bottles and metal cans. Soda sealed in glass bottles could still reach 98% carbon dioxide content after six months, so the taste was better in glass bottles.
In this case, the glass bottle was naturally considered to be a better container for soda, and it was also a more collectible container.
There was a neatly arranged refrigerator in the living room. Bauer opened the refrigerator and asked, "What would you like to drink?"
Hans said, "We brought Coca-Cola bottles. Give us some Coca-Cola then."
Bauer laughed. "You've made the right choice. Recently, I've gotten my hands on some decent Coke. There's also the most authentic Coke. What flavor do you guys want?"
There were many flavors of Coca-Cola. The hottest flavor in America was cherry. There were also raspberry, orange, lemon, and so on.
Hans let Li Du choose first. Li Du shrugged and said, "Whatever, buddy. You can recommend one. I believe that with your standards as an expert, it would be much better than me choosing it myself."
Bauer was very pleased with his compliment, and he smiled brightly.
"I recommend a bottle of vanilla-flavored Coca Cola. It's well received in China."
Li Du did not pay attention to the taste of Coke. He used to buy it casually. To him, it was just a drink to quench his thirst.
When it was Hans's turn, he said, "I like the stimulating taste. Can you recommend one to me?"
Bauer laughed. "If you want something more stimulating, then you have to choose the ginger flavored Coke. It's very popular in Japan."
Li Du was impressed by the Japanese's taste. Ginger juice and Coke — this was really refreshing and healthy. But would it be more suitable in winter?
There was nothing wrong with his idea. Ginger Coke was a hot drink, most suitable in winter. However, what Bauer said was right: it was the most stimulating drink.
When it was Godzilla's turn, Bauer did not wait for him to speak. He said directly, "Oh, I know, buddy. You definitely want the traditional Coke, right?"
Godzilla shrugged. "Thank you."
Li Du asked, "Is there a difference between traditional and modern Coke?"
Bauer said, "Of course. Thirty years ago, Washington encouraged food manufacturers to use corn products. The Coca-Cola Company changed the sugar used in the carbonation to high-fructose corn syrup.
However, the Coca-Cola produced in Mexico insisted on using sugar as a flavoring. Our neighbors are rich in sugar cane, and for them, the cost of sugar is lower.
Although the Coca-Cola Company has always claimed that there is no difference between the two, many die-hard Coca-Cola fans claim that the Mexican version of Coca-Cola is the real, authentic Coca-Cola. Therefore, the Coke that uses sugar as the raw material is called the traditional Coke. "
As he explained, he handed Godzilla a large bottle of Coke and took a small bottle for himself. He then turned the bottle to show the three of them.
Hans immediately understood what he meant. This guy was showing off to them, so he tactfully asked, "Is there anything special about this Coke?"
Bauer immediately said happily, "Yes, buddy. You have sharp eyes. This is a seawater Coke that you can't find in the whole of America."
"Seawater Coke? Coke made from seawater? "Li Du asked cooperatively." Isn't that salty? "
Bauer smiled and shook his head. "No, this is a drink made from desalinated seawater. It's produced on an island north of Malé, the capital of the Maldives. It's only sold locally."
Hans said in admiration, "You really know Coca-Cola well. I bet that you must have spent a lot to buy this Coke."
Bauer spread his hands and said, "Who asked me to like them? Money is common, but happiness is rare. If you can spend money to get happiness, then the money spent is worth it. "
Godzilla nodded. There was nothing wrong with what Bauer said. He felt happy when he ate, and spending money to eat was worth it.
Using this topic of conversation, Hans opened the storage box and said, "Now we want to show you if these bottles can bring you happiness."
Li Du and Hans had checked online. This type of antique Coke bottle was valuable. For some collectors, they could be worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
However, in front of Bauer, they were not very confident in their goods. Bauer had too many bottles in his collection. Perhaps he already had their bottles.
Their worries became reality. Bauer picked up the Coke bottle and looked at it. He smiled and said, "Wow, this is good stuff. I have a few first-generation Coca-Cola bottles. These are good stuff."
Hans and Li Du looked at each other. Both of them were a little disappointed. It would be difficult to make a deal today.
However, they had to make a deal even if it was difficult. Hans asked, "Can they still bring you happiness?"
Bauer did not say anything. He picked up another green Coke bottle.
He raised the bottle to the light and said, "Interesting. You still have Santa Claus bottles. Not bad!"
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