Chapter 253 The Bottle Collector (1/2)

Chapter 253: The Bottle Collector

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Hans had contacted a bottle collector named Bauer Sanders, a tycoon in the book publishing industry.

On the way to Phoenix, Hans contacted Bauer to confirm the time of their meeting. They arrived in Phoenix around noon, had a quick lunch, and made their way to Bauer’s villa located in the suburbs.

It was mid-July. The city really deserved the name ”Phoenix,” for it was as hot as the lair of the legendary fiery bird.

At 1:30 pm, they arrived at their destination. The villa was located in a luxury residential neighborhood next to a small lake surrounded by an abundance of tall trees with green foliage.

Hans made another phone call and soon they saw a white man who wore a pair of sunglasses waving to them in front of his villa.

Mr. Sanders shook hands with the three of them and laughed, ”I’m Bauer Sanders, welcome to my place. Please come in, I’ve prepared some cold drinks.”

Hans wiped the sweat from his face and said, ”Mr. Sanders, although Phoenix is a very modern city, I would still recommend you moving to Flagstaff. It suits people with statuses such as yourself.”

Bauer laughed, ”I have to admit, Phoenix’s summers are too warm. But I do not have the money to live in Flagstaff. All my money has been spent on my hobbies and related merchandise.”

Li Du cracked a joke. ”Before, I couldn’t understand why people collect drink bottles. But now I understand—residents in Phoenix must love cold drinks a lot.”

Mr. Sanders led them to the living room, where the trio could see a wide variety of beverage bottles displayed neatly on custom-made wooden shelves affixed to the walls.

Li Du glanced at the collection; he saw various Pepsi and Coca-Cola bottles—not only that, there were also bottles from Sprite, Heineken, Danone, Nestle, Budweiser, Gatorade, Red Bull, and so much more.

Li noticed that the bottles displayed were all glass, none were plastic. Many people knew that soda tasted the best in glass bottles, followed by aluminum cans, and lastly, plastic.

Glass had the best retention rate for the fizzy carbon dioxide in the drinks. When stored in a glass bottle for six months, the original amount of carbon dioxide could still be at 98 percent.

Glass was also the most inert material to store soda in, as there were consumers who tasted a slightly more metallic flavor from aluminum cans and a plasticy taste from plastic bottles.

Under such circumstances, the glass bottle was naturally the preferred material for collecting.

There was also a row of neatly placed refrigerators in the living room. Bauer opened the fridge and asked, ”What would you like to drink?”

Hans said, ”Since we brought Coca-Cola bottles, we’ll have some Coke.”

”You made the right choice,” Bauer said. ”What flavor do you want?”

Coca-Cola had come up with many different flavors of Coke. The cherry flavor was the most popular in the United States. There was also the raspberry flavor, orange flavor, lemon flavor, and so on.

Hans let Li Du choose first but Li shrugged his shoulders and said, ”Mr. Sanders, maybe you can help me choose one. I trust an expert’s choice.”

Bauer had a bright smile on his face after hearing Li’s compliment.

”I recommend you try the vanilla-flavored Coke—it’s very well-received in China.”

Li Du had never paid attention to the different flavors of Coke. He would usually just take one and go, as Coke to him was simply a drink that could quench his thirst.

Hans asked, ”I’d like a more thrilling taste—would you recommend one for me as well?”