Kola nuts, also known as Bissy Nuts, Guru Nuts and Cola Nuts, are the fruits of an African rainforest tree. The caffeine-containing nut smells a bit like rose petals, and has a taste that starts out bitter but eventually ends on a sweet note. Perhaps because kola nut has a long history of use in the preparation of beverages in African and Muslim cultures, John Pemberton, a 19th century American pharmacist, was inspired to combine kola with cocoa, sugar and carbonated water, giving the world the soft drink aptly named Coca-Cola.