With Promethazine codeine inspired bottle, Houston coffee company evokes purple spirit of DJ Screw Don't worry, the coffee isn't purple and its totally legal

An upstart Houston coffee company is evoking the spirit of DJ Screw and other Houston rap legends with its new bottle of cold brew concentrate. Xela Coffee Roasters is packaging its cold brew inside cough syrup bottles with labeling that looks not unlike those used for Promethazine codeine cough syrup. less An upstart Houston coffee company is evoking the spirit of DJ Screw and other Houston rap legends with its new bottle of cold brew concentrate. Xela Coffee Roasters is packaging its cold brew inside cough syrup ... more Photo: XELA Coffee Roasters Photo: XELA Coffee Roasters Image 1 of / 111 Caption Close With Promethazine codeine inspired bottle, Houston coffee company evokes purple spirit of DJ Screw 1 / 111 Back to Gallery

An upstart Houston coffee company is evoking the spirit of DJ Screw and other Houston rap legends with its new bottle of cold brew concentrate.

Xela Coffee Roasters is packaging its cold brew inside cough syrup bottles with labeling that looks not unlike those used for Promethazine codeine cough syrup.

Fans of Houston rap will recognize the Actavis labeling instantly. This is the same syrup that led to the "purple drank" craze years ago.

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H-town rapper Paul Wall wore a shirt and a pair of socks with the Promethazine label on them at Free Press Summer Festival in 2015. Xela has managed to clone the 12-ounce bottle packaging right down to the font.

DJ Screw's slowed down remixes of popular Houston hip-hop tracks were meant to mimic the feeling that a cup of "purple drank" (cough syrup containing codeine with carbonated soda) would make a user feel. The DJ -- real name Robert Earl Davis, Jr. -- died in 2000 after overdosing on codeine.

Back in 2014 Actavis ceased production of its product due to the negative attention the company had received.

"This attention has glamorized the unlawful and dangerous use of the product, which is contrary to its approved indication. This attention may place consumers at risk by minimizing the dangers of its misuse and abuse," a statement from Actavis said.

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There are, of course, dozens of pharmaceutical companies that still make similar products, so those of us who may need prescription cough syrup for non-recreational uses weren't put out.

We saw Xela's product behind the counter at Montrose coffee shop Mercantile on Sunday morning and we assumed someone on staff was fighting a rough cough or cold.

Of course Xela's coffee has the opposite effect that codeine cough syrup does to those who abuse it. It makes one feel woozy and slower than usual, while Xela's coffee is...coffee. It's only $8 a bottle, considerably cheaper than the stronger stuff.

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We've had the coffee and it didn't make us want to slow down all of our records to half speed.

They’ve been around for about a year and a half and the Screwston cold brew brand has been in the works since the beginning.

It’s a tribute to Houston the city they love.

They’re planning on putting a percentage of Screwston coffee sales aside to help fund the projects of independent Houston musicians. They’d like to partner with DJ Screw’s family in some way as well.

“We went through a few different bottles before finally finding the one that looked like the Activas bottle,” co-owner Benji Aguilar says. He’s one of three owners including Kaitlin O’Brien and Robin Aguilar.

Right now it can be purchased Bosta Kitchen in the Museum District off Binz and Revolucion Coffee + Juice in the Heights. Interested coffee enthusiasts can also order it online

Traditionally Purple Drank is made by mixing the cough syrup containing codeine with carbonated soda, and adding candy for flavor.

Codeine is an opioid pain reliever and there's a potential for serious adverse effects including slowed or difficult breathing if its abused.

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Purple Drank is said to produce a high similar to heroin's, and is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol. The mixture, also known as "Lean," "Sizzurp" and "Texas Tea," has been around for years.