Good Olde [Pokka | Milk Coffee - Real Brewed]

This drink, or at least one very similar to it, was reviewed earlier by asianbev. As you can see the can pictured above is quite different from the one asianbev reviewed, but it would be hard to believe that Pokka would make two different versions of canned coffee and use the same slogan "Real Brewed" on them.

The coffee was quite mild, however it had an authentic coffee taste to it, not too sweet, and thus the 'real brewed' slogan has some pull to it.

Personally I can't get past Suntory BOSS canned coffee and am yet to review the milk coffee version of that drink.

However as far as canned coffee from Japan or anywhere else in Asia goes, this one fares well and would be one I would drink again in lieu of BOSS.

There's a lightly amusing yet not necessarily related coffee animation at the Pokka website showing the evolution of the character featured on the alternative can who seemingly has aged along with the coffee over the years, see it here.

Taste (8)

Weirdness (2)

Satisfaction (7)

[Pokka | Cappucino]

..it has a creamy flavour, and a hint of vanilla or something... but yeh, nice, it tastes great and comes in a taller than usual can so you get a few extra mouthfulls to gulp down, which is totally appreciated. I don't exactly know what it is about this coffee, but it does have a different taste to say boss and let's be..

Interesting...

Taste (7.5)

Weirdness (3)

Satisfaction (6.5)

Chunks [POKKA | aloe v - blueberry juice]

Light on the blueberrys, but high on the chunks this drink was refreshing but could have been a bit tastier.

Manufactured by Pokka, this juice is a flavoured aloe vera, supposedly blueberry flavour, however without the text on the can you'd think it was grape. Accordingly the ingredients listed on the can are 3.3% blueberry juice, 1.5% grape juice and 17% aloe vera juice and pulp bits.

This drink seems to have been designed with an overseas market in mind as it's one of the few cans that has almost entirely western text on. One side is English and the other Spanish, with ingredients listed in English, Spanish, French and Hungarian?

The chunks are nice and give you something to strain out with your teeth and chew after you swallow the juice.

Overall it's refreshing crisp style was worthwhile, but it's flavour was a bit watery.

Taste (6)

Weirdness (2.5)

Satisfaction (6.5)

1,000 mg Vitamin C [Pokka | Lemon 1000]

Japan is a culture obsessed with indicating the amount of Vitamin C contained in a product on the packaging. In the case of Pokka's Lemon 1000, it's 1000 milligrams - about 15 times more than your body is capable of absorbing and using a day. Thanks.

It doesn't taste too bad, but it's a lot more simple than I was hoping for. It basically amounts to a heap of lemon juice squirted into
water. There's enough lemon that you can't call it lemon water, but there's enough water that you couldn't call it lemon juice. Both flavors exist in a nice harmony. I wish that there was more sugar to sweeten it up like lemon flavored candy. As it is now, it's a bit much on the sour side.


Taste (5)

Weirdness (3)

Satisfaction (4)

[Pokka | Milk Coffee]

Pokka Milk Coffee

Japanese canned coffee sales is a market as fierce an competitive as cola sales in the US. Pokka is one of the front runners. I've always liked Japanese milk coffee (as milk teat). I was draw to this particular can for its graphic. The background features 10 young professional people - possibly prep school or young college students. The head of an 11th figure is displayed predominately in the foreground with a tilted head and smile of cocky confidence. Does this mean he's had is "Real brewed" Pokka milk tea and ready to make the most of his day-to-day lifestyle? I'll go to their product website and see if I can find out anything else. No - all I was able to verify was the can I was drinking is the kind they sell in Japan and not the kind manufactured for import sales. As far as its taste - it tastes just like you'd imagine.

Taste (6)
Weirdness (2)

Nah [POKKA | green tea - sweet jasmine]

You'd be forgiven for thinking that I've already reviewed this drink. It's a very close cousin of Pokka's green tea - honey & lemon that I looked at earlier which are both relatives of Pokka's Blueberry Tea.

Unfortunately, unlike the honey and lemon, this one failed to satisfy. I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of green tea, and the addition of jasmine in this case made it worse. It has a weird chemically after taste that is unpleasant and should be reserved for medicines only.

Although it lacked any real appeal to me in terms of taste, it was refreshing. If you're looking for a green tea with additional flavour I'd go for the honey & lemon version.

Taste (3.5)

Weirdness (5)

Satisfaction (1.5)

honey? [POKKA | green tea - honey & lemon]

This is one of the few drinks they sell at my local supermarket that is Japanese (brewed in Singapore). Whilst I'm not generally a huge fan of straight green tea, this one is pretty tasty and it's definitely the honey and lemon additions.

It leaves a weird after taste in your mouth and i feel a bit nauseous after drinking it, but i keep going back to it so there must be something good about it.

It's pretty easy to drink although I don't usually get through a whole bottle in one sitting. Overall pretty standard but tasty.

Taste (6.5)

Weirdness (4)

Blu-berry [POKKA Blueberry Tea]

I'm a big fan of blueberries, but this was a let down. The blueberry flavour was so mild that the bottle could have had any label on it and I would have believed that that's what it was. Having said that it was still refreshing and actually an unusual flavour, unexpected, but again a bit watery so overall not that great.

Taste (4)

Weirdness (3)