[Famous House | Papaya Juice]

Asia is a continent of extremes. Depending on the drink you drink from there alone, you may think that Asia is like heaven on Earth or that it is as royally messed up as your brain will allow you to comprehend.

I was immediately attracted to Famous House Papaya Juice because of its green and white cow in the middle of a circle on a bright orange can. Other than that, there's no other English on the can.

Famous House is a Taiwanese company. They also sell this beverage in a smaller can with a slightly different name and design.

The liquid poured out a milky orange. This is contrary to the "juice" it promised, however it does account for the oddity of the cow on the can.

The taste? Fake milk combined with fake fruit. Would this complement a dish of beef bulgogi? Sure, what wouldn't? Would I go out of my way to find a can of Famous House's Tropical Milk Juice? No of course not. Asia is a big slab of land, and we still have much work ahead of us.

Taste (5)

Weirdness (7)

Sweet! Mate [??? | ???]

Now that is a seriously sweet drink! Although I don't really have a clue what the fruit is, it tastes kinda like a combination of green apple and unripened mango, but I'm not sure it's either.

The picture on the can looks a bit like a green apple, but shaped more like a peach.

There's no obvious english on the can, but after closer inspection the words "NEW & BEST" are written in almost illegibly small print on the back of the can below what looks like the logo.

Anyway, the flavour was very enjoyable and it was an extremely refreshing 180ml package.

Taste (9)

Weirdness (6.5)

Update: I found a small url embedded in another obscure spot on the can and after going through the site I found the product. The company is called HTB, or Haitai Beverage Corporation. The following is a google translation from their site, so that probably contributes to its classic nature but: "...Haitai Beverage (HK) is a leading product in Your love and faith, not to repay their loans in order to work." - Right. I'm still not sure what the fruit is but it does look like an unripe or green mango....(the image is linked from their site). [nah just joking, it's olive oil {not}];

Double Update: And don't ask how I figured this out, but the fruit is referred to as an Ume Plum, although it's apparently more closely related to an apricot, and yes it is green, originally from China. [Thanks Wikipedia!]

Beanz [LOTTE | Let's Be MILD]

Ice cold milk coffee in a can. It's a great invention and this is one of the better ones. Let's be MILD is a pretty relaxing and full flavoured brew, great on a hot humid day and just strong enough to get a nice caffeine fix off it.

"Enjoy the rich flavour & aroma of carefully selected coffee beans. Indulge yourself with the soft taste!"

Thanks for carefully selecting those beans guys! I appreciate it.

Taste (7.5)

Weirdness (5.5) [for the name!]

[Chin Chin | Grass Jelly Drink]

Where do I begin?

Grass Jelly is an Asian desert drink. The can depicts a wide glass full of a dark green/brown chunky liquid and three lychee berries beside it. I opened it and poured the liquid into a glass. It is a dark, cloudy brown with small particles floating within. It looks a lot like flat Coke. It tastes very sweet and minty. In fact, it is so sweet and minty it is difficult to determine any other tastes except perhaps a slight root beer taste. While it's nothing I'd be drawn to in the future, the experience was far less horrifying that I expected. The only other shock came when I went to refill my glass. The bottom 3rd of the can wasn't liquid but dark brown jelly. It wouldn't pour out of the can because it was too large for the mouth hole, but I could clearly see it.

Sorry about the darkness of the photos. There is a small chance they will be replaced with brighter ones one day.

Taste (5)

Weirdness (9)

Pomegranate [LOTTE | PUNICA GRANATUM]

Okay, this one was a seriously unexpected taste sensation in a tiny can from Lotte. Good work guys!

I guess pomegranate isn't something I've had a lot of and this tasted really exotic to me, and totally delicious. Shame it's such a small can, cause it was all over in a matter of seconds.

I will be reinvesting in this one. If anyone can read what the name of the drink is, would appreciate the knowledge.

Taste (9)

Weirdness (5)

Update: Found the Korean TV ad for this beverage!

[Want Want | ???]

This is a different flavor of a drink I previously reviewed. The only visual differences are that the can is red (as opposed to yellow) and the letters "DHA" appear in a pink circle on the red can.

As best as I can tell this is the "original" flavor and the yellow can is the "fruit" flavor. The red can tastes nowhere near as good as its cousin.

I would best describe it as dehydrated milk.


Taste (1)
Weirdness (8)

Seafood Packs

This is a large bag of many smaller packs of flavored fish jerky. "Natural is Best" is written across the front of the outer bag. The ingredients are printed on an English label on the back of the sack, and I have written them below.

Ingredients: Sleeve-fish, Cod, Mintai Fish, Yellow Croaker, Chzong Fish, Sugar, Soy Sauce, Salt, Chili Powder, Sesame, Ginger Juice, Spices.

I started out by eating the lower-middle green pack in the picture. It was alright, I guess. It was small pieces of salty white fish jerky. The second pack I tried was disgusting. The top middle red in the picture - it was thick slices the size of sardines. They may have had a slathering of BBQ sauce too, but the most predominate flavor other than the fish were the giant sugar crystals. Fish is not a candy. This combination works as well as ice cream topped with wood chips. I then tried the yellow on the bottom row. Small light cubes with alternating rows of fish and sesame seeds. Absolutely terrible. I wish I had never made this purchase, and there's not much else I can say other than that I didn't try the 4 remaining varieties.

Taste (1)

Weirdness (8)

[Woongjin | Honey and Red Ginseng]

Hey Sean! ... I mean everyone.
I'd like to quickly provide a series of mini-reviews as my back log is beginning to fill up. The first drink is Honey and Red Ginseng made by Korean manufacturer Woongjin. It is the second drink down on the left hand side in the link. Of this drink, the company says, "beverage made with carefully selected honey and six year-old steamed red ginseung."
- wow. I'll keep my eye out for some of their other drinks like Morning Rice, Ski Bori, Spring Scent, and You and C. Honey and Red Ginseng has a vivid gold color, a potent ginseng taste, and a light honey taste. Annie took a light sip and was revolted. While ginseng has a potent earthy taste and certainly won't be liked by all, I like it once in a while.

Taste (5)
Weirdness (3)

[Lotte | ???]

It's impossible to say much about what this beverage may be from its bottle alone. The only English written on it is "Lotte" which is its Korean manufacturer. Otherwise, the 370 ml bottle consists of alternating purple and green flowers and some Korean writing. It's hard to say exactly what this tastes like. It even takes multiple sips to determine if its good or not. It turns out that it's not good. At first sniff, it smells somewhat like the remains of a campfire from the previous night. The first taste that I detected was wood. After many sips, this was the only flavor I could name, but I knew there was another familiar aftertaste much more subtle than the wood flavor. I now believe this to be tea. Annie tried it and at first described it as chocolate with no sugar and then also noted that it tasted like sesame seeds. There's a very distinct possibility that this may be Sesame Tea. Its good enough to eat, but I wouldn't drink it if I were you.

Taste (2)
Weirdness (7)

[??? | ???]

The only English on this can is written very small on the side: "Let's Keep Our City Tidy," indicating it should be thrown away. Other than that, I don't have any other background. I made this purchase entirley based on the image on the can. In this case it paid off wonderfully. This white beverage tastes almost exactly like Fruit Loops in milk. (Annie confirmed this taste and added that it has a slightly more vanilla taste than Fruit Loops in milk.)

Taste (8)
Weirdness (8)

[Lotte | Milkis]

Korea's Lotte hails Milkis as "A New Feeling of Soda Beverage." This is written twice on the lable - once below a drawing of a circus barker being carried off into space by a balloon, and once by what I presume to be a cross between an 1800's French maid and one of Santa's elves being lifted upward by the umbrella she carries. I have seen Milkis sold in bottles and cans of various sizes in Chinatown and Koreatown. It even comes in multiple flavors: orange, strawberry, mango, muskmelon, and classic. Its flavor immediately reminded me of Calpis Water from Japan (which I have no immediate plans to review any time soon). Milkis is a nearly opaque white color most similar to low-fat milk. It is very lightly carbonated - almost indistinguishably so. This alone gives this soda beverage a new feeling. The taste is a combination of Milk, Skittles, and Sprite. This may sound gross at first, but listen to my theory: The acidic properties of the traditional soda ingredients and the basic properties presented by the addition of milk work in conjunction to eliminate the problems of both, leaving only their positive qualities. Thus, Milkis is one of those gems... One of the reasons I conduct this search for all of us. When stranded in Asia, go for this safe bet. In other words, "yum."

Taste (8)
Weirdness(5)

[Vedan | Herbal Tea]

Taiwanese Herbal Tea. This has a potent tea taste. It is moderately sweet with a subtle, cooling mint taste. It is manufactured by a company called Vedan.

Taste (7)
Weirdness (3)