[Kirin | Koiwai Brand Original Recipe Strawberry]

A history of mutual trust talks about the accuracy of the product.

Sorry Kirin - your slogan doesn't keep it's meaning when translated into English.

This strawberry milk is made from the milk of Japan's esteemed Koiwai breed of cattle. For more information check out my review of Kirin's Koiwai Milk and Coffee.
The strawberry drink drink can best be described as a liquid form of any Japanese strawberry candy. Japanese strawberry flavor is different from non-Japanese strawberry artificial flavor. In other words - don't be thinking Strawberry Mentos - be thinking strawberry mushroom caps. Be thinking the goo inside of this or this.

Happy new year's guys! Sorry we currently don't have the man power at the moment to respond to any of your questions and comments.



Taste (6)

Weirdness (4)

Satisfaction (5)

Burendo [DyDo | DyDo Blend Coffee]

I know asianbev has been planning to do a round up of coffee reviews so expect a lot more coffee this month.

Here is another neat little coffee can from Japan. It contains 190ml of DyDo Blend Coffee. It has a dash of milk and sugar added, and overall was quite a pleasant coffee tasting experience. It could have been a bit stronger, but overall for the great invention of coffee-in-a-can you can't get past these ones, although I don't see BOSS coffee ever being topped in my experience.

Taste (6)

Weirdness (3)

Satisfaction (6.5)

choc full of goodness [Meiji | HELLO PANDA]

Occassionally we like to do the snakku review here just for something to go with those tasty tasty bevos that you've been enjoying all this time.

Here's an example of why I think some Japanese snacks have got it right. I like to have a bit of crunch with my choc experience and these snacks provide that in the form of little biscuity pouches filled with either chocolate or girly pink filling.

The choco one are great and go down a treat. The girly pink filling ones taste like girly pink stuff... and well that's fine but I can't really explain the flavour beyond that. I guess they've mastered the taste of girliness in Japan because that's what the pink ones taste like.

Taste (7.5)

Weirdness (4)

Satisfaction (6.5)

Boteru [Sangaria | Ramu Bottle]

This is the exact same drink as reviewed by asianbev before under the name Ramune. I can only assume that the flavours are identical and it's only the packaging that differs as I've not tried the glass bottle with a marble version which looks like much more fun.

However when you crack open this version of the drink in aluminium can, I too was soaked in effervescent spray. I hadn't shaken the bottle and it had been in the fridge for atleast 24 hours, so I guess they must have designed that feature intentionally.

It's a tasty drink, but as asianbev points out it's quite similar to an ordinarly canned lemonade. The only difference that I would point out between this and Sprite is that this drink has a sort of bubblegum flavour. By the way, just a heads up, that dude in the youtube video on asianbev's review of this drink is not asianbev, dunno who it is.

Taste (7.5)

Weirdness (6) for getting soaked

Satisfaction (6.5)

Melon [Sangaria | Syuwasyuwa メロン]

This drink is a direct relative of Sangaria's Grape Drink which I reviewed earlier. It has the same light carbonation and is presented in an aluminium bottle. It is equally as refreshing as the grape version, but the melon version is not as sweet, it's more subtle, but the melon flavour is definitely there and enjoyable. Slightly candied taste, but definitely melon.

The drink is large by J-land standards which usually come in small 175-180ml cans, this one weighing in at about 500ml (says 500g on the bottle).

I believe the melon to be rockmelon judging from the image on the bottle, but it could be another melon. The website for this drink is shared with it's grape cousin and so far I have not found any english info on the drinks.

I've not had a bottled/canned melon drink before, and as far as they go I'd say this one's a winner.

Taste (7.5)

Weirdness (5.5) wtf does Syuwasyuwa mean?

Satisfaction (6.5)

Chocpack [Meiji | Assorted Choc Snacks]

This collection of 5 varieties of mini chocolate snacks look pretty cool, you get 5 little packs with 5 types of different choco-snacks in them made by Meiji. The first one I opened was called "marble" and basically had m&ms in it (or smarties depending on what your reference point is). The second one was called "Choco Baby", chocolate bullets, basically mini chunks of chocolate in a spherical shape, next was "Coffee Beat", coffee/chocolate flavoured crunchy coffee beans, mmm, tasty. Then there was "Heart", the box is decorated like a deck of cards with an ace of hearts on the outside, these were the same as the first ones, m&m style candies these were more fruity in taste. Finally there was "Aporo" which comes in a 10 of diamonds box, and contains little cone shaped choclates which are half dark choc and half pink strawberry choc.

All in all a tasty MINI collection, each box is about the size of a matchbox, so it's not exactly filling which is good, coz you wouldn't want to go overboard with these things.

Taste (7)

Weirdness (3.5)

Satisfaction (6.5)

[King Car | Mr. Brown Iced Coffee - Cappucino]

King Car manufactures the popular Taiwanese brand of iced coffee known as Mr. Brown (occasionally rebranded as Hello Boss.) The name and graphics of this brand of coffee (as well as other Asian brands including Mr. Bond) are all very similar and most likey an attempt to ride the success wave of Suntory's Boss brand.

There is a quote written on the can in English:

You may occasionally find tiny milk flakes appearing, quality is no problem.

This coffee is nothing special. It is too watery for my tastes and more typical of an American iced coffee in that respect. In it's "distinguished gentleman" style, however, it is Asian all the way.


Taste (5)

Weirdness (5)

Satisfaction (4)

[??? | Herbal Tea]

This herbal tea produced by an unknown company tastes very similar to Vedan's herbal tea. It's very potent and minty + slightly sweet. It's impossible for me to say which variety of herbal tea this is, but whichever it is, it's a very good variety of tea that I have yet to find made by a non-Asian manufacturer.


Taste (7)

Weirdness (4)

Satisfaction (7)

Clone [JT | Miss Parlor 「桃の天然水」]

This drink is either identical to LOTTE's 2% that I reviewed earlier, or then it's so similar that I would have to have them sitting next to each other to taste the diffrence.

They're both peach perfumed waters, or water with a very light peach flavour. Miss Parlor is tasty drink and if I was to pick out any difference between it and 2%, then perhaps this one was a little bit more candy like in taste. Otherwise it was quite refreshing and satsiftying.

It is manufactured in Japan by JT under the branding "Miss Parlor". The latter is a dedicated interactive flash site to the branding obviously aimed at kids or freaks.

The Japanese text at the top translates to "Peach Natural Water", enjoy.




Taste (7)

Weirdness (6.5) for the website

Satisfaction (7.5)

Tea? [LOTTE | 녹차]

Not sure about this one... it was a bit of a gamble when I picked it out of the fridge at the local Korean/Japanese grocery ... I guess it's some kind of green tea, but it's different from other green teas I've had before.

Produced by Lotte Chilsung, their website had the following to say about the drink, "Chaoolin Green Tea contains non-fermented ingredients and is the closest to a natural, fresh-tasting beverage that one can get." Maybe the lack of fermentation explains the taste difference? I'm ready to concede that other green teas I've had may not have been up to scratch, so this review will have to remain somewhat ambiguous.

In any case, green tea is green tea, it can be a refreshing drink and the antioxidants will always be good for you. In this case I was taking a risk as I've mentioned before I'm not really a big fan of green tea, so my reviews of green tea will generally be a bit biased. Don't get me wrong though, add a bit of lemon'n'honey or make it an icecream and I'm all over it.


Taste (5.5)

Weirdness (2.5)

Satisfaction (5)

Gureepu [Sangaria | シュワシュワ グレープ]

I previously reviewed a green grape bevo, which is personally my favourite kinda grape, but here we have a purple/red grape drink manufactured by Sangaria of Japan.

It's quite a sweet bevo, and lightly carbonated. I think it's actually the first carbonated drink that I've reviewed so far, and to be honest I think it would have been better without the carbonation. Easily solved after shaking it vigorously and letting out the CO2..

The drink is presented in an aluminium bottle, I think these things are cool, as they seem to keep the drink very cold, like a standard canned drink.

The flavour is very bubblegum like and doesn't necessarily taste like grape juice, although using the bubblegum analogy you will get there.

I think this drink will probably have to take a second sitting as the taste is just somewhat ambiguous, not sure whether I really like it or not yet.

Taste (6.5)

Weirdness (3)

Satisfaction (7)

[Chin Chin | Assam Milk Tea]

This is the second drink bottled by Chin Chin I have tried. Previously I reviewed their Grass Jelly drink. Chin Chin is a division of King Lucky - a Taiwanese company that makes many varieties of drinks and soups.

This is also my second Assam Tea review. The first can be read here. The bottles are similarly shaped and colored and both feature on-can graphics that are at least vaguely Middle Eastern-themed. Maybe they're both the same drink bottled by Chin Chin.

It's hard to remember exactly what the previous can of Assam milk tea I drank tasted like, but if there is a difference, the one I am reviewing now may be a little more potent. This Assam Milk Tea has strong natural chocolate and wood flavors subtled by a minute amount of milk. The can features the silhouettes of two women dancing in front of the Taj Mahal.


Taste (6)

Weirdness (5)

Satisfaction (5)