A Bit Watered Down But Decent

Protein Shake Kurogomakinako

Brand: LB Ultora

Price: 199 yen

Place of purchase: FamilyMart

Rating:

To start with, I was not expecting black sesame and soy powder to work well together. I can only describe the black sesame as a dark flavour, not really bitter. It coordinated with the soy powder (kinako), giving the drink an earthy sweetness that was a pleasant surprise. I think the blend is a prime example of the Japanese palate. The calorie-to-protein ratio was a definite positive as well, as I have gotten used to seeing protein products that aren’t in powder form being at least 200 calories per serving.

That positive calorie-to-protein ratio is probably the reason why I felt the flavour was so watered down. It’s a very lean drink in that sense, with anything that doesn’t contribute to nutrition excluded. Moreso, the drink changes flavour for the worse if not cold. At room temperature, the bitterness of the ingredients becomes sharper and off-putting, at least to me. In a general sense, this drink contains 28 allergens including sesame and soy, so if you have a few food allergies, you might need to avoid this drink.