Spring in a Bottle

Bar-ish Hanami

Brand: TopValu

Price: 213 yen

Place of purchase: MaxValu

Rating:

The first positive about this product is its packaging. The image used on the can is peaceful and makes it an eye-catching item on the shelf - it was the main reason I picked it up, actually. It has a screw-top as well so it’s easy to put down and come back to at a later time; there’s no obligation to finish this drink in one sitting. As for its flavour, fans of sakura will be delighted that this drink has it down pat. I remember the first time I had sakuramochi in Japan, and while this drink wasn’t a one-to-one representation of that flavour, it was good enough to pull out that memory.

What I wasn’t too impressed with was the fruit juice content. 5% is better than nothing, but it didn’t inspire me with confidence that what I was drinking was something real. Perhaps that was the reason I didn’t feel like it was truly sakura-flavoured. It might also be the reason why I didn’t pick up on any of the lime flavour that the bottle said it had. Normally I could appreciate a weak level of carbonation, but for this drink, I feel like it could have helped a little. Not too stong, but just enough to have a bit more of a kick to it.