Okashina Mizuame

This is the second of two items that I received from Candy Japan (gratis) for review. This candy is designed as much if not more for the entertainment value as for the "candy" itself. In fact, I'm not sure if you can call plastic packets of good "candy", but I guess that it is sweet so that makes it fall within the general category of "candy".

When I was a kid, we didn't have too many elaborately prepared packets of candy that were about the process. The closest we had was an Easy-bake oven. You mix packets of cake mix with water, stir, and cook under a light bulb in a tiny tin cake "pan". The cakes never tasted very good, but it was just cool that you could make them yourself.

Unfortunately, I'm not a child anymore. Actually, that's fortunate because I hated being a kid. You have to go to school and it's more of a pain in the ass than going to work. At least work is over when the day is done. You don't have to go home and study for tests or do homework afterwards. You also get money for working and nobody rewards you for school. You also have to do what you're told and the value of what you're being asked to do is always greater for the person in authority than it is for you. At any rate, since I'm not longer a young one, the delight I take in making my own candy is not particularly great.

Candy Japan kindly provides a video for how to deal with the packets of syrup that are included, though it's actually a pretty straightforward process. Nonetheless, it's pretty good service for them to go to the effort of explaining things. It's only simple when you already know how it is done. Prior to that, it can be a mystery.

The resulting candy is a mixture of three fruit flavors of syrup including ramune (lemon-lime soda), lemon, and strawberry. The result is an extremely sticky mass of fruit-flavored stuff that you scoop up with a spoon. It tastes like a melted fruity lollipop and is not particularly tasty. If you do decide to slurp up the whole tray, it'll set you back 83 calories, and probably give you a cavity.

In terms of the candy, this is definitely one for the short-pants set and not for an oldster like me. The delight is in the making and the gooey nature, not in the taste or texture. My hat goes off though to Candy Japan for their service. They send you an e-mail with a link to the video as well as give a brief explanation. Their explanation is:

"Strange viscous liquid sugar candy. This is one of those DIY items that you mix to make. "As you mix, the taste changes!!""

I think that means that you can taste the syrup at each stage to get three taste experiences out of it. That's not a bad idea, but I didn't do it. I'm sure that the flavors would change, but I don't think that'd improve my enthusiasm for the candy.

Nestcafe Home Cafe Latte and Chocolate Latte Syrups

I mentioned in a previous random picture post that marketers are gearing up to make it easier than ever to endure the heat in Japan due to higher air conditioner settings and reduced use to keep power consumption down while the Fukushima situation continues on. One of the things that is showing up all over the place from a variety of manufacturers are packages of liquid-creamer-style tubs of syrup to add to milk for instant lattes. Though these have been around before, the variety is greater this year, the prices are fairly low, and syrups with low calories rather than sugary powders seem to be the new cold coffee order.

The Japanese describing what this is translates as "potions". That conjures (no pun intended) up an image of magical transformation. No, I'm not fooled either. I think "syrup" is a much better translation, but I'm guessing the use of "syrup" often applies to sugar-based things (honey syrup, for instance) and brings up the wrong idea to Japanese consumers. So, "potion" it be.

The coffee latte mixed with milk.

When I saw bags of these syrups on offer for a mere 85 yen ($1.06) each at Seiyu supermarket, I figured I'd go ahead and take a bite... or a sip as the case may be. There are 4 servings in each bag, so it's only about 21 yen (26 cents) per serving, though that doesn't include the 180 ml. (a bit less than a cup) of milk that you use. It's still going to be a lot cheaper than a Starbucks latte, but then that isn't going to taste like some sort of instant coffee. And that is rather what the coffee version of this tastes like. It's not a bad version of instant coffee, mind you. It's actually pretty palatable and makes for a serviceable "coffee-flavored milk".

The "chocola" latte mixed with milk. 

The chocolate latte version of this mixes up a lot lighter and tastes a lot like you added Hershey's syrup to your milk. The coffee part is extremely subdued, but makes more of an appearance as you drink more. It's as if it needs a build-up in intensity to manifest. However, you really would be just as well off adding about a half teaspoon of instant coffee and a tablespoon of Hershey's chocolate syrup to your milk. It'd cost less.

My lukewarm-sounding review to these cold beverages isn't to be taken in a negative way. The truth is that I enjoyed both of these, though the way in which I consumed the chocolate version after the first sampling was not as one might expect. I like to have a frozen banana drink composed of skim milk, frozen banana, and crushed ice with a dash of vanilla. I put this in a blender and blend it is smooth and thick. Pouring the chocolate coffee syrup into this concoction was incredibly delicious. In fact, I'd wager the plain coffee would work pretty well in this drink, too.

I'd buy these again if I wanted a cold coffee beverage and didn't have the time to chill espresso, or if I wanted to vary my frozen banana drink. They're cheap and will keep for awhile. In fact, I'd think they would be ideal for the office if you have a refrigerator and can keep a carton of milk in there. Still, don't expect much in terms of a quality coffee experience or you'll be sorely disappointed.