New Atlas Beverage Co.

Manzana is a soda with a strange orange color for something that supposedly tastes like apple. The name “Manzana” means apple in spanish, and there aren’t really any other identifying clues on the bottle besides a cap which has the logo of RC Cola on it and a quote on the side saying “100% Ecuatoriana.”

This mystery manzana drink smells a little bit like non-sour “green apple flavor.” It’s not at all like real apple though, and barely at all even like that fake apple flavor. It’s got even a slight tinge of orange flavor, but it really just tastes like pure chemical artificial flavoring similar to a slush puppie or sno-cone.

Ecuadorian Manzana reminds me of apple jacks, which are also orange and taste nothing like apple. Hey, I guess you can ignore the label and drink what you like, but I’ll probably be drinking something else.

Really, what sounds more appetizing than juice from a Jew’s ear, especially “Quality Jew’s ear selected from Changbai Mountain?”

I’m actually pretty nervous to try it. From the Chinese name,  黑木耳露 （Hei1 Mu4 Er3 Lu4）, I know that it’s wood ear juice. Wood ear (evidently a.k.a. Jew’s ear) is a fungus that’s pretty common in Chinese dishes, but I would never think about drinking it. (more…)

I saw this Apple Vinegar Drink in a supermarket in Beijing. There were a couple other varieties, so I chose the nicest looking bottle. Right off the bat, I knew this was some sort of health trend. Regardless of the fact that I thought it would taste like straight-up vinegar, I gave it a try.

The smell is pretty unremarkable, like unsweet old apple cider. Actually, that’s exactly what it tastes like. It’s a little sweet, but there’s a strong sour and bitter aftertaste. It tastes like if you took a couple bites out of an apple, set it on the counter for a couple days, then came back and took a bite of that brown part. I haven’t actually done that, I’m just guessing. The other thing about this apple vinegar drink is that it’s got a little bit of a slimy texture. (more…)

Bottle of Nikola Kvas

Russian Kvas is really a strange drink, at least from a categorization standpoint. Looking at the bottle, it looks like any other soda or soft drink (aside from the Russian writing). It is carbonated, but that’s because it’s fermented like beer.

Translated from the Cyrillic квас, known in English as kvass, kvas, or sometimes bread drink, kvas is made of rye bread and fermented to make a slightly alcoholic beverage. The alcohol content is so low that it’s considered safe for children to drink. (more…)