New Atlas Beverage Co.

This was a strange drink, and looking from the juice box that it came in, it was very hard to tell what it is. The first sip was a very confusing mix of sour, sweet, and milky flavors. It’s very thick like a thick cream. It has a slightly orange flavor, which comes from the naranjilla, a fruit with green juice and a slight orange-citrusy flavor. It also tastes a bit like candy, but papery like those “dots” or “buttons” that come on a sheet of paper.

Avena Casera is not entirely smooth though, there is a little pulp. I’m not sure if the pulpiness comes from the naranjilla or the avena, which is the other main part of this drink. Upon further inspection, the box reads ” oatmeal drink, naranjilla flavored.” I didn’t expect for a second that this drink was made of oatmeal. It turns out that Avena is a type of oatmeal drink, not just a brand name as I originally assumed.

Avena Casera is 100% natural and the ingredients include passion fruit, oatmeal, naranjilla fruit flavor and cinnamon extract.

This bottle looks like a kid’s drink, with a cartoon bear hugging a giant ear of corn, but I think it may be marketed toward adults as a beauty drink because of the nutrients.

This corn juice was being sold in 500g bottles as well as 2-liter bottles, and it looked like there was only one flavor option: corn.  The foil cap on the small bottle I bought was extremely hard to open. I tried peeling at first, but it seems like it was made for  a straw. With no straw in sight, I had to stab it with a pen a couple times to get it to open up.

So, the long and short of it is: this tastes like (more…)

I sipped this before smelling it. Bad idea.

Based on the harmless-looking sprig of wheat or barley on the can, I figured it would be something like Nikola Kvas, especially since Korea is so close to Russia. Boy, was I wrong. (more…)

Inka Coffee Substitute

Inka is a Polish drink, commonly used as a coffee substitute. It’s taste resembles coffee, but it has no caffeine.

The inka drink mix made by Naturalis Inka comes in a round can similar to instant coffee. The brown powder smells woody, but has a very similar aroma to the powdered coffee brands we’re all used to. To make the inka beverage, you’re supposed to use one heaping teaspoon of the powder, mixed with boiling water or milk. I tried it with water, and the inka coffee that resulted was suprisingly black, with a white and brown foam. It does taste like a very weak coffee, but maybe that’s just because of the similarity in making it, and how it’s known as a coffee substitute. (more…)