I'm Thirsty!

 

 Vending Machine in Japan...circa 2007

You live in Japan. You are in the center of a fair sized city. You are thirsty. You have choices. Oh, do you have choices!

Walking into a Japanese convenience store for the first time usually brings a mix of emotions. Those looking for a Slurpee or a freshly brewed coffee will be disappointed. On the other hand, THE WALL of canned and bottled beverages may blow you away. Eight glass doors that open up to a massive selection of Liquid Luxury: Sports Drinks, Energy Drinks, Tea, Coffee, Beer, Pre-Mixed Cocktails, Wine, Juice and more. Let's see a few products that are in store at napajapan

Coffee - only sold in steel cans with pull-off tabs. Manufacturers change the funky can designs and shapes monthly. They all differ slightly based on the milk and sugar content. Are usually enjoyed cold but in winter they are also sold in heating units to warm you and your chilly hands. Standard volume is 190mL so not so large. However, the flavor is quite concentrated so most people just sip on them. Try out the ones we offer at napajapan.

Soda - Of course Japan carries Coca-Cola and even Pepsi Twist. But things do get stranger. I decided against listing the Vinegar Yogurt Soda. Instead I settled with a couple refreshing and delicious sweet limited edition products: Suntory Chocolate Soda and Fanta Melon Soda

Keep checking back for some of the wildest releases in the world. Pepsi Red Bean Soda anyone?

Instant Latte - Just add 3/4 of a cup of boiling water to some of THESE wonderfully flavored powder mixes. Sweet with very accurate tastes! Enjoy some wonderful flavors that will be hard to find outside of Japan.

With your next order, why not add on some unique beverages? You will not be disappointed. In fact you will be well-quenched.

CHEEZA is sure to "PLEEZA!"

Not often does a cracker come to mind when I am craving for a salty and crunchy snack.
I am more of a Doritos and Pringles fan. Between these two brands I can enjoy sampling about 25 different flavors each year!

But sometimes we all need to mix things up a bit and try products outside of our confectionery comfort zones. Especially when a reputable company such as Glico comes along with a totally new and unique product: CHEEZA! It has actually been around for over a year but I imagine that it will be catching on overseas very soon.

Cheeza is currently available in 3 flavors:

1. Camembert Cheese
2. Cheddar Cheese
3. Gorgonzola Blue Cheese

They are shaped like mini pie pieces, approximately 2.5 cm long from tip to edge. The resealable foil bag (which I doubt you will need to reseal) contains 38 grams of crackers. I find very little breakage since the crackers are of a decent thickness and hardness. When I first discovered Cheeza last year I was thinking that it would be a boring cheese cracker only to be nationally accepted due to its new, unique shape and packaging. Boy was I wrong!

Cheese! Cheese! Cheese! I still wonder how they can get so much accurate and deep cheese flavor onto, and into, these little crackers. Over 50% real cheese used! I can only compare Cheeza's taste to the savory and cheesy flavor you get from nibbling on the burnt cheese from the edge of a nachos pan. But that may only partially describe the Cheddar Cheese flavor.

Gorgonzola and Camembert are in a totally different league. The richness in flavor makes these perfect appetizers with wine or beer. The taste is very deluxe and the pleasurable flavor sticks in your mouth well after the cracker has been consumed. No toppings are necessary even though the back of each package suggests various ways to serve them. If you really want to match them with something why not toss them into a fresh green salad.

We carry all 3 flavors at napaJapan.

Stay tuned for more blog updates. Tell your friends about our blog and please enjoy browsing our store. New products are listed weekly!

Sincerely,
Jason