Pepsi Cola - Dry

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Name: Pepsi Dry

Maker: Pepsi/Suntory, Japan

Flavor: Kola Bean

Size: 490 mL

Release Date: May 2011

Best Before Date: Winter 2011

Packaging - I was so excited to pick up this shimmering silver PET bottle from my local convenience store on the morning of its release: May 24, 2011. The caps differ from store to store as some have the Pepsi logo and others are plain white. The latter was due to a shortage of caps influenced by the March earthquake. The PET bottle is curvy and fits in my hand snugly for easy drinking. Can't wait to crack it open!

At First Glance - Having not eaten breakfast I figured my senses would be in top form at 9 am. I cracked the cap off with a satisfying burst of carbonation escaping the neck. Immediately I took a whiff of the soda and found it to be exactly like regular Pepsi. Oh-oh, I thought. The color wasn't even different which added to my disappointment. Did past flavors such as Ice Cucumber and Azuki Red Bean Pepsi raise my expectations? I just had to drink it and find out...

What's Inside / The Taste - During the first second the Pepsi Dry hit my mouth I thought I had been duped. Was Pepsi just taking out a flavorless ingredient and calling it something different? tick...tick...THEN...second two came! Pepsi hit the back of my tongue where the bitter taste-bud receptors live and I forgot about all the other odd Pepsi products I have sampled in the past. This Pepsi Dry is bitter, adult bitter. Not only that but the sugar content is much lower than in regular Pepsi. Even after swallowing you can still taste that wonderful, almost black coffee-like flavor, in the back of your mouth. Surprisingly it is very refreshing too and filled with tons of carbonation. I absolutely LOVE this product and expect it to be a huge hit.

Extra Details - Pepsi wanted to design a traditional cola soda which contains Kola Bean, a very bitter African nut with a higher caffeine content and low sugar.

Nutritional Information (per 100 mL):

Energy - 21 Calories

Protein - 0.0 grams

Fat - 0.0 grams

Carbohydrates - 5.3 grams

Sodium - 8 milligrams

Ten Star rating - 10/10 My first perfect rating. Great job Pepsi! Too busy to type any more as I am drinking a Pepsi Dry.

Thank you for your continued business and if you have any product requests or questions feel free to contact us anytime!

Happy Snacking!

Fujiya LOOK Chocolate Parfait - Almond

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Name: LOOK Chocolate - Almond Chocolate Parfait

Maker: Fujiya

Flavor: Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream with Almond and Waffle

Size: 14 cubes - 3.8 grams each (53.2 gram)

Release Date: April 2011

Best Before Date: Winter 2011

Packaging - This LOOK release is a non-standard size pack. Typically LOOK chocolates are packed loose on a tray within a thin box. The Parfait versions are individually wrapped cubes in a square box that opens from the top for easy sharing. The photo on the box is very glossy and captures all of the flavors stuffed within each chocolate cube. The individual wrappers are a brilliant red color and tear open easily for quick snacking.

 Box opens from top for easy sharing.

At First Glance - The chocolate cubes (actually trapezoids) have a very smooth milk chocolate finish and measure 2 cm at the bottom and 1 cm at the top. They are 1.5 cm tall. The chocolate seems quite delicate as it melted slightly on my fingers after a few seconds. They do have a very nice dessert aroma to them.

What's Inside / The Taste - The cross section of these chocolates is quite sophisticated. The top contains an accurate vanilla whip cream filling. Just under that are crunchy sugar coated almonds which remind me of Ferrero Rocher. Under that layer we find a delightful chocolate whip cream with bits of waffle embedded throughout. Fujiya really added a lot of taste into such a small space. I really enjoyed the texture of the crunchy almonds and the vanilla cream made it actually taste like a parfait. The waffle bits were hard to recognize however they did add to the eating experience due to their crispiness. I really enjoy the milk chocolate coating too as it is similar to a chocolate pudding. Maybe that is why it melted so easily.

Extra Details - Fujiya is a very old and famous Japanese confectionery company and they offer a vast array of chocolate products. I have even tried their real parfaits at their restaurants and was very impressed. LOOK is a fantastic brand that everyone should try at least once. This parfait version also comes in Green Tea flavor with sweet Azuki bean. Plus we carry a half dozen flavors of other LOOK products. Check them out!

Nutritional Information (per 3.8 gram cube):

Energy - 23 Calories

Protein - 0.3 grams

Fat - 1.6 grams

Carbohydrates - 1.8 grams

Sodium - 2 milligrams

Ten Star rating - 9.5/10 I was extremely satisfied with this product since it captured so many flavors and textures within one cube of chocolate. It was easy to polish off a half box with a cup of coffee.


Try these other LOOK flavors:

  LOOK Green Tea Parfait

  LOOK French Strawberry Dessert

We are back to blogging after a long absence. Despite the recent earthquake and tsunami in Honshu, napaJapan has been operating as normal. There have been some new product release delays but things should be getting back to normal soon. In fact, we will be seeing a lot more stuff in this month (May 2011.) Thank you for your continued business and if you have any product requests or questions feel free to contact us anytime!

Happy Snacking!