The distinctive shape of this bottle is what first drew me to it and even then I had to look closer to determine if it was a soda or not. Ramune is a Japanese soda and is a very popular summer drink. I am interested in trying this, not only for the flavor, but because of the interesting bottle. Called a Codd-neck bottle after it's creator Hiram Codd who designed this style of bottle in the 1870's. The bottle's head has a narrow shape and the pressure from within presses up on a marble inside. Supposedly, this drink can be tricky for new drinkers and even has instructions for proper opening at the top.
After reading the directions a couple of times I was able to open it successfully. You separate a small plastic piece called the "plunger" from the cap and you can easily see the small glass marble in the top holding in the drink from the round opening due to the pressure from within. Placing the lunger over the marble you press down firmly with the palm of the hand until the pressure from within is overcome. The marble remains in the bottle.
This drink has a nice sweet aroma and thankfully tastes closer to a ripe strawberry from a garden than a piece of strawberry candy. I have noticed that most American fruit sodas are closer to the sugary sweetness of candy than the fruit they represent. However, this drink strikes a nice balance and I can imagine I would not get sick to my stomach after drinking a couple of bottles unlike some other sodas. All in all, I rate this drink well, both for it's flavor and the memorable style of the bottle and it's opening.
I always had to try 500 times to open this sucker-always so scared that the bottle will break, so I wouldn't hit down on it hard enough:)
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