Fusion Select Mango Ramune

Since I cannot read the brand of this mango ramune from Japan, I did some googling and I believe the company is called Fusion Select. I've been unable to find a specific website or information about this brand. The scent is sort of earthy, about what I imagine a bunch of mango pulp tossed in a compost bin might smell like. The initial taste is quite clean and watery. The finish is where the fruitiness comes out and like most ramune this seems pretty close to capturing a good mango flavor. There's a sensation as well, not really a umami, but just a hint of savory that makes this flavor interesting. 

Tomomasu Watermelon

Masukichi Tomoda began producing ramune sodas in Ogi City, Saga, which lies on the western side of the Japanese island of Kyushu. The original building has now become a museum dedicated to the story of Tomomasu beverages. The folks at Tomomasu Drink Co. Ltd. have been creating a variety of sodas for over 120 years now. 

Uncapping this tiny "grenade" style bottle unleashes a healthy watermelon scent. It literally smells like a fresh cut slice of watermelon under my nose. It has ample carbonation and the watermelon is just right for my liking. It's light handed and I think making fruit flavors in soda is something the Japanese always seem to do so well. They have a knack for really nailing authentic fruit flavors unlike the candy-like fruit flavors made in the U.S. This one is nice because while you get a good sense of the watermelon flavor it doesn't linger in your mouth making you sick 5 minutes later. The lightness of it makes is close to those fruit flavored sparkling waters, save for the fact that this contains high fructose corn syrup. I like the bottle as well. These little "grenades" always take me back to my childhood drinking Canada Dry from their little green hand-sized bottles. I'll keep on the look out from other flavors from Tomomasu to taste since this is the first time I've had one of their drinks. 

Shirakiku Ramune Yuzu

Its been some time since I had ramune, particularly from Shirakiku. Frankly, I think Shirakiku makes the best ramune drinks. This is a new flavor I haven't seen from them previously. Yuzu is a yellow citrus fruit that resembles a very bumpy, rotund lemon that is popular in Japan. Supposedly, it has floral notes in addition to the tart citrus flavor. 

After the gratifying pop of the marble-closed opening of the Codd-neck bottle, it has a wonderful lemon scent. Strong like a lemon-scented cleaner, but sweet. The taste is pretty unique. It's citrus alright, but very distinct from plain lemon and lime. It has notes of grapefruit and even the slightest tinge of melon. This would make a good pairing with breakfast due to the citrus nature of it. 

Sangaria Ramune Orange

You may have seen previous reviews on here for various flavors of Ramune. This is the first from Sangaria. I mentioned Sangaria in a previous post here. Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to learn too much about their company or its history. 

Once again, the Japanese Ramune style does not disappoint. This bottle has plenty of carbonation that helps bring that natural orange scent to the surface. It smells like a fresh cut orange, not like sugar. The orange flavor is very light, not over powering. The one thing about that light flavor is that there really isn't an after taste. A few moments after sipping it you could almost forget you were tasting an orange flavored drink. 

Shirakiku Ramune Grape

I thought I had seen all the flavors of ramune from Shirakiku but then happened upon this little bottle of grape. If this is the first time you've seen such a bottle, check out this earlier post which explains a little about the history of the bottle.

This soda has a sweet sugary smell like a grape twin-stick Popsicle. The flavor is nice and light. But unlike the very natural taste of other ramune from this brand the grape falls short of that "real fruit" flavor and is more like an American grape flavored soda. The light, fresh feeling you get from these make them a no brainer in the summer, which is when they are most popular back in Japan. No matter what the taste, these bottles always make a drink a little more whimsical.

Shirakiku Pineapple

Another bottle of Japanese ramune. If this is the first of these you've seen then check out the first post about this particular brand and bottle style at the link here. There are a few other posts on ramune you can explore by using the article "tags" at the bottom of each post.

I was looking forward to trying this drink because I've liked many previous ramune beverages from the Shirakiku line-up, but this one is strange. It smells more like a melon flavored drink. Indeed, there is also a touch of melon in the flavor as well as that of apple juice. But it doesn't invoke any sense of pineapple to me. I'm not saying it is necessarily bad, but it's just not very crisp, no very carbonated and not like pineapple. I can't recommend it, but if you're curious, try it.

Sangaria Gettin' Cool Melon Soda

Another of the somewhat generic aluminum bottled sodas from Sangaria, see the post on strawberry here.

I'm not really a melon eater so I'm not sure if I'll care much for this drink. It's aroma is very much like Red Bull. It's an interesting flavor. It does lend itself to Red Bull's flavor family which surprises me as I would have not previously ever thought of Red Bull as a melon-like flavor. It's also quite sugary and well carbonated. Not much to say beyond that for this one... I'm just not feeling this drink. 

Hawaiian Blue Ramune

Here's another bottle of ramune I located at an asian supermarket. This must be some generic brand as I cannot locate any branding and I'm unsure what Hawaiian Blue is supposed to taste like.

I think this particular drink tastes like cheap bubblegum... like bazooka or even the stuff that comes with baseball cards. Not a great find by any means.

Mizuho Mango Flavor Ramune

Here's a bottle of mango ramune I found a local asian supermarket. This is sort of an off-brand variety or the popular Japanese beverages in the distinctive Codd bottles. Read more about the bottle on my earlier post, here.

It has a distinctive melon tang to it, again it appears the Japanese markets prefer a taste more natural to the real fruit than the American counter part market which seems to go for sickeningly sugary beverages. As someone who loves gadgets and machinery, I still get a joy from opening these bottles. As expected from an knock-off brand of drink however it has that lingering chemical tinge to it I do not enjoy. 

Sangaria Gettin' Cool Strawberry

I found some of these japanese sodas produced by Sangaria in aluminum bottles at a local asian market. It's difficult to learn much about this brand because their official website and most others referring to it are in Japanese. Sangaria focuses mainly on tea flavored drinks, but also makes a few sodas some of which are Ramune drinks.

There is something to be said again, for the way japanese drinks stay true to their flavor roots. A quick waft of this smells like fresh cut strawberries, not sugar. The japanese have figured out a way to pick up this natural flavor better than any american strawberry drink I've ever had. They are either making their sodas with a different process or their consumers have a more critical palate. And it's not overly sugary and sweet, it maintains that slight tartness that real berries have.

Either way, they're dead on when they call their drinks refreshing. I can understand why they would devour these fruity drinks in the summer. Next summer I may go stock up on some more myself.

Shirakiku Ramune Melon

Shirakiku is a Japanese brand, making Ramune sodas in several flavors. For more on the history of this type of bottle see my earlier posting here.

This drink has the high carbonation level of the other Shirakiku Ramune drinks. The aroma is like that of a honeydew melon. The flavor is like a mixture of melons but a sugary cantaloupe is the predominant taste here. Not one of my favorites but I've never been big on eating melon either. 

Shirakiku Ramune Lychee

Shirakiku is a Japanese brand, making Ramune sodas in several flavors. For more on the history of this type of bottle see my earlier posting here.

The Lychee is a small tropical fruit producing ever-green tree. The tree produces small red fruits with a textured rind covering a white flesh. The plant is native to China but now grown in several parts of the world.

When breaking the seal with the bottle's plunger, this beverage has an airy flower-like aroma. The drink has a high carbonation level. As the drink hit my tongue I tasted bubblegum, but the flavor quickly morphed to what I can best describe as flower petals. It could also be described as a mix of exotic chemical and sweet candy combined. It is indeed a complex flavor.

Shirakiku Ramune Strawberry

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.