Japanese Beverage Report: Sakura Mist

I inadvertently saved the best for last, it seems. Sakura Mist is really good.

It’s lightly carbonated and not terribly sweet. (If I’m deciphering the label correctly, it has less than half of the sugar of most American sodas.) It has a very subtle flavor. I think it’s cherry flavored in that nebulous way that artificial cherry has a flavor that doesn’t really taste like cherries. I could drink a lot of the stuff if I had a ready supply of it.

The strangest thing about it is its scent. When I opened the bottle and sniffed it, I immediately thought “oh, it smells just like–” and then couldn’t think of what it smells just like. I handed the bottle to Tracie and she had the same reaction: it smells exactly like something we can’t place. It’s an odd experience.

Before opening it I noticed that there are several numbered sentences on the label. Wondering whether they were instructions I should follow (since the Fanta’s instructions are relevant to its consumption) I asked Rafael for a translation. Here is his response:

Numbers on Sakura Mist???

Let me grab a bottle and check…

OMG… cannot believe these instructions/recommendations are so lame….

1. You CAN divide 1 bottle of Sakura Mist and enjoy 2 GLASSES OF SAKURA MIST

2. Respectively you can add one shot of Vodka…. (VERY GOOD RECOMMENDATION.. I might follow it!!!)

3, If you steer quietly your cocktail, you can enjoy it with someone special

Small print: Alcohol for 20 y/o and older

And it’s true, it would be good with vodka in it, if I still drank alcohol.

It’s good stuff, and besides it has this pretty picture of a cherry tree on the logo: