Super Happy Asian Drink Hour - Pocari Sweat!

*Wise Guise and I assembled a panel of friends, all possessing varied amounts of experience with foreign drinks, and had them try seven wacky/tasty/exotic drinks from Japan! We cleansed our palates with Japanese salty snacks in-between drinks.*

Joe (limited experience): "A non-carbonated Squirt, plus something...is there ginseng in that? I like this. This is good."

Wise_Guise (moderate experience): "Now this stuff you can pound. It's very refreshing."

Danithius (advanced experience): "A very light grapefruit flavor. And the greatest name ever for a sports drink."

Adam (moderate experience): "It has a more bland...or like, light flavor."

Crystal (limited experience): "I don't think I like this one very much."

Consensus: Light, slightly citrus-y, great as a sports-chugger.

Function: Youth Trip

Youth Trip Vista, cir. Oct 2008

Wow, now that's an interesting flavor. It's like a grape shock-tart without the sour...with a buckwheat aftertaste. Yeah. There's buckwheat in this. I'll give that notion a few moments to congeal in your mind.

Did you black out for a second there? I know I did. Just brush yourself off and check for any major lacerations. If none, proceed with the review.

This is a crazy strange combo of ingredients, and yet it works somehow. Basically, this drink claims that it can be used in place of sunscreen. It'll give you healthy skin and cure wrinkles, too. Wow.

I'm split on the ingredients in here... the drink has a ton of ingredients I can't pronounce, but then on the other hand, it's made by doctors...hmmm. Sugar levels are just fine: only 26 g for 16 oz. It tastes sweet enough, and the flavor has enough depth and character to keep you interested till the end.

Rating: 4 out of 5 - I'm not sure if it will take the place of your SPF 30, but it has a unique taste and a lot of vitamins, so it's not a bad choice for midday quenching.