When trying Asian foods, some may gravitate toward sweets over the actual foods in order to work up some bravery before trying real meals. That’s okay; people have their quirks. If you’re a person who can relate, then Japan is the place to go if you want to experience something different when pleasing your sweet tooth.
If you like candy and pop (because here in the Midwest, it’s “pop,” not “soda”), the Lotte Mixed Soda candy may catch your fancy. Not only do you get hard candy, but you can also taste some of Japan’s pops. It’s a two-for-one deal!
Packaging
The candy bag is kawaii with the happy little pop bottles and bright colors. What’s shown on the package should be in the bag. A lot of people complained that what was shown wasn’t what they received. I received four of the five flavors shown. Instead of Bikkle, I received honey lemon water. Lotte needs to work on this in order to not misrepresent their candy.
The bag I received featured the following flavors:
- Dakara Water
- C.C. Lemon
- Genki Orange
- Honey-Lemon Water
- Dekavita C
While I received all the flavors to sample, there was a larger volume of Dakara water, so distribution does seem to be uneven. However, the clear window on the package will allow you to see what candy you have. If the candy is available in-store, you can see if you have a good mix before you buy.
For health conscious individuals, the package is written in Japanese, so you may not be able to tell what is in the candy. A former student of mine pointed out that the lemon and honey flavors have some vitamin content, but that doesn’t mean this is a healthy snack. If you want the ingredient list, you can find it on Amazon.com since many of the sellers include this information.
Review: The Flavors
Each of the five flavors provides different experiences although each candy, for the most part, tastes mostly citrusy. If they were piled—unwrapped—together, there’s really no way to tell the difference between each flavor since they all smell like cough drops and have similar coloring. With a few, you can only tell the difference through taste alone.
Dakavita C- The candy is a bright yellow, so it looks more like a lemon cough drop than candy. After popping it in my mouth, I definitely realize it’s not a cough drop! The candy, once it hits the tongue, begins to pop and fizz. It burns a little bit creating an interesting experience.
The flavor is very refreshing, like summer. If you’re a fan of Sprite, 50/50, Squirt, or Sierra Mist, Dakavita C is the perfect candy for you. This one was my favorite.
Honey Lemon- My first impression of the honey lemon flavor was that it tasted like a cough drop. Initially, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. As the candy began to melt down, the flavor got better and started to taste like watered-down lemonade. There wasn’t any effervescence which was disappointing. While the flavor improved, it was overall flat and needed something.
C.C. Lemon- This flavor is light and mild and not overwhelmingly lemon. Even the scent wasn’t lemony, but it did smell like one of those Lysol wipes after it’s been left on the counter for an hour. I didn’t care because it was tasty.
Upon biting into the candy, there was a strong burst of lemon and hints of grapefruit. I noticed there was also a return of the carbonation that Dakavita had, although it is slightly less potent. The fizz and flavor combine to make C.C.
Lemon taste better than it smells, but it is still on the bland side even though it was good.
Natchan- Natchan is a nice, iridescent orange color. The flavor is extremely light, but it is delightful even though it lacks carbonation. It has a hint of Orange Crush, but not enough to truly call this a “pop-flavored” candy. To me, it didn’t taste any different than any other orange candy available, but it’s sweetness made it a go-to flavor.
I have to admit the smiley bottle made me feel bad for feeling disappointed in the candy. The package actually guilted me into liking the flavor more.
Dakara- Popping this one into my mouth was a terrible shock, like I was getting punished for some sin I committed. The flavor is so overwhelming, it was something other-worldly. The flavor even filled my nose to where it felt like I shoved one of those pine tree air-fresheners up it.
Dakara tastes strongly of grapefruit, but there’s a woody, piney taste as well. It’s just too overwhelmingly unpleasant for my taste buds. Looking up the ingredients, one of the candies does have pine as an ingredient, and I have a feeling it’s this one. There’s just something so off-putting about this flavor that it is shocking. At first I thought it was just that one piece, but a second piece yielded the same result.
However, another family member loved it and finished the bag.
Dakara is definitely an acquired taste.
Overall
Three out of five flavors tasted too similar. The Dakavita was the best of the bunch because it truly tasted like pop, but Dakara tasted like hard-candy punishment. Dakara aside, it’s a good candy to keep around, and the price isn’t bad either. Overall, I would recommend it.
—- Joelle Halon
