Dairy comes in surprising places

Despite what you may think about the traditional dairy-free Japanese diet, milk continues to make steady inroads, most recently showing up in a number of FMCG food products that have proved surprising hits.

The latest is this questionable Milk Curry cup noodles from Nissin, which joins Milk Seafood and Cheese Curry in the pro-dairy instant soup line-up.

Milk isn’t just an ingredient, but a draw on its own at Hokkaido-based Motoyama Milk’s newly opened Motoyama Milk Bar in the Roppongi Hills shopping complex.

The stylish, modern soda fountain features milk shakes served by “milk maids” in somewhat convincing costume, plus an assortment of other milky menu items. Gimmicky and pricey, yes, but sure to draw visitors.

Meanwhile, industry giant Meiji Dairy, announced plans to open a simulated cheese factory this month, called Tokachi Cheese Plaza in Hokkaido. Tourists who flock to Hokkaido in the summer to escape the heat can watch a simulated process of natural cheese production, have their questions answered at the PR corner, and dine in the restaurant.

Since Hokkaido is well-known to be the dairy producing region in Japan, manufacturers who want a piece of the current appetite for local foods are playing up their Hokkaido connections. TV talent Tanaka Yoshitake (from the northern region of Japan, just shy of Hokkaido), has produced a series of Hokkaido Fresh Caramels that are made from fresh cream and New Zealand white honey. They also come in rustic cheese wheel packaging to highlight the dairy connection.

Judging by the amount of press these little sweets (¥850 for 12) have gotten since they debuted at the beginning of this month, visitors to Hokkaido this summer will no doubt be scooping them up by the bagful as souvenirs.

Tags: beverages, FMCG, food, Hokkaido

Perfect ice for perfect drinks

Somebody out there is working on a device to create the perfect ice cube. Or ice sphere actually.

Taisin has introduced a mold that seamlessly creates a perfect sphere, no chipping and shaving required. Simple place a chunk of ice into the metal press and, as it melts, the device will close around the ice forming a ball, which is then released by the flick of a switch.

The Ice Mold, available in 55, 65, 70, and 80mm mold sizes, can make 30-40 ice balls an hour.

Spheres of ice are preferred by serious on the rocks drinkers because the reduced surface size means that the ice melts at a slower pace, keeping your drink from getting watery to quickly.

Contrary to what you might think, bartenders in Japan consistently take home top honors at global competitions, not because of their flashy antics or strange new concoctions but because there is an intense devotion to making simply the best drink, of which perfect ice is an obvious component.

Speaking of top-notch beverages, Asahi’s Nikka Whiskey label will be releasing again for a limited time its Non-chill Filtered 20 Year Single Malt Whisky that took home the award for best single malt whiskey at the annual World Whisky Awards.

Chilling during the filtering process is common practice to reduce the risk of the whiskey becoming cloudy, though at a sacrifice of taste. Nikka’s Non-chilled filtered goes for full taste, at the risk of having to sacrifice a few cloudy batches. Sales are limited to 1350 bottles and will sell for ¥20,000 (about $187), which considering the other premium beverages on the market, seems totally reasonable.

Combine the Non-chill Filtered Nikka Whiskey on the rocks and a Taisin ice sphere for a perfect whiskey on the rocks!

Tags: Asahi, beverages, gadgets

4 million yen cognac, courtesy of Asahi

Asahi Beer, which holds the rights to distribute French cognac Remy Martin in Japan, has announced that 30 bottles of Remy Martin’s premium champagne cognac Louis 13th Black Pearl Magnum will be released in Japan from this month. 358 bottles will be released globally, which gives Japan nearly 10% of the shares. Not bad!

The precious liquid, which comes in an original Baccarat crystal holder, will be available at select department stores for an astounding ¥4,000,000 (or about $38,000) for a 1,500ml bottle.

And we thought the 30-year-old special reserve Hibiki Whisky that Suntory released last year this time was expensive! That limited edition liquid gold went for a mere ¥1,000,000 a bottle and was limited to 100 bottles in Japan, 10 of those in Tokyo.

Like the Hibiki (pictured above), we expect the Louis 13th Black Pearl Magnum to be swallowed up in the high-end nightlife establishments in Tokyo’s Ginza and Kyoto’s Gion at an even more exorbitant 50% mark-up. Cheers to the high life!

Posted by Rebecca Milner

Tags: alcohol, Asahi, beverages

Famous Ginza shop creates flavors for Suntory drink line

Suntory’s line of Ginza premium cocktail beverages takes the local product trend to the extreme, referencing not just a region or a city but a specific Tokyo neighborhood. One that has a well-defined image of course: Ginza is Tokyo’s most upscale nightlife district, and the association gives the packaged, convenience store drink, an element of luxury.

As it turns out, the high-class neighborhood is lending its expertise in addition to its name. The flavors are created in collaboration with Ginza Sembikiya, a famous purveyor of premium fruit and fruit jellies (of the $100 melon variety).

While this line of cocktails have been around for a couple of years, Suntory plans to release a sparkling variety in muscat and peach flavors later this month and a guava flavor this summer.

At only ¥209 a can this is by far the closest most mortals will get to purchasing something from the 114 year old shop.

Tags: beverages, Ginza, Suntory

Regional flavored coffee drinks from Walker magazine

If Tokyo were a chilled convenience store coffee drink, what would it taste like? City magazine series Walker created a panel of six readers (3 men, 3 women) to work together with Japan’s top barista and Toyo Beverages to develop a coffee drink that epitomizes the taste of Tokyo.

Based on a panel discussion about top Tokyo cafes and feedback after sampling various coffee drinks, Tokyo Café Latte was born, a coffee drink derived from a rich, bitter coffee, milk reminiscent of cream liquor, and a subtle dash of honey. The package, of equal importance as noted by the panel, is an oshare (stylish) two-tone brown and cream (like the interior of a classy hotel) with English words scribbled on the front.

Walker plans to produce coffee drinks for all the cities where it has magazines
with the Kansai style Café Au Lait set for release on April 8. In a hade (loud) leopard print cup with the words café au lait written in Japanese hiragana, the Kansai taste coffee drink is a creamy, milky, rich coffee drink, not sweet at all.

Yokohama, Tokai, Hokkaido, and Kyushu taste coffee drinks will be released consecutively each month from May, available at Lawsons for an undisclosed limited time.

This move by Walker touches upon two recent trends, beverage collaborations and regional products and would seem to be somewhat inspired by the successful Starbucks packaged coffee drink “Discoveries” series with flavors inspired by Paris, Seattle, etc sold exclusively in East Asia. Compared to other coffee drinks, which run up to 300ml, both the Walker and Starbucks products are a slim 200ml, though Walker is ¥180 compared to Starbucks ¥210.

Unfortunately it seems like sales of the Walker series will be limited to the coffee’s particular region, so those who want a taste of Hokkaido will still actually have to go there.

Tags: beverages, magazines

Bottle Innovations: Instant fresh tea

With “fresh” and “local” being key words for food products these days, manufacturers of pre-packaged items are seeking ways to change the image of their traditionally less than healthy goods. While bottled green tea might be one of the already acceptable convenience store products, CIC Co. goes the extra mile with its Kyo no Matcha.

With a twist of the air-tight cap, 1.4 grams of traditional Kyoto matcha (high-grade green tea) is released into the mineral water below, creating a serving of fresh (yet instant) tea with no added chemicals or preservatives. In the same fashion, CIC Co. also offers Ukon (tumeric) and Aoijiro (kale juice) health drinks.

Aojiru Tea is new from HW Styles and we had a chance to sample at a recent health expo. “Aojiru” just means “green juice” and has been a keyword for healthy drinks lately. Instead of kale, this version contains barley and uses the same unique bottle concept.

At ¥5,280 for a case of 24, Kyo no Matcha is nearly twice the price of regular bottled teas, but certainly within the acceptable range for products billed as healthy and natural.

Tags: Best Agers, beverages, Bottles, Drinks, Health Food

Cafe Colon functional coffee cleans and caffeinates

Caffeine is already a diuretic, but can coffee clean your body through intestinal bacteria?

Billed as being good for a variety of ills including fatigue, allergies, obesity, an even halitosis, Cafe Colon is a functional beverage that combines the burgeoning RTD coffee market with the needs of an aging population.

Cafe Colon contains EM-X, an Okinawan antioxidant made by fermenting rice bran, brown rice, and seaweed that is said to clean the body and slow aging. The EM-X is mixed with deep-sea water, lactic acid, oligosaccharides, and brewed with organic coffee to create an original, functional brew.

We had a taste of the coffee recently (at the same expo we had the Placenta 10000), but not so much that our colons noticed. Japan’s aging society is increasingly looking for ways to make their lives healthier by improving the products they already consume, and Cafe Colon is just a tiny example of this growing market.

Tags: beverages, cafe colon, Coffee, FOSHU, health

Monster Hunter Drink from Bandai

Seems like Square Enix won’t be the only ones making money off of tired, thirsty gamers these days.

Coinciding with the March 27th release of the much anticipated Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G game for PSP, Bandai is releasing an exclusive energy drink only to be sold in 7-11 convenience stores.

The Monster Hunter Drink is produced by Hino Pharmaceutical and contains royal jelly, vitamins, and fruit flavors. They expect to sell 50 million bottles before the limited run finishes at the end of April.

Bandai press release

Tags: Bandai, beverages, gaming, Monster Hunter