Asian soft drinks that may be of interest . . .

[Randy W]

for Westerners.

Sarsae is a root beer/sarsaparilla/vanilla creme soda clone that, to me, tastes fairly good. I haven't tried making a Sasae/root beer float yet, but I expect that'll be good also. Chinese vanilla ice cream is often made with real, not artificial, vanilla - look for the picture of a flowering vanilla bean on the package.

The main criticism of Sarsae on the Internet is that it ain't root beer. Well, it's not. Just expect something closer to vanilla cream soda than to REAL root beer and you won't be disappointed.

Wonderful World of Root Beer: Watson’s Sarsae

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Watson’s Sarsae is like a thinner version of sarsaparilla – not too sweet and a little watery, with a little molasses flavor that’s also evident in the scent. While it does have a definite plant-based flavor, which is actually more pronounced because it isn’t as sweet, there’s not much depth. It’s also a little tart, leaving the same squeaky feeling on the teeth that some citrus drinks often can. The ingredients list both sugar and HFCS, which is interesting considering that it’s not that sweet, and also includes an “acidity regulator,” . . .

 

 

The next one is an old Russian favorite, also sold in Harbin, and only recently imported to the rest of China by WaHaHa

Kvass may be more of an acquired taste - the WaHaHa Kvass I bought definitely has the fermenting yeast smell and taste, and is not bad at all.

Qiulin IPO prospectus shows boom and bust of kvass drink in China

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Kvass is a traditional Slavic and Baltic fermented beverage commonly made from black or regular rye bread.

The Harbin-based Qiulin is China's oldest kvass maker. Kvass is consumed in northeast China, mainly in Heilongjiang province, thanks to the heavy Russian influence in the early 20th century. In fact the company name Churin or Qiulin in Mandarin comes from Ivan Churin, a Russian merchant who first started producing Kvass in Harbin in 1900 during the Tsarist period.

 

Chinese Thirst for Kvass Draws Wahaha into Russian Niche

 

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With alcohol content well under 1.2% — and generally closer to 0.5% — kvass is generally considered a soft drink with healthful properties, partly due to its vitamin B content and partly because it doesn’t have nearly as much sugar as most sodas.

 

 

 

I buy Sarsae at the RT Mart, and only discovered the kvass at Tong Yong a couple of days ago.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Greg.D.]

I'll be looking for some kvass on my next trip to the Asian supermarket. I have some slavic blood in me and just finished my lunch of Easter leftovers that included pumpernickel and sourcream.