Mt. RAINIER Hokkuri Waguri Latte for Fall 2020

    Searching for a little autumnal yumminess, I stumbled across this one at the grocery store and thought I would give it a try. Chestnuts were a little new to me when I moved to Japan but I quickly fell in love with the regional delicacy of kurikinton, creamy little dessert snacks made mostly of mashed chestnut. That was back in Gifu of course, and since moving northward a decade ago, I haven't enjoyed much in the way of chestnut goodness, so I was looking forward to trying this one.

    The container was wonderfully decorated in lovely shades of autumn colors with leaves, chestnuts, and small golden coffee beans. Even the plastic cap sported a variation of the motifs from the front, arranged in a circle around the company logo.

Such a pretty container for a nice fall beverage.

    Another logo with Mount Fuji in front of the Japanese flag, set off by the same motif from the top, appears in two places with the words Nippon Color Vibes. There is something to be said about the traditional Japanese grasp of color and how vibrant it can be in comparison to some color palettes elsewhere. Seeing a whole rainbow utilized in a kimono ensemble without gaudiness is something that has stuck with me through the years. Despite being just another piece of disposable plastic, this cup does bring some of that crisp autumn cheer with its bright pops of yellow-green leaves alongside rich chestnut browns and fiery maple reds.

    Next to the nutrition label, a short paragraph of Japanese explains that this product is a limited 2020 edition of bittersweet café latte. It encourages the consumer to enjoy the mellow scents and flavors autumn. Hoping that this would indicate something really delicious inside, I removed the straw and poked it into the drink.

Am I the only one who loves these little details?

    I think this is probably what it would taste like if you added chestnut syrup and artificial creamer to hojicha tea, and while I did enjoy it well enough to finish it, I won't be drinking another one. I'm not overly fond of the flavor of hojicha or creamer and the chestnut flavor wasn't rich enough to power through that.

    Specifically the creamer aspect bothered me as it has on a few Japanese latte style drinks, though usually this happens with cheaper brands than Mt RAINIER. I don't know why but one of the chemicals involved in making the pre-packaged drinks taste creamier also turns my stomach. My issues with hojicha have more to do with the three months of hospitalized bedrest I went through to have my daughter. For some reason, they wouldn't give me water but offered as much barley tea as any dehydrated pregnant woman could drink. As many things with that pregnancy went, I enjoyed this well enough at first but grew to be completely repulsed by the overexposure.  

    If you enjoy hojicha and don't have a problem with artificial creamers, this might be a very enjoyable way to ring in fall 2020.