Hyuganatsu fruit drink

Miyazaki-ken Hyuganatsu

Brand: Itoen

Price: 150 yen

Place of purchase: FamilyMart convenience store

Rating:

Have you tried hyuganatsu, the citrus variety from Miyazaki Prefecture? It's not widely available outside of the region where it is grown. Itoen and Zennoh, the largest agricultural cooperative in Japan, team up for a series of hyuganatsu products. This drink, Miyazaki Hyuganatsu, is sold in a 500 ml PET plastic bottle at convenience stores. The drink is made with 1% fruit juice. It's sweetened with fructose, but it doesn't overwhelm the tart and lightly bitter hyuganatsu citrus. I found it at a FamilyMart.

Miyazaki Hyuganatsu is a flat drink that carries the flavour of the regional citrus variety. It's cheap and good for rehydrating. Note that it contains sugar, and is about 170 calories per bottle. The label is what got me. It's part of a product series in a project called Nippon Yell. The idea is to bring attention to regional fruit growers. About the citrus - Hyuganatsu originated in Miyazaki Prefecture and spread to Shikoku. The growers hand-pollinate the flowers. The large fruits have edible rinds. I recommend not peeling and eating it in slices.