Locally Blended Juice Drink brings Pinoy flavors to a convenience store near you.
By Anna Gamboa
Hydrate, they said. Get some vitamins in you, they said. After nursing a cold for the nth time and mulling over my choices at the convenience store near the adobo office, a bright pink bottle caught my eye, causing me to abandon my Taiwanese sugar-free jasmine tea. “Tamarind My Bell” the label cheekily introduced itself, with quirky graphics that reminded me of wholesome Trader Joe’s wares, and informative copy that announced the provenance of the tamarind pulp from the earthy terroir of Cavite, Bulacan, Batangas, Zambales, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija.
In short, gawa sa Pinas –and I was swayed by the promise of thirst-quenching, sour-sweet bliss. Following the directions stated on the label, I shook the contents, twisted the cap and took a swig. Let’s just say I was instantly transported to those joyous grade school days of pestering the sari-sari store lady on a summer day for my daily hit of sampalok.
Naturally, the next drink my id-driven appetite clamored to try was “Kamias You Are” –with the fruit puree sourced from Batangas and Laguna that promised “tart and sour goodness.” The yellow-orange label sported a similar aesthetic as the tamarind juice, and the cheeky copy once again lured me into parting with Php 36 at the store. Alas, the promised tart(ness) didn’t materialize, leaving me feeling like a bachelor staring at an empty trick cake. Seriously guys, I grew up having a kamias tree in my garden, so the slightly overripe fruit flavor was disappointing to say the least.
So you can understand my trepidation as I eyed the purple label that declared “You’ve Dalandan It Again” –was it going to be a hit or miss? The cheery image of a dalandan slice seemed to assure me that the sweet-sour citrus fruit sourced from Batangas, Laguna and Mindoro would deliver on some sort of juice-infused magic. “Dalandaan! Tadaan!” the borderline trippy copy tried to wave imaginary spirit fingers as I forked over my cash at the register, but by this time I was trying the product out of curiosity, bracing myself for disappointment. And the dalandan, well, it did it again—it kinda disappointed. Sorry, not sorry. That slightly overripe flavor (or cloying sweetness) turned me off as quickly as a dude stuck in the 80’s drenched in Drakkar.
There’s an upcoming fourth flavor with mangosteen puree (somewhere along the lines of “Mangosteenie miney mo”), but I’ll withhold judgment until I fork over Php 36 and have a drink. Hope springs eternal after all, when it comes to trying Pinoy products—you have nothing to lose except a bit of cash and your faith.
