Jin + Ja - Whole Foods: Mt Laurel, NJ

Jin + Ja - Whole Foods: Mt Laurel, NJ

This is the last beverage I picked up at Whole Foods and, since I don't get up there too often, I'm not sure when I'll be picking up a new 100% Raw Tea to re-review. (It's a really inconvenient location, but I'm still interested in the product.)

As for this beverage, I like ginger, but only in small doses. So, why did I buy a ginger-based drink? Needless to say, the little award sticker suckered me in. Apparently this won Cold Beverage of the Year! (Which I honestly didn't know that was a thing. Is that a thing? Does that make me a bad foodie?) Ultimately I wanted to see what an award winning beverage tasted like, so I picked up a bottle. Although, the packaging also won me over.

This curvy bottle is pretty small, about the size of a classic Coke bottle, and it's made of clear glass. There's no texture or engraving on the glass itself and all of the design work has been printed on clear labels. I really like the bold logo and subtle swirls that decorate the bottle, but the bottle's neck seems a little empty. If it wasn't for the award winning sticker, the deign might look a little sparse and unfinished. Is there normally a design that goes up there? I tried looking for information online but there was very little to be found. 

Other than the official site and Bevnet, I couldn't find any product reviews, so I might be one of the first foodies to do so. (Boldly going where no blogger has gone before.)

There are plenty of floaties and sediment in the bottle, which look like little bits of cayenne and maybe some ground up ginger? The directions say to shake this up before drinking, obviously, so it's time to shake this stuff up and give it a try. 

Oh wow. Yup, this stuff smells like ginger. The aroma is bold and spicy, kind of like the pickled ginger that comes alongside sushi, but there is a hint of cayenne as well. The smell is strong but pretty appealing. Even though I don't like strong ginger flavors, I can admit that the aroma is pretty nice.

Time for a sip.

Oh man. That first sip packs a punch. Wow. I wish I had filmed myself trying this one because I am sure my facial expressions and noises would have been very entertaining for others. (I mean I could still film it, but it wouldn't be a fresh first impression anymore. Bummer.)

My first initial reaction was NOPE, but honestly...this stuff grew on me after just a few seconds. At first I could taste a strong, spicy, ginger flavoring, but that quickly turned into a sweet tea-like flavoring, and then a spicy (but still sweet) cayenne burn. It lit up my tongue with sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory all at once. I don't know if this shorted out my taste-buds or what, but I really like it.

The information on the bottle says that this was used as a mixer for cocktails, but it became a beverage in it's own right. I'd love to try this mixed up in drinks, but it really is great on it's own. Even someone like me, who hates strong ginger flavoring, can really enjoy this one.

Now, this isn't for anyone. My mother hates spicy...well, anything. So I would never give this to her, and my sister refused to drink it after smelling it. I'm going to see what my boyfriend, who practically drinks sriracha, thinks of this stuff, but I really liked it.

This Jin+Ja beverage is really unique and different. It might not refresh you like other beverages, but it will bounce around your taste-buds like a pinball.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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