Canada Dry Hot
/So normally I'd just link you to Episode 46 - The Popcast Spectacular and call it a day, but we spent nearly $10 on this 3oz can so I figured it was worth giving a written review to. Actually YOU spent nearly $10 on this can because we bought it with your donations! Thank you so very much for donating so that we can review international beverages such as this!
Just so you're aware this review was written after we recorded the Podcast, but is written using my memory of the situation. The rating used will by mine (Aaron) and everything below this paragraph will be accurate to my initial opinions of the soda at hand.
I think what called us to Canada Dry Hot other than the fact that it's a Japanese soda, is that it seems like a really good idea from the get go. Hot ginger ale just works well within the logical portions of my mind. The fact that Coke did a ton of research to allow cans to be heated without issue makes me believe that there was a market that agreed with my mind. The last time a market agreed with my mind we got burnable CD's and I think we all know how successful that is. Oh, you didn't know I invented that technology? Well I didn't, but as a kid I had the idea so that counts for something... be it less than .001%.
This isn't the time to talk about what could have been, it's the time to talk about what's in front of me. I have a tiny can of soda with Japanese writing all over it. All I know is that this can contains Canada Dry Hot Ginger Ale. To prepare this liquid within this can for consumption we've taken a few steps. Normally there would be a heated vending machine on the street and we'd just pick out what we wanted and drink it. Since "normally" is in Japan we're going to have to heat this up through our own methods. We got a pot of water boiling on the stove and we're going to remove it from its heat source. Now we shall place the can in the heated water until we become too nervous to let it sit any longer. Perhaps we'll drape a towel over it as well because we're terrified.
As we're waiting I'm in a permanent flinch phase. I know that Coke has designed these cans to be heated, but my brain still finds this to be so out of the ordinary it's worried. Ok, ten minutes seems good. Removing the can with a pair of tongs we're ready to crack 'er open, but need a pair of gloves to do so because of the heat coming off the can. It's incredibly weird seeing steam come out of a soda can as I pour it into this mug.
The aroma that I'm experiencing is wonderful. It smells like a light apple cider and makes me wish for a few more weeks of winter. When I'm greeted with a bouquet like this I often pretend I'm in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Their winters always seemed to be so much fun and I could almost feel the warmth of the fireplace. Sadly though I only have this mug to enjoy, so I best get to enjoying it.
It's always a treat when the aroma accurately represents the taste. Science probably says it should happen more often than not, but to me it seems to be about a 50/50 shot. For the record our heating time and method worked flawlessly. This is a fantastic sipping temperature and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Each tiny sip I'm taking is filled the same light apple flavor I inhaled. The spices used coat the back of my throat causing the slightest of burns, but adding to the overall effect of the beverage. Only when I pull the can away does the ginger ale make itself known and it does indeed taste like a hot Canada Dry. Thankfully the initial flavors seep into every second of my drinking experience, improving even the aftertaste. Placing my face over the mouth of the mug builds a smile on my face and an anticipation of what is to come. Another sip taken takes me on the same winding path of apple, spice, and finally ginger ale. It's a combination that would be difficult to find error in as it creates its own nostalgia for a beverage I've never had before.
While the carbonation seemed plentiful at the pour, like the world in The Neverending Story it has all but disappeared. We're left with a single grain of sand to rebuild from and that is plenty considering what it has to work with.
Canada Dry Hot will probably go down as the highest rated big name soda we've tried to date. Would I spend $10 more dollars to get a second can? I might, but that's still nonsensically expensive for what it is. Hopefully one day this product will make its way to America or at least become cheaper to get our hands on.
~A
Your donations brought us this beverage
So much Japanese
