Global Market Surfer
CLP
Column<Resident Column> [India] Indian staff tastes Japanese RTD Lemon Sour - What is the taste preferred by Indians? Part 2
Introduction.
This time, the second round of sake tasting will be conducted. Last time, lemon sours were compared to each other, and the preferred flavors were those with a good balance between "subtle lemon flavor/taste" and "sweetness. In this second round, we will ask participants to try various flavored sakes and consider what tastes are preferred.
Related Article:
Attitudes toward alcohol, culture
Before I get down to business, I would like to introduce the members who participated in this tasting.
This time, we dug a little deeper and asked about their drinking habits.
Mr. A: Male, in his 30s. He drinks alcohol about once every three months, and his favorite alcoholic beverages are beer and whiskey. He often drinks at parties and other gatherings, and drinks at friends' houses, gatherings, weddings (pre-wedding gatherings of friends), and sometimes at home. I don't often drink alcohol alone.
Mr. S: 30s, male. Drinks alcohol about once a week. His favorite drinks are beer and whiskey. I often enjoy drinking with a group of friends. Drinks at bars, restaurants, etc. I sometimes enjoy drinking alone.
Mr. P: Male, in his 20s. He used to drink alcohol once every three months, but now drinks twice a week. The reason is that alcohol is cheap in Delhi and Haryana, so it is easy to get hold of.(＊1) Basically, he drinks all kinds of alcohol, but prefers whiskey and vodka to beer. I drink mostly in bars and restaurants when I am in the mood to party. I have never drank alone before.
Mr. H: 30s, male, drinks alcohol about once or twice every two to three months, and his favorite drink is whiskey (Scotch). I often go out for a drink with friends when I feel like drinking, and I also enjoy drinks at bars, etc. About 2 out of 5 times, I enjoy drinks alone.
Mr. Sa: 40s, male. He drinks alcohol once or twice a week. He drinks a variety of alcoholic beverages, but prefers rum in winter and gin in summer. He drinks at home, bars, restaurants, and sometimes at friends' houses. He drinks mostly with family and friends and rarely drinks alone.
1 In India, different states have different liquor taxes. For example, Goa imposes a 49% tax, while the highest state, Karnataka (Bangalore), imposes an 83% liquor tax.
https://english.jagran.com/india/liquor-prices-in-india-goa-has-cheapest-booze-karnataka-tops-chart-statewise-list-of-alcohol-prices-10103195
As before, most enjoy drinking with friends and are less likely to drink at home or drink alone. They also rarely drink with their families and do not tell their families that they drink. The reason for this seems to be that India is not a culture that is tolerant of alcohol by nature. One of the people we asked stated, "Alcohol was a taboo in India. Therefore, it seems that the parents' generation is more strict about alcohol. When asked, "What would you do if you knew your parents drank alcohol? They would be told, "Don't drink alcohol, do more good deeds. Compared to their parents' generation, the current generation is becoming more accepting of the drinking lifestyle and will probably become more tolerant of alcohol, albeit gradually.
I was also told that in Delhi, some people drink alcohol in a way called "Car-o-Bar (Car-over)". Car-over is to enjoy alcohol in a car. They go out with friends, buy drinks, order food, stop the car, and enjoy it in the car. Since drinking alcohol in pubs and restaurants is expensive, this is a more economical way to enjoy alcohol.
However, of course, drunk driving is enforced in India, and drinking in public falls under the Indian Penal Code. According to a police officer in Noida, a newly developed city near Delhi, anyone found drinking in public, including in a parked car, will be arrested for a first offense. (*2) In Haryana, another state adjacent to Delhi, a fine of 5,000 rupees will be imposed for the first offense of drinking alcohol in public, including inside a car. (*3)
2 Noida residents complain against ‘car-o-bar’ on isolated road in Sector 77 - Hindustan Times
Restaurants and bars where members often go for drinks
I myself often drink alcohol, but unlike in Japan, there are not many cozy bars in India. Bars, however, often have restaurants attached to them, and basically, places where you can drink are also places where you can enjoy food. In addition, many of them have DJs performing on weekends.
So we asked the members who participated in the tasting session to introduce their favorite bars and restaurants that they usually frequent.
1. Fio Bar and Restaurant
It has a restaurant and bar with European and modern Indian cuisine. They can enjoy drinks in a stylish atmosphere.
Restaurant Instagram
Bar Instagram
2. Whisky Samba
As the name suggests, this is a restaurant where you can enjoy Japanese cuisine (with an atmosphere similar to Japanese cuisine overseas) and where whiskey and cocktails are the main attraction.
3. ReSet By Plan B
This restaurant mainly serves Indian food. While the above two restaurants are a bit expensive, ReSet By Plan B is more like a beer hall and not too expensive.
This time, five different flavors were prepared.
From left to right
Taco High, Hyoketsu Pineapple, Horoyoi White Grape, Horoyoi White Sour, Horoyoi Iced Tea Sour
The survey sought to find out what flavors were preferred in these five categories. Note that in this survey, the flavors were judged only by taste, not by showing the package. After checking the aroma and color before drinking, the respondents were asked for their impressions after tasting the drink.
Taco High
Taco high is a plain sour, a drink characterized by its citrus taste and low sweetness that goes well with food. It is easy to drink with a moderate alcohol content of 6%.
Scent Impressions
Mr. A: "This is a nose-piercing aroma. And I feel lemon."
Mr. Sa: "Vodka, Sprite, and lemon."
Mr. H: "I sense lemon and sourness."
Overall, the lemon citrus aroma seemed to be strongly perceived.
Post-drinking impressions
Mr. S: "The aftertaste was bitter."
Mr. P: "I didn't feel this drink was strong enough alcohol to intoxicate me. It was like sparkling water. It's fine if you just enjoy the alcohol, but not if you don't."
Mr. H: "It felt like a bad lemon."
Mr. Sa: "When I smelled the aroma, I had that feeling, but the taste was very plain. I didn't feel anything at first sip. It tasted bitter and sour."
Mr. A: "This was just like lemon water and a squeeze of lemon. Nine out of ten was the acidity. Also, I know some people find this bitter, and some people like the sweet part of the bitterness, but this probably wasn't either, and it wasn't too bitter."
When asked what kind of drink it reminded them of, they mentioned "badly made gin" and "a little gin and tonic. Although it was a tasting, so the amount of alcohol may have been small, they didn't seem to feel much of an alcohol taste. As for the taste. Some said it was thin, but they did seem to sense a bitter taste. Others said it was "like sparkling water," "squeezed lemon," and "not very sweet.
Hyoketsu Pineapple
This liquor has a refreshing pineapple aroma and taste. It also has a moderate alcohol content of 5%.
Scent Impressions
Mr. A: "This is a pineapple."
Mr. S: "Pineapple."
Mr. P: "Pineapple."
Mr. Sa: "Definitely pineapple.
The aroma was unanimous: pineapple. It was easy to imagine because the pineapple flavor was quite strong and pineapple is a commonly consumed fruit in India.
Post-drinking impressions
Mr. A: "It tastes like pineapple. It tastes more like juice. The aftertaste is not bad. The presence of alcohol is not very strong, but the aftertaste is very good. It is fruity and alcoholic. Also, many people are in the habit of having something to drink during meals. This can be replaced from soft drinks and can be with lunch or dinner. I found it sweet and sour."
Mr. S: "It was pineapple flavored. It was sweet and I would drink it every week. And I think this is a refreshment drink."
Mr. P: "If I wanted to leave without getting drunk, or if I wanted to taste a little bit of tonic flavor, I would definitely drink this, but it's not something that makes you feel good or drunk. If I were to mix this with vodka, I think it would be better because then I could enjoy the pineapple flavor."
Mr. H: "I don't really like mixed drinks. I like to drink it the proper way. I like the authentic style. So I didn't like it much. But I think the aroma and taste matched."
Mr. Sa: "When I smelled the aroma, I could already imagine what it would taste like. This one seemed to have the same aroma and taste. I think it is a summery drink. It is a lunch drink, not an evening drink. It wasn't bitter, just a little sour."
Whatever drink came to mind, they imagined the pineapple flavor of Tropicana and the taste of Appy (Indian apple juice), and they seemed to like it. One possible reason is that the pineapple flavor matched the aroma, which was easy for Indian people to imagine when they smelled the aroma, and it matched the taste, which was consistent.
Horoiyoi White Grape
Horoyoi is a popular brand of easy-to-drink alcohol with an alcohol content of 3%. It is characterized by the fruity taste of white grapes and its refreshing and easy-drinking nature.
Scent Impressions
Mr. A: "Minty flavor, yes, minty and sweet. The aroma seems to be good for women."
Mr. S: "Mojito."
Mr. H: "I can't identify what it is, but it sounds like a sweet flavor."
Mr. Sa: "Blueberry."
I imagined a minty type of aroma. There were also some berry opinions such as blueberry.
Post-drinking impressions
Mr. A: "The second one was pineapple, but this one feels like some kind of fruit, similar to the second one. If you mix it with gin, I think it would be good. Especially, in my opinion, a lot of women like gin and for them it should be a little sweet. You could add lemon, you could add masala spices, you could add mint. I think it would be like a fusion mojito. The pineapple was not artificially sour, but had a natural pineapple essence to it. This is artificial sweetness, like that found in candy. This one had no bitterness or acidity, just sweetness."
Mr. S: "This was just another refreshment drink. Flavor is good."
Mr. P.: "It's a different flavor than the second one, but I think it's the same kind of drink. It was difficult for us to recognize what flavor it was. I didn't think this was something you would drink at a party. Only sometimes when I want a soft drink, I drink this instead."
Mr. H: "I think the aroma and taste are right."
Mr. Sa: "It tasted a little artificial, like it wasn't real sweet."
At first, when they smelled the aroma, they recognized it as a fruit aroma, such as mojito or blueberry, but they could not tell which fruit it was. In fact, one respondent said he could taste sweetness, but "couldn't tell what it was. Although the taste did not seem bad, it was also considered an artificial flavor. Some also suggested that this drink would be better if gin or other ingredients were added to it.
Horoyoi White Sour
Scent Impressions
Mr. A: "The flavors are like cake. The color didn't interest me, but the aroma was intriguing."
Mr. S: "It was my first time to smell it. Vanilla, like vanilla cake."
Mr. P: "I couldn't identify what it was."
Mr. H: "Butterscotch cake."
Post-drinking impressions
Mr. A: "It was hard to tell what flavor this drink was, but it was sweet and had just a hint of bitterness, so it was very well balanced. I could also taste the cake flavor, and it was sweet. It seemed a little more balanced than the others. I just thought the color was a mismatch, kind of like Limca (Indian juice of lemon and lime), or like it's been washed but still has bubbles in it."
Mr. S: "I don't think there is any alcohol in it. The sweetness and vanilla feel is OK. Easy to drink."
Mr. P: "I felt lemoniness."
Mr. H: "The aroma and the aftertaste are all right. And it's butterscotch cake with vanilla flavor."
Mr. Sa: "The taste and aroma were mismatched! I don't like the flavor of the cake, it was like candy. Taste and smell were mismatched, when I smelled it I thought it was a lemony drink, but it was a sweet drink."
The author himself was surprised by the answers, but the aroma seemed to be vanilla, butterscotch, and cake. When asked what kind of drink it reminded them of, no specific drink came up. We had hoped that the Japanese would associate it with lassi, but the taste was not familiar to the Indian respondents, who said they had never experienced this flavor before. In Japan, lactic acid bacteria drinks such as Calpis and yogurt-based drinks are very common, but they are not that widespread in India. Therefore, it is thought that the sweet aroma of dairy products, which is closer to that of the product, was associated with the product. The taste was also rated relatively well, and the drink seemed to have a well-balanced taste. On the other hand, for those who do not like sweet drinks, the taste, combined with the aroma, was not very favorable.
Horoyoi Iced Tea Sour
The last one, Iced Tea Sour, is also a Horoiyoi brand, with 3% alcohol by volume, and has the aroma and flavor of black tea, with a slight lemon taste.
Scent Impressions
Mr. A: "Green tea."
Mr. S: "Tea without milk."
Mr. Sa: "Lemon tea, it was a bit like beer."
Mr. P: "The aroma of tea was strong. The aroma was completely black tea."
Post-drinking impressions
Mr. A: "I felt very bitter. It was like tea bags and water. The bitterness was strong. When you drink tea, of course there is some bitterness in tea, but it was similar."
Mr. S: "No chance to drink it at all. Unacceptable. The taste was not iced tea. The aroma is not good. No sweetness."
Mr. P: "I want to drink iced tea, but I can't find it, so I'm going to buy this one. If it were colder, I might find it tasty, but all I get is the flavor of the tea. A little sweetness, not that many flavors."
Mr. H: "It doesn't suit my taste at all. I could taste the bitterness and the aftertaste was bitter."
Mr. Sa: "I felt a little sweetness, but also some bitterness. There was no alcohol taste."
This one seemed to be a little less suitable for this participant. Most of the participants seemed to feel the flavor of black tea. However, most of the participants this time perceived a bitter taste, which seemed difficult to accept. For Indians, especially those in the northern part of the country, black tea is chai (black tea boiled with milk and a lot of sugar added), and there are few opportunities to enjoy the taste of black tea straight. Perhaps the gap between their usual taste and this kind of taste made their evaluation of the tea more severe.
What was preferred this time?
Finally, we asked for the top three. The most popular was the Hyoketsu Pineapple, followed by the Horoyoi White Sour and the Horoyoi White Grape. Conversely, the most difficult to accept was the Horoyoi Iced Tea Sour. Hyoketsu pineapple was commented as "very sweet, no bitterness, very tasty." The fact that it tasted as expected was also a favorable factor. The comment on the Horoiyoi White Sour was "I have never tasted anything that tasted like a cake before, so it was a unique taste. The sweetness of the taste may have made it easy to drink.
The following is a comparison of all the evaluations to see what was the most favorable factor. From the reactions to the five products tasted this time, it can be said that "sweetness" and "aroma and taste match" were the most favorable factors this time. This point was also commented on in the Hyoketsu and White Sour products. On the other hand, "bitterness" tended to be avoided. This is consistent with the fact that "bitterness" was also shunned in the previous roundtable discussion. One respondent said, "It would be better if it at least had some flavor." Flavor and sweetness were also important, as one respondent said, "It would be better if it had at least some flavor. The white sour, which was rated as "cakey," was unexpectedly well received by Indians, despite its unfamiliarity with their tastes. As for the alcohol taste, as in the previous survey, almost no alcohol was perceived in any of the drinks. Many of the drinks this time were particularly low in alcohol, so they probably felt like juices.
We hope you will refer to this article, keeping in mind that it was written for our five Indian staff members and may not be applicable to all Indians.
Translated with AI Translator
-
Author profile
Rintaro Kobayashi
A 20-something researcher living in Bangalore. She is currently living in India and devoting herself to her work. She is currently exploring Indian coffee and craft beer, and would like to share her views on India from the perspective of Generation Z.
-
Editor profile
Risa Takahama
Responsible for creating the Global Market Surfer website.
- Jul 08, 2024
- 2807 Views