Chocolate Drinks Are for Anytime, Anywhere

I should disclose that this chocolate milk is hard for me to write about, because every time I’d open a bottle to drink, it’d be gone before I realized that I was drinking it. It’s. So. Good. It’s the right sweetness, the right consistency, and the right color. And at 215 ml, I daresay it’s just the right amount, coming in an adorable bottle of the perfect size. The process of taking the cap off and poking the straw through the foil fills me with all sorts of childhood vibes. They come in a pack of 6 bottles and a little bundle of straws to accompany them, so that I can take them out to an outdoor picnic with little fried chicken pieces and egg sandwiches!

What you see is what you get here: chocolate milk in a box! It initially feels very sweet, but the more you drink it, the more settled the flavor gets. And despite the somewhat watery texture, there’s an unexpected aftertaste that lingers in your mouth. The box comes with an attached straw, which is a fun (and the only) way to drink this drink. You can also take it to places, though it’s best served chilled. (And I admit, I feel pretty awesome drinking chocolate milk out of a little box as a fully-grown adult…)

I know this is a weird observation, but the cocoa powder in these packets is super pretty. When you pour hot water into it, it makes a fantastic crackling sound, and the chocolate smell conjures up images of hanging out with polar bears in a log cabin located in the north pole. It smells… deep, not like other American hot cocoa powders. The box boasts that the drink contains 120 mg of polyphenols, which I guess is a good thing? You can have this drink two ways, hot or iced, and both taste good, just in different ways. Even if you don’t know Japanese, the back of the box tells you how to prepare it (140 ml of hot water for the hot version, or 70 ml of hot water plus some ice cubes for the iced). The packet has the right level of sweetness, so 140 ml is just the right amount!

Morinaga is a classic company that has been around since 1919 (I just learned!). And this is a nice hefty bag of cocoa powder that’s not too sweet, which means you can adjust amounts to make the perfect cup for yourself. Any type of milk would work too. The bag indicates three ways to make it (with hot milk, with hot water, or with cold milk or water), and it gives you both tablespoons/teaspoon amounts and approximate gram weight. But none of this matters, because it’s really just best to add cocoa powder as you go, to taste. (I also added it to my leftover coffee along with some oat milk, which was fantastic.) This drink contains polyphenols and dietary fiber, and it also helps keep you warm, apparently—which can be a good thing not just in cold weather but also in unforgivingly air-conditioned offices!

Kikkoman is known in the States for their soy sauce, but it makes sense that they also make soy milk. In fact, I used to buy the Kikkoman brand soy milk in the grocery stores when I lived in Japan, though I’d rarely indulge myself with the flavored ones. (You know, health-consciousness and all.) But chocolate is one of my top 3 flavors, and the fact that this product is organic makes it even more appealing. The soy milk is neither too watery nor too thick, making it easy to drink. It also doesn’t taste too beany, which is something I’m kind of picky about with soy milk brands. If you eat something and then come back to it, the bean taste feels more prominent, but even for someone like me, this chocolate soy milk is still one that I’d reach for again and again. It just tastes… different, not just from cow milk but from other soy and alternative milks too. The chocolate doesn’t taste too sweet or overpowering, and it goes well in smoothies and milkshakes. I agree with the box that it’s best served chilled. It can probably be used to make some tasty, healthy desserts too!

If you ever want an at-home instant mint chocolate latte, this is it. The coffee comes through beautifully and assertively, and the mint taste… well, it tastes like you melted a handful of Andes Mints in your cup, just in a good way. The drink foams up nicely, which adds to the experience. The pictorial instructions on the side of the box tell you to add roughly 100 ml of hot water, which I think is just right. But you can also have this drink iced if the weather is warm and you’re in the mood for it!

I’m pretty sure that I’m OK never ordering matcha latte from a coffee shop, just as long as I have these packets on hand. The resulting drink has the perfect bitterness that you’d expect from matcha, but as part of a subdued sweetness. The drink is creamy and has a great texture. Don’t know Korean? No problem! The picture on the side of the box tells you “Hot Water 100ml”, so you’re all set. I tend to overdo the water on drinks like these because I want to stretch the powder (I know, I know…), and this drink was sweet and rich enough that I could get away with adding almost 125 ml. It’s the perfect box to have at home or at the office.