From Sol's Eye to Deja Vu... Do You Like These Drinks?

Tasting and Challenging 5 Polarizing Beverage Champions!

Preferences (好不好), as the Chinese characters literally mean, refer to what one likes and dislikes. When we say a food is "polarizing," it means individual opinions about that food are sharply divided, with very few people feeling neutral or indifferent. Even if I shout hundreds of times, "This food is delicious," and the person sitting right next to me says, "I don't like it," there's nothing I can do. Their taste is entirely dependent on their personal preference.

▷ The ultimate polarizing food, Mint Choco Soju review

Among such polarizing foods, there are some that attract even more attention. These are the five beverages shown in the photo. They are often neglected in a corner of convenience stores or supermarkets, but at Drinkit, we wanted to give them some respect. Hence, we started the Elegant Tasting Session. We've also added some quirky one-line reviews with a touch of humor, so please enjoy this lightly and with fun!

Polarizing Beverage Lineup
Ceylon Tea · Solui Nun · McCol · Dr Pepper · Dezawa

#1. Ceylon Tea

Starting sweetly, drawn to you ordinarily~ We began with the ordinary 'Ceylon Tea.' Released in 1993, the 'Ceylon' in Ceylon Tea refers to the old name of Sri Lanka. It emphasizes that it is real black tea directly extracted alongside Sri Lankan black tea.

Closing my eyes tightly and sipping... It's delicious. Why is it delicious? It seems that if you briefly steep a black tea bag in the commonly drunk Lipton iced tea, you can get a taste similar to Ceylon Tea. Also, it tastes quite similar to Wellgreen's lemon green tea beverage. However, towards the end, you can feel the slightly bitter characteristic taste of black tea.

I even briefly wondered why this beverage is so polarizing. If I were to point out a downside, it would be that it is not very strong. It would be appropriate to describe it as the concentration of iced tea poured into an ice cup and left for over 10 minutes.

▶ Quirky review: Such an extremely ordinary taste that it might be better to exclude it from polarizing beverages. You're OUT!

#2. Solui Nun

This beverage, Solui Nun, caught the attention of the entire team. First, the editor has no prior memory of trying Solui Nun. Summarizing others' opinions, it is described as 'sour with a sharp sting, and a scent similar to medicated oil passes by.' What kind of taste is this...?!

Solui Nun contains pine needle extract concentrate, giving it a cool and refreshing characteristic. The pine needle scent is strong, but the initial aroma was not very pleasant. It even made me wonder, 'Is the beverage spoiled?' On the other hand, the taste is like a sweet black tea with added pine needle scent. The sparkling carbonation sensation doesn't last long. It feels like menthol candy has subtly transformed into a beverage. However, please note that one team member confidently stated, "Solui Nun tastes good."

▶ Quirky review: An impossible combination has occurred. Ingredients that shouldn't be in a beverage are in this drink.

#3. McCol

Launched in 1982, McCol is Korea's first barley carbonated beverage. It contains barley extract, liquid fructose, vitamin C, and more. I had only tried McCol once before, so it was interesting to see if my memory matched the taste this time.

Pouring it into a cup, countless tiny bubbles formed. At first sip, I thought, 'It tastes like flat cola?' But after trying it again, I realized it tastes like flat cola mixed with barley tea, expressing the savory flavor of barley. The description of a barley carbonated beverage quickly makes sense. It contains half the savory barley flavor and half the sparkling carbonation sensation.

▶ Quirky review: Perfect to prank underage siblings curious about beer by saying, 'This is beer.'

#4. Dr Pepper

Many people might think Dr Pepper is a lower-tier version of cola like Coca-Cola or Pepsi. However, Dr Pepper was actually launched in 1885, one year before Coca-Cola's release in 1886.

The aroma of the beverage as it was poured into the cup was enough to pique curiosity. There was definitely a fresh cherry scent, followed by the sweet smell typical of carbonated drinks. It is a cola filled with artificial cherry juice scent. This seems to be the point of polarization. Some think, 'Why add cherry flavor to an already tasty cola?' while others believe, 'The cherry scent is the highlight of this drink.' The editor votes for the former...! It would have been better if the cherry scent were a bit less artificial.

▶ Quirky review: A prank of adding cherry juice to cola that surprisingly tastes good, making it a drink you can just enjoy.

#5. Dezawa

Dezawa, once known as the 'Seoul National University drink' or 'exam-taker's drink,' sells about 15 times more within Seoul National University than in other stores. The name 'coffee' sounds intense, but the milk tea feels more familiar thanks to the word 'milk.' In reality, the caffeine content is similar.

Dezawa's taste is quite similar to the commonly found 'Assam milk tea' in cafes. It carries the slogan 'Tea brewed from tender young leaves of Java Island' and 'The magic of three.'

The magic of three means that from the third sip of Dezawa, you can appreciate its true flavor. Some extreme dislikers say it smells like cosmetics, but to the editor's palate, it tastes like a very mild milk tea. However, this subtlety might be appreciated by some.

▶ Quirky review: A bland drink that seems like it was made by a caf? part-timer who just started working and hasn't fully learned the recipe yet.

Which beverage has an insurmountable wall?

Winner: Solui Nun. Although it wasn't as bad as some harsh reviews claiming it tastes like medicated oil, it tastes like drinking a carbonated beverage while holding menthol or peppermint candy in your mouth. How to describe it? A truly unfamiliar sensation. However, it lacks the sharp, refreshing coolness of menthol candy, making it 2% disappointing. I even wondered if it would be better if it were a stronger drink.

Cheers with Drinkit - !

Photo by Seo Jeongjun, guest reporter

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.