This is the second flavour of VitaMilk brand soymilk that I obtained from Warehouse Club. The ingredients "Sinin rice milk" (4%) and black sesame (0.5%), which accounts for the "double black".
But it also has barley milk (3%). So I found all these very interesting
because at such low concentrations, I didn't think it would give the
soymilk any flavour...
Now I tried googling for "Sinin rice", but I couldn't find any articles from the usual authorative reference sources. It turned up a number of pages in Thai script, which made me wonder if it goes by a different name in English. Well, this was the most official sounding article, which was an abstract for a research study done on Sinin rice... and it appears to be gaining popularity among (Thai?) consumers for its nutrients and other health properties. My search also turned up a number of beauty products that incorporated Sinin rice as a natural ingredient. So it's all very interesting, except that I still don't really know what it is.
Anyway, taste-wise, it was a typical soymilk with hints of two extra flavours. The first was something between rice milk and barley milk, which is reasonable given the relevant ingredients. This was a very mild flavour, and to be honest I'm not even sure if it's imagined.
The other was a type of burnt taste, which reminded me of black bean skin... Like the type of slightly burnt taste in refried beans. This was slightly stronger, but only apparent upon the first few sips. It really reminded me once of a really nice and warm soymilk drink that I had at Crystal Jade - the high quality home-made type, and that had a very faint burnt taste that I thought could have also been described as "woody", almost the soymilk had been stored in a wooden barrel.
Naturally, I couldn't quite taste the sesame, so that was a disappointment.
Overall, it felt more like a gimmick to appeal to the more health conscious, although the sugar content would probably have negated any health benefits of the Sinin rice.
Thankfully, it was relatively cheap... I think under $4 for a pack of 6. I wouldn't buy this again though.
Anyway, taste-wise, it was a typical soymilk with hints of two extra flavours. The first was something between rice milk and barley milk, which is reasonable given the relevant ingredients. This was a very mild flavour, and to be honest I'm not even sure if it's imagined.
The other was a type of burnt taste, which reminded me of black bean skin... Like the type of slightly burnt taste in refried beans. This was slightly stronger, but only apparent upon the first few sips. It really reminded me once of a really nice and warm soymilk drink that I had at Crystal Jade - the high quality home-made type, and that had a very faint burnt taste that I thought could have also been described as "woody", almost the soymilk had been stored in a wooden barrel.
Naturally, I couldn't quite taste the sesame, so that was a disappointment.
Overall, it felt more like a gimmick to appeal to the more health conscious, although the sugar content would probably have negated any health benefits of the Sinin rice.
Thankfully, it was relatively cheap... I think under $4 for a pack of 6. I wouldn't buy this again though.
How to purchase from overseas
I'm not sure if Shopee merchants service your region, but I found 1 merchant selling what I think is the exact same thing:
(Note: Please check the merchant reviews on your own to ensure that they are reliable.)
Other related food
Found this interesting? Check out these other unusual soy drinks:
Hey! Where can I get this drink in Singapore?
ReplyDeleteHey Cheryl, I got it from Warehouse Club. Link to Google map below, hope the link works.
Deletehttps://www.google.com.sg/maps/dir/%27%27/warehouse+club/@1.3271732,103.6436352,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x31da0580a3e0b315:0x807739c6e0d5311f!2m2!1d103.6779681!2d1.3271734
But Warehouse Club buys stuff in large batches, and their offerings change from time to time. So I'm not sure if you'll see it if/when you visit. Also, just a heads up - you need to be a member to purchase things from Warehouse Club ($50/year). I think they don't always check for identity though, so you could ask around your friends and see who has a membership. Or ask someone who's paying up to help you check out your item. Good luck! And if you do manage to get it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it too!