水溶C100
In the last few weeks a new drink has appeared on the convenience store shelves of Shanghai. It’s called 水溶C100, but you probably know it as “lemonade.”
The name 水溶C100 comes from the idea of 水溶性维生素 (water-soluble vitamins). In this case, obviously, it’s vitamin C, and the drink boasts 100% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C (the equivalent of 5.5 lemons, the bottle tells us) in each bottle… but only 12% juice.
I like the drink well enough. Seems to be another success for bottled water company Nongfu Spring, the same company that pleased me 5 years ago with it’s “Farmer’s Orchard” juice. But this new product has been given a fairly horrible name. My wife, who’s been drinking the stuff for a few weeks (like me) still has no idea what it’s called if she’s not looking right at the bottle. It’s just “that lemon drink” (什么100?). And what should we call it in English? C100? I don’t even know. And not only does it have an unmemorable name, but there’s that awkward word in big print “lemon,” just hanging out on the label, though apparently not part of the name. Thanks. Lemon. (But only 12%!)
The drink is quite strong (sour/sweet), but I find it mixes nicely with tonic water, creating a classy concoction remarkably similar to Japan’s own CC Lemon (now there’s an Asian lemonade with a catchy name!). I bet this stuff mixes great with vodka as well.
That’s a really horrible name! It’s just “Soluble C-100″? Maybe they’re planning on making more than just lemon flavor, so that’s why they put the word “lemon” on the label.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:45 pmI always feel drinking C.C. Lemon is a bit like drinking battery acid - in a good way. Is it a frosted plastic bottle - or is that condensation?
October 1st, 2008 at 10:41 pmGaijintendo,
It’s a frosted bottle. I actually rather like the design. It’s uncharacteristically minimalist for Nongfu Springs.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:24 pmThe name sounds more like some sort of a pesticide than a bottled beverage! Some of these new drinks taste just like sugar water. I bet that’s exactly what some of them actually are. But oh well, if people are willing to pay for bottled tap water, why not sugar water?
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:04 amMaybe there are trying to build up on the whole “C什么，什么” thing..like “CJ 7″ or something like that.
Anyways, yeah bad name for a drink.
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:57 amI noticed that in the local convenience store’s cooler the other week, but after trying some “salty soda” a few months ago that tasted like carbonated toothpaste back-wash, I’ve been hesitant to try any new drinks.
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pmI used to go to this really cheap food bar in my local shopping centre years ago. I’ve never seen anyone do the same thing before or after in Sydney. Basically they had one type of food “hotdogs” and one type of drink “lemonade”.
They made the lemonade fresh at the shop and it was heavenly lemonade. It was admittedly very sweet but I was hooked on the stuff. Their bread rolls were always soft and fresh.. and you could put as much ketchup, cheese sauce, mustard etc on it as liked. It was also reasonably priced.
I have to go to IKEA now for my hotdog fix but sadly they don’t have lemonade. Still.. $1.00 (10RMB) per hotdog.. can’t complain about that for Sydney.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:54 pm@Erick: Actually, that’d be “长江什么” in Chinese. I completely thought about “CJ7,” too, though. Cute movie!
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:44 amA nice coincidence! I bouht the drink for the first time two days ago. I mix it with blandy. It’s not so bad.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:19 amhobielover,
At the time, I didn’t think there was much chance of other flavors (it’s got to give you your daily 100% of vitamin C, right?), but I suppose you’re right. At the very least, they could do lime and grapefruit.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:54 amIt’s catching on real quick in Hunan. My students even reuse the bottles, apparently the 4.5 kuai price tage gives it an air of luxury. It’s a tad too sweet though, but then again even juice in China is too sweet.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:59 pmI went to my local FamilyMart today to pick up a few items, and I noticed the 水溶C100 was given a lot of shelf space. Not only that, but I witnessed no less than 8 bottles purchased in the less 5 minutes I was there. (And then I bought 6 bottled myself…)
October 4th, 2008 at 12:15 amThe label looks to be displaying an orange with a photoshop color change to yellow to match “lemon”. Even the shape is of an orange, not a lemon (oval with pointed tips). Heh, for a time earlier this year, I really enjoyed a habit of drinking Schwepps tonic water on a daily basis. Sweet to point of adding body, lots of texture with the syrup body, and glows in UV light.
October 4th, 2008 at 5:10 amSounds like a reason for me to start drinking vodka again.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:48 pm[...] for my Boston Red Sox hat, which keeps the sun out of my eyes so nicely. I bought a bottle of C100 and after wandering a half-hour more turned around and headed [...]
October 18th, 2008 at 4:44 pm