“Shonen” means boy or “few years” in Japanese. Blue Dog’s newest and exciting product Shonen Soda was crafted by Japanese-American, Ryan Hashimoto. Blue Dog staff had the chance to meet him and hear his story earlier this year. Ryan grew up in Japan and moved to California at a young age. He is reminiscent of his childhood and the fun sodas he grew up with, Japanese snacks, and nostalgia of an easier, happier time. You can find more about the Shonen name and Ryan’s history on shonensoda.com
Flavors:
Banana Creme is one of Shonen’s most loved and popular flavors. The blend of this soda sits really well and isn’t cloyingly sweet, and the banana flavor dances nicely on the tongue. I was wary as I am not a fan of banana-flavored candy, but Shonen balanced this flavor very well and I could easily drink the whole can. My manager claimed Banana Creme as his favorite, by bounds, of all three Shonen flavors.
My personal favorite was Elderberry Creme, with a bite of lemon. According to Shonen, this flavor is the most popular among young women, and I found it more refreshing than the others.
None of the flavors are heavy or coat your mouth with film, Shonen is a very crisp soda, and as a lover of all lemonades I liked the balance of berries, cream and lemon in Elderberry Creme.
Finally, Owner of Blue Dog Beverage Ben Anders couldn’t decide on his favorite. Orange Cream is loved worldwide, especially as Blue Dog has our own Orange Cream soda. He took sips out of each of his little dixie cups, choosing orange then banana, and then elderberry and orange again as his favorite. Shonen does not use any artificial food coloring, so as we poured the sodas to share, the carbonation and aroma filled the senses pleasantly. The trio goes very nicely together and the cans are sleek and eye-catching, which screams fun. The bright colors do remind me of childhood and joy.
Aside from flavor profile, something that Blue Dog admires about Shonen is the uniqueness of this company, how young and fresh it is and the promise it shows. We appreciate that Shonen donates to the international non-profit organization Children Incorporated. We appreciate that the company is diverse and also local. As a small business, we enjoy supporting other small businesses to raise awareness and happiness in the products we share with our customers.
