Korean Slate

I drank this in the dark. I mean, without pouring it out into a glass, so I can’t tell what color the liquid is. I did feel the bits of aloe vera in my mouth.

You’d be forgiven if you saw this and it didn’t occur to you that this was a product of Korea. Absolutely no hangul on the can! Just English, French and Spanish. Bebida de Savila con Aloe Vera Gel.

I saw this at the Korean supermarket ASSI so that gave me an inkling. The brand is SAMMI (삼미식품), which I’m unfamiliar with. The reason I even noticed it was because first it was on sale for 79 cents and was prominently displayed in a tall basket by the checkout counter. Also, it’s aloe vera juice!

The only other time I had seen aloe vera juice was in the sample kit I got from JayOne, and it was a novelty for me. Aloe vera juice! It must be another South Korean fad that I missed.

The can prominently states in front: No sugar added. But look at the ingredients list: Water, LIQUID FRUCTOSE, aloe vera gel, citric acid, sodium citrate, calcium lactate, gellan gum, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium panthothenate, gardenia blue, carthamus yellow, artificial flavors.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 1 cup or 8 fluid ounces or 240 ml. 125 calories per serving. No fat. No trans fat. 48 milligrams of sodium. 25 grams of carbohydrates. No fiber. 25 grams of sugar. No protein.

Distributed by Sammi International Inc. 707E 61st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90001, USA. Tel: (323) 233-2224. Sammi Food Corporation. UPC bar code number 8 94975 00251.

The flavor’s not bad. Tasted like sweetened water with bits of stuff in it