This is the Keumgang Grapefruit Slice Soda, featuring grapefruit-flavoured soda with a real grapefruit slice inside the can.
The beverage presented with an opaque off-white beige hue. Aroma opened with mellow, fresh grapefruit notes. Its defining feature was a slice of grapefruit intended to float at the surface when the fully opening lid was removed, though in this instance the slice remained firmly lodged at the bottom of the can. Naringin crystallisation was clearly visible on the fruit’s surface as small, soft white dots, which initially appeared concerning before being recognised as a natural by-product of the grapefruit.
Initial contact delivered mellow sweetness alongside fresh grapefruit flavour, supported by light effervescence. The citrus profile was pleasant and approachable, emphasising the sweeter aspects of grapefruit rather than its sharper acidic qualities.
Through the mid-palate, a pronounced bitterness emerged and gradually became the dominant characteristic. While bitterness is an expected component of grapefruit, here it contrasted noticeably against the relatively restrained citrus acidity and fruit intensity. As the bitterness developed, the beverage took on a somewhat thinner structural impression despite the presence of carbonation.
Towards the finish, the bubbles lifted the remaining grapefruit notes from the palate, leaving the bitter elements increasingly exposed. The bitterness associated with the artificial sweetener became more apparent as the fruit character receded, lingering well into the aftertaste and outlasting the citrus profile itself. While the inclusion of a real fruit slice provided novelty value, the flavour balance ultimately favoured bitterness over fresh grapefruit character.
Overall, a grapefruit soda with a rising flavour trajectory and moderately cohesive texture integration, resulting in a beverage that begins with fresh citrus appeal before resolving into a prolonged bitter finish.
This Keumgang Grapefruit Slice Soda contained 340 mL. It was produced in South Korea and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2025.