Update: April 5, 2006
«©NCSX» NCS attempted to lower our import shipping costs for the FFXII Potions by having our vendor send the massive allocation of FFXII Portion Premium Boxes by sea freight. However, after handling charges, administrative costs and duties, the final transportation bill ended up equal to what air freight would have cost. Lesson learned... and time wasted. The FFXII Potion Premium Boxes arrived yesterday and we were able to ship some preorders on Tuesday but the bulk of our preorders are shipping this afternoon at the original preorder price of US$12.50 per Premium Box. View larger photos of this product on the main NCSX website. Price Change
Due to the high cost of carriage and importation, please note that NCS is raising the price per FFXII Potion to US$17.50 per Premium Box for new orders to cover costs. To lessen the sting however, customers within the USA may request shipping by USPS Priority Mail which is approximately US$5.50 for a 1-bottle shipment. Please note however that Priority Mail can take up to 3 days to deliver within the USA but it is trackable by way of Delivery Confirmation Service on www.usps.gov. Our online shop does not list Priority Mail as a shipping option but you may request it in the notes section of the online order form and we'll ship accordingly. Please note that you will still have to select a UPS shipping option to submit the order. Packaging
NCS will ship any new orders today and we're packaging each single-bottle order in thick bubble wrap followed by another layer of bubble wrap. The bubble-packed mass is then packaged in a cardboard box for final delivery to our customers in the USA and Europe. Each package weighs approximately 1.2 lbs with packaging material. We had a few bottles that were wrecked during shipping due to poor handling by the freight company. The glass bottles are fragile and when they're dropped from a 10 foot loading dock, the bottles on the bottom of the container tend to splinter and subsequently rattle around inside... Bottle
Each limited edition bottle is made of deep-purple tinted glass which measures 5" tall. A Suntory bottle cap seals the 100 ml of elixir inside but twist it open to get at the beverage. One of six deep-purple colored acrylic caps is also included with each glass bottle which measures 2.5" tall. Each limited edition package also includes one of 27 possible foil-wrapped Final Fantasy XII trading cards. The cards are beautifully printed and we're trying to fetter out a complete set for our own collection. They're that special. Bouquet
Upon snapping open the bottle cap, a fragrance not unlike medicine wafts from the mouth of the bottle to one's nostrils. The first thought was Robitussin but there was also the scent of a ginseng-like aroma and a sickly sweet odor. One of the major ingredients in the potion is royal jelly, which is secreted from the salivary glands of worker bees to feed larvae. Queen bees are fed a steady diet of royal jelly for the rest of their lives. It's doubtful that any Queens will rise up from drinking the potion however. Color
Suntory used a tinting agent known as "Blue 1" to color the potions a light blue color that looks like windshield washer fluid. Blue 1 is used to give beverages, jellies, confections, ices, syrups, extracts and condiments a bright blue color that's unnatural in foodstuffs. Blue 1 is also used in cosmetics such as eyeliner. Taste Test
First impression: apple juice. Or is it Kool-Aid? No, make that sugared water infused with a tangy bite that hits your tongue with a tart explosion of flavor which slowly dissipates as the liquid washes down your throat. A loose approximation of the flavor is Arizona Green Tea in those fanciful green bottles. The sugar content is loaded and NCS tasters felt that dilution was required - say 1 bottle of potion mixed with a glass of water would cut down on the sharp sugar-powered flavor. There's a barely distinguishable aftertaste which is reminiscent of Chinese medicinal herbs - the kind that may be savored in any well stocked Asian herbal pharmaceutical. We can't imagine anyone drinking the potions on a daily basis but as a collectible gimmick for Final Fantasy XII fans, they're probably something that will be much sought after in a few years. These things tend to behave that way... Ingredients
Suntory lists the ingredients as follows: Grape carbohydrate solution, sugar, royal jelly, propolis extract, elder (sambucus nigra), chamomile, sage, thyme, hyssop, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, basil, melissa (lemon balm), acidulant, spice, caffeine, save charges (benzoic acid Na), phosphate (Na), vitamin B6, vitamin B1, blue 1. Order by the case
The price per bottle is $17.50. To order a factory sealed case of 12 bottles, please enter a quantity of "12" in your shopping cart. Due to the heavy weight of each case, NCS strongly recommends shipping only with UPS GROUND within the United States for the most economical service. For our international customers, we would recommend USPS Airmail Parcel Post or perhaps Sea Freight... Original NCS Update
«©NCSX» Limited to a massive 3 million units, the FFXII Premium Potion includes a blue tinted bottle with one of six possible caps and one FFXII trading card out of 27 possible varieties. Each bottle holds 100ml of "herb drink potion" which will apparently soothe the soul and bolster your fiery fighting spirit. Or something like that. Pricing is set at US$15.00 per randomly packaged bottle. This document is ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.
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