Calpis Soda
1.5 L bottle 1.25 g sugar / oz. |
History Calpis was invented by businessman Kaiun Mishima and first sold in Japan on July 7, 1919. The unusual name of the drink is a combination of calcium and "salpis", a sanskrit word referencing the "five flavors" of Buddhism or the ripening and fermenting of milk and refinement of flavor. Indeed it is a yogurt-like fermentation of milk by lacto bacteria that gives this drink its sour taste. Mr. Mishima had visited Inner Mongolia on a business trip in 1904 and found the local fermented mare's milk (a popular Mongolian summertime drink known as airag) to be beneficial to his health as well as delicious. Returning home he experimented to discover a practical way to manufacture a similar fermented milk drink sweetened with sugar. Since the 1950s the drink's packaging has featured polka dots (originally white on a blue background) in reference to the stars of the Milky Way. Calpis is sold in the U.S. as Calpico to avoid the unappealing meaning of the name in English. Calpis is available as a concentrate meant to be diluted with water or milk. A ready-to-drink carbonated version was introduced in 1973 and is now available in other fruit flavors. In 2012 the brewing giant Asahi purchased the Calpis brand, becoming the third-largest maker of non-alcoholic drinks in Japan. Review This tastes similar to Milkis: a milky citrus soda. The flavor is more mellow, however. Its more of a milk flavor, mild & smoothly creamy, not as much of the lemonade or lemon/lime soda flavor. Its kind of like a skim milk mixed with 7Up, I guess. A tasty drink, its soothing and gentle, not especially exciting as a soda. Like milk, this is more about soothing flavor. Its not very carbonated or very strong flavored. Its all about soothing mellow cooling the tongue, with just a weak lemon/lime flavor.
Ingredients Lactose, glucose, sugar, skim milk powder, lactic acid (with a lactic acid cultver), natural and artificial flavours. Made by Asahi Soft Drinks Co. Ltd. |
