Calpis Soda and Other Interesting Calpis Goodies
Calpis soda (カルピス) is a sweet and tangy milk-based concentrate, loved by all age groups from children through to grandparents. This milk and lactic acid drink has expanded across the world and is available in countries from America to Europe, where it’s called Calpico.
In Japan, the country of the spin-off, Calpis and Calpis Soda products are everywhere, from Calpis-smelling erasers to Calpis bags. We’ve rounded up the best Calpis soda-related products from the useful to the outlandish.
What is Calpis?
Calpis, a Japanese original drink, was first made over one hundred years ago in 1919 by a researcher called Kaiun Mishima. He was researching lactobacilli (AKA lactic acid), a bacteria produced by fermentation. A present day example of lactobacilli is a starter, such as sourdough or kombucha (fermented tea).
Calpis is made by mixing sugar, lactobacilli or lactic acid, and skimmed milk to produce a concentrated substance that can be used as a base. Simply put, all the Calpis products are developed by adding ingredients to this cultured milk base.
The most common form of Calpis is in its drink form, and it can often be found in vending machines across Japan as Calpis Water and Calpis Soda. Calpis Water is made by mixing Calpis base with (you guessed it) water to create a subtly refreshing beverage. Calpis Soda mixes the Calpis base with carbonated water to produce a tangy carbonated Calpis soft drink.
During summer, Calpis-flavored kakigori (shaved ice) is popular among Japanese children (and adults!). Calpis shaved ice is made by popping the base directly onto the ice to create a delicious ice snack, perfect for those sweltering summer months.
Need some more Japanese drinks and sodas in your life? Check out TokyoTreat! TokyoTreat sends Japanese drinks, snacks, and sweets right to your door and is sure to satisfy your tastes!
Calpis Products
We’ve provided a round-up of the best Calpis products and spin-offs out there, just in time for Christmas.
Calpis Petit (カルピスプチ）
Calpis Petit are tiny little lip-balm-sized packets of Calpis ready to pop into your bag for your on-the-go Calpis fix. Just empty the contents into a glass of water for Calpis water or into fizzy water for Calpis soda. How adorable!
Calpis Butter
Believe it or not, Calpis butter is very popular across Japan. It has the Calpis tang but sugar is not added to the standard product, making it surprisingly usable in a variety of ways.
Calpis Donuts
A few years back, Calpis collaborated with one of the biggest donut stores in Japan: Mister Donuts. The collab saw numerous Calpis donut varieties, from Calpis ring donuts, with Calpis cream inside, to star-shaped dipped donuts with Calpis flavored icing.
Calpis Phone Case
With its kawaii (cute) blue and white spotty design, Calpis soda’s brand really does lend itself to spinoffs and phone cases are no exception. Smartphone cases are available in a multitude of designs, many with glitter and all with those blue and white spots!
Calpis Eraser
We all know that by taking something and making it mini, you’ll up its kawaii-factor by 200. So take a bottle of Calpis, make it mini, and then make it a useful Japanese stationery item, and we have a perfect combination. What’s not to love about mini Calpis-bottle erasers?
Calpis Flavors
Calpis comes in a never-ending variety of flavors, from Calpis Soda grape flavor to grapefruit flavor, but our favorite wacky taste has to be the Strawberries and Cream version. Come Christmas in Japan, Christmas Cake means strawberry and cream shortcake so this Calpis flavor is great for capturing the Japanese Christmas party season.
Calpis Breath Mints
Surprisingly fresh on the breath, Calpis flavor breath mints provide a little Calpis boost for your mouth. Keep in the handbag for easy access!
Calpis Cocktail Can
In addition to a range of exciting flavors, Calpis even comes as an alcoholic cocktail! Available in many convenience stores and supermarkets around Japan, the Calpis Sour can is easily findable among the other standard cocktails, close to the infamous Strong Zero.
Calpis Poster
For Calpis super-fans there is even a roaring trade in Calpis posters – hang one up in the dining room so you can drink Calpis and admire the snazzy logo at the same time.
Calpis T-Shirt
And finally, the streetwear. Calpis has gained many loyal fans over the years and to celebrate their centenary anniversary, they produced a limited run of Calpis t-shirts. Delightful.
Let us know if you spot any other Calpis-soda related products!
Related Articles
Five Types Of Choco Banana You Can Enjoy In Japan
When you hear the words ‘choco banana’, you might think of the tasty banana dipped in melted chocolate. However, the types of choco banana is more diverse than you think…
Five Rare Japanese Fanta Flavors You Must Try!
Japan is home to many unique and delicious flavors. It has weird ramen flavors, interesting Pocky flavors, and tons of fruit gummy flavors. So why not introduce those flavors into the fizzy soda drink, Fanta?
Five Weird Ramen Flavors You Have to Try in Japan
When talking about iconic Japanese cuisine, we usually think of sushi, tempura (deep-fried fish and vegetables), instant noodles, and definitely ramen (Chinese-style wheat noodles), all important to Japanese culture.
Japanese Fruit Gummies: A Tasty Treat to Refresh Your Day
Gummy candy is a kind of soft candy combining gelatin, sweeteners, and natural or artificial flavors. They can be molded into many different shapes, making it one of the most versatile confections ever made.
Melty Kiss Chocolate: A Must-Eat Winter Treat in Japan
When the iconic boxes of Melty Kiss appear on the shelves of convenience stores and supermarkets, people start to realize that the winter season has come. For some Japanese people, it has become a ritual to eat Melty Kiss chocolates in winter.
