This is the Asahi Calpis Soda Fruit Parlour, which contains up to 10% fruit juice from white grapes, peaches, and oranges.
The retro-modern packaging introduces the drink as a nostalgic reminder of a Japanese high school tradition where one would confess their love by saying, ‘don’t shake’ (furanaide) and ‘don’t shake the carbonated drink’ (tansan inryō o furanaide) and handing them a Calpis soda. The ‘sweet and sour feelings of love’ are reflected in this Calpis Soda, described as ‘a carbonated version of the taste of first love’.
The beverage had an opaque pastel yellow hue with a sweet-tart aroma reminiscent of pineapple, despite the absence of the fruit in the juice blend, and mild carbonation. Consumed chilled, neither the grape, peach, nor orange stood out distinctly. Instead, the tartness of the Calpis base emerged at the start with the sweetness from the grapes, and the floral notes from the peach and developed with a subtle yet fresh acidity from the orange mid-sip, creating an overall flavour profile similar to mellow pineapple. In the finish, the carbonation cleansed the palate for a clean aftertaste.
Consumed blind, the refreshing and enjoyable blended flavour could easily be mistaken for a pineapple-flavoured Calpis soda.
This Asahi Calpis Soda Fruit Parlour contained 450 mL. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2024.