Calpis is a popular Japanese soft drink with a lighter mouthfeel, but the same somewhat dairy and slightly acidic flavour as Yakult. The beverage was generally uncarbonated, although carbonated and fruit-flavoured versions are available. While the Japanese founder of Calpis popularised the drink in his country after being inspired by a traditional cultured milk product known as airag during his travels to Mongolia, the flavour itself is now also known as ‘white soda’, a literal description of the soft drink’s white appearance.
Here, we have Morinaga Hi-Chew White Soda. Along with cola, it is one of the few non-fruit flavours.
Each piece is 2 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm and an opaque off-white Calpis colour throughout.
These taste like Calpis in chew candy format. And while yoghurt flavoured soda may sound unappetizing, it’s actually a much more enjoyable flavour than you’d expect. Every chew of the firm yet soft candy releases a juicy, sweetness with acidic notes and without an undertone of dairy flavour. The white soda flavour lingered briefly on the palate but leaves no aftertaste otherwise. While juicy and flavoursome, the smells released on chewing the candy are less intense, making it a more inconspicuous choice of flavour. As with the Cola Hi-Chew, I’d welcome some sherbet to emulate the carbonation of white soda suggested on the packaging.
This pack of Morinaga Hi-Chew White Soda contained 7 pieces. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Ōsaka, Japan in 2014.