Calpico Soda
/I don’t know what Calpico is. A man I work with asked “Do you know what Calpico is?” and that’s how I had to answer. Then he handed me a can with lots of words on it, some in English and some in Japanese. The ones in English read, Calpico Soda, Delightfully Satisfying, and Original Flavor.
Twist’s mouth is agape as the medical artistic design of the Calpico can
I don’t know what the original flavor of Calpico is, so I peek at the ingredients. Carbonated water… good, sugar… yes yes, non-fat dry milk… what? I’m even more confused than I was before. The design on the can looks as if it were created by a hospital marketing staff. Playful yet sterile. Like me!
The scent is a little bit citrus, but the milky looking water peering up from inside the can is concerning. It’s not often I’m caught completely off guard but that’s where I find myself today.
After taking two sips here’s what I know. The bubbles in the carbonation are small, fizzy things. The kind that brush gently against your tongue and get out of the way. Grapefruit is currently the closest comparison I can make when describing the taste, but based on the ingredients that doesn’t make much sense, so I’m likely way off base. I can’t taste the dry milk at all, though it may be adding to the smooth mouthfeel of the beverage.
I keep wondering if there is some sort of sediment at the bottom that will give me a milky surprise. The guy sitting at the table next to me said the phrase “milky surprise” and the phrase was too good not to include in the review. As I finished the drink the slight bitterness that was lingering throughout strengthened just a bit.
So now I’m left with an empty can of Calpico Soda and no real resolution as to why it tasted like it did. Looking it up I see that it’s supposed to have a flavor similar to vanilla yogurt. Not the sugar filled kind, but the kind that healthy people eat. I can certainly see where this somewhat sour taste could be viewed as just that. It’s just not where my mind went with it.
Guy at the table next to me asked “Would you drink it again?” and I think I would. It’s not ever going to be the first thing I reach for, but if I saw it in someone else's fridge I’d pick up a can.
~A
….Hey wait a second. You know that mouthfeel you get after drinking a glass of milk. The kind that coats your eat-hole? That’s occurring right now. It was gradual, but my mouth is telling my brain “you just had milk. You may not have realized it, but you did. Why else would I be coated like this?” So finally, I see where the dry milk fits into my experience. Huzzah!
This was given to me by Starshine Moonbeam
