Calpis Hard Candy
Another hard candy entry today. I have much higher hopes for this one though, since it’s based on a product I’ve had experiences with before. I’ve only had experience with the original flavour, the soda version of the original flavour, and the grape flavour that came with alcohol. For the record, I didn’t know at the time that it had alcohol but the drink was tasty enough that it didn’t detract too much from it. I think I would have been more hesitant to try Calpis if it wasn’t for my previous experiences with drinks like Calpis, namely Yakult. Looking at a bottle of the stuff may be off putting to someone who is uninitiated, what with the milky, cloudy look of the liquid.
When I was but a wee cub, before Japanese food and culture really caught on here in the North, my options to experience Asian culture in general was very limited. Fortunately, I lived in an area that had a lot of Asians while still being very diverse. Whenever we would go grocery shopping, I would more often than not ask my parents to get me a row of Yakult. They came in tiny bottles that were perfectly sized for a small, petite child as myself. For better or worse though, the little cups were so tasty that I would often have trouble making a row of five lasting the whole week before I restocked. I honestly have no doubt in my mind that I could polish off an entire row of five in one sitting, if not for the watchful eyes of my guardians.
Look at me, ranting about Yakult, when most of you probably have no idea what it is. For those who are unfamiliar, Yakult is a pro-biotic drink that is marketed as being healthy and tasty. Even as a kid, I wasn’t silly enough to think of something this tasty as healthy, I mostly just enjoyed it for the unique taste. It’s kind of like drinking a flat, milky soda that’s sweet, but with a bit of a tangy aftertaste that instantly reminds you of yogurt. I’ve never done drugs, but Yakult was one of those products that served as an early warning sign of my propensity for addictive behaviour.
Today’s product is the hard candy version of the much beloved Calpis. This pack has four varieties – original, grape, and orange. Strawberry is apparently the special one that gets a call out. We’ll see if it was worth it. It seems like this bag has 24 pieces, so likely an even 6 of each flavour. Looking at each of these individual packed candies, they appear to be about the same size as the Mitsuya Cider hard candies, slightly smaller than a quarter.
Let’s start things off with the original. The smell is exactly how I remember the drink. Popping it into my mouth, I am taken back to nostalgia town. The flavour is spot on to what I expected, based on the drink. It’s a very light, slightly milky taste to it that’s sweet but with a bit of tangy and sour aftertaste. So far so good. I could see myself pop a few of these in a sitting and not end up with a cut up mouth, like I did with the Mitsuya Cider candies.
The strawberry one has a bit of a strawberry swirl to it’s colouring. I’m not sure if this will affect the flavour at all. It smells like strawberry candy, and is on par with what you’d expect from fake strawberry flavour. The taste of this one is also very nostalgic, but for a different reason. It reminds me a lot of the strawberry candies I had as a kid, that came in the foil with a strawberry draw on it. I don’t even know who made it or if it was even a specific brand. It was just a generic, strawberry hard candy that had some strawberry jam like filling in the middle. Much like that candy, it was a very artificial strawberry flavour, but in a nice, pleasant way. It was never trying to be something it wasn’t, or put on airs. It was quite simply, strawberry candy, and I can give respect to that. That being said, I don’t mind this at all. Not bad. Let’s continue.
The orange is similar to the strawberry in that it has that distinct orange swirl to it. This one started off with a strong taste of orange, but oddly enough about half way in the orange flavour seemed to kind of disappear and all I could really taste was the original Calpis. I’m not sure if it’s because orange lends itself well to the tangy flavour or I got a “defective” piece, but I don’t really mind since I enjoy the original flavour. As you can guess, nothing really stands out about this flavour, but it’s still unoffensive enough that I wouldn’t mind another.
Saving what I expect to be the best for last, we have the grape. I don’t know how they do it, but every time I have a grape flavoured candy from Japan, it has a distinct flavour profile, but in a good way. Just like all my other experiences with grape flavours, this one is solid and near the top for me. It also reminds me a lot of the drink I had, sans the alcohol. I have to hold back on my urge to chew it, because it makes me think of grape Hi-Chews so much.
I have to say that overall, I’m quite happy with this purchase. All the flavours were solid, and none were disappointing. If I were to reach into the bag, I’d be happy with any flavour I pull out. The same can’t be said for my Soundcloud playlist. I’m sure we’ve all been there, you have a few songs you keep on your playlist but you skip them because you’re just not “feeling it” in the moment. In terms of how I would rank these:
- Grape
- Original
- Orange
- Strawberry
It should come as no surprise that grape comes in first, yet again. Strawberry was pleasant, but I think the grape and original flavours are what would motivate me to buy this again. I would highly recommend this for anyone who is a fan of Calpis. Hell, even if you’re not, the candy is plesant enough that you will likely enjoy it either way. Go for it. Try something new!
