Calpis
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese uncarbonated soft drink
, manufactured by , headquartered in Shibuya
, Tokyo
.
The beverage has a light, somewhat milk
y, and slightly acid
ic flavor
, similar to plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt or Yakult
. Its ingredients include water
, nonfat dry milk
and lactic acid
, and is produced by lactic acid fermentation
.
The drink is sold as a concentrate which is mixed with water or sometimes milk just before consumption. A pre-diluted version known as Calpis Water , or its carbonated variety, known as Calpis Soda , are also available. It is also used to flavor kakigori
(shaved ice) and as a mixer for cocktails and chuhai
.
It was first marketed on July 7, 1919. It quickly became popular in pre-war Japan as its concentrated form meant it kept well without refrigeration. The polka dot
packaging used to be white dots against a blue background until the colours were inverted in 1953. It was originally themed on the Milky Way
, which is in reference to the Japanese festival of Tanabata
on July 7, a traditional observation seen as the start of the summer.
, guava, mango, lychee, pineapple (available in Okinawa only), orange, mikan
(Japanese tangerine), melon, peach, aloe, white chocolate and with cream. Recently, Calpis is available in an apple flavored "morning blend," a 70% calorie reduced version with calcium, and "The Premium Calpis," an extra-condensed pre-mixed version of the original Calpis Water. Another recent innovation is a diet version of Calpis Water called "Calpis Zero." In Japan and Taiwan one can get alcoholic versions of many Calpis drinks like "Calpis Sour" and "Calpis Bartime," a pre-made fruit flavored cocktail.
The company produces a variety of other drinks ranging from canned coffee to more nutritious yogurt drinks like "Gun Gun Gurt." They also put out non-beverage products such as "Calpis butter" and "Calpis vinegar."
Calpis Co. Ltd. is the Japanese distributor for Welch's
juice products and Evian
bottled water. There is a Calpis candy that features the same blue and white color scheme.
and pis from Sanskrit सर पिस sarpis (butter flavor).
In some English speaking countries, such as the United States, the name Calpis is changed to Calpico, believed to be so because Calpis sounds similar to cow piss
in English.
drinking Calpis. As the logo came to be considered politically incorrect
, the black/white was first reversed and then the logo was subsequently dropped all together.
region of northern China ("Inner Mongolia") in 1904, encountering a traditional cultured milk product known as airag
. The active ingredient in airag, responsible for its unique flavor, is lactic acid produced by lactobaccilli bacteria. Upon returning to Japan, he resolved to develop beverages based on cultured milk and lactic acid.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese uncarbonated soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
, manufactured by , headquartered in Shibuya
Shibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
The beverage has a light, somewhat milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
y, and slightly acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
ic flavor
Flavor
Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and smell. The "trigeminal senses", which detect chemical irritants in the mouth and throat as well as temperature and texture, are also very important to the overall...
, similar to plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt or Yakult
Yakult
is a Japanese probiotic milk-like product made by fermenting a mixture of skimmed milk with a special strain of the bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota. It was created by Minoru Shirota who graduated from the Medical School of Kyoto University in 1930. In 1935, he started manufacturing and...
. Its ingredients include water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, nonfat dry milk
Powdered milk
Powdered milk is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for...
and lactic acid
Lactic acid
Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...
, and is produced by lactic acid fermentation
Lactic acid fermentation
Lactic acid fermentation is a biological process by which sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose, are converted into cellular energy and the metabolic byproduct lactate. It is an anaerobic fermentation reaction that occurs in some bacteria and animal cells, such as muscle cells, in the...
.
The drink is sold as a concentrate which is mixed with water or sometimes milk just before consumption. A pre-diluted version known as Calpis Water , or its carbonated variety, known as Calpis Soda , are also available. It is also used to flavor kakigori
Kakigori
is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup and condensed milk.Popular flavors include: strawberry, cherry, lemon, green tea, grape, melon, "Blue Hawaii," sweet plum, and colorless syrup. Some shops provide colorful varieties by using two or more different syrups. To sweeten kakigōri,...
(shaved ice) and as a mixer for cocktails and chuhai
Chuhai
, often sold as Chu-Hi as a canned drink, is an alcoholic drink originating from Japan. The name is derived from "shōchū highball". Traditional chūhai is made with shōchū and carbonated water flavored with lemon, though some modern commercial variants use vodka in place of shōchū...
.
It was first marketed on July 7, 1919. It quickly became popular in pre-war Japan as its concentrated form meant it kept well without refrigeration. The polka dot
Polka dot
Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of filled circles, generally equally sized and spaced relatively closely in relation to their diameters. Polka dots are most commonly seen on children's clothing, toys, and furniture, but they appear in a wide array of contexts...
packaging used to be white dots against a blue background until the colours were inverted in 1953. It was originally themed on the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
, which is in reference to the Japanese festival of Tanabata
Tanabata
is a Japanese star festival, originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi . According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the...
on July 7, a traditional observation seen as the start of the summer.
Variations
There are many flavor variations. These variations include, but are not limited to, strawberry, grape, matchaMatcha
refers to finely-milled green tea, most popular in Japan. The cultural activity called the Japanese tea ceremony centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha. In modern times, matcha has also come to be used to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream...
, guava, mango, lychee, pineapple (available in Okinawa only), orange, mikan
Mikan
The satsuma is a seedless and easy-peeling citrus mutant of Japanese origin introduced to the West.In Japan, it is known as mikan or formally unshu mikan . In China, it is known as Wenzhou migan . The Japanese name is a result of the local reading of the same characters used in the Chinese...
(Japanese tangerine), melon, peach, aloe, white chocolate and with cream. Recently, Calpis is available in an apple flavored "morning blend," a 70% calorie reduced version with calcium, and "The Premium Calpis," an extra-condensed pre-mixed version of the original Calpis Water. Another recent innovation is a diet version of Calpis Water called "Calpis Zero." In Japan and Taiwan one can get alcoholic versions of many Calpis drinks like "Calpis Sour" and "Calpis Bartime," a pre-made fruit flavored cocktail.
The company produces a variety of other drinks ranging from canned coffee to more nutritious yogurt drinks like "Gun Gun Gurt." They also put out non-beverage products such as "Calpis butter" and "Calpis vinegar."
Calpis Co. Ltd. is the Japanese distributor for Welch's
Welch's
Welch Foods Inc. is an American company, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts. It is owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association, a co-op of grape growers....
juice products and Evian
Evian
Evian is a French brand of mineral water coming from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.Today, Evian is owned by Danone Group, a French multinational company...
bottled water. There is a Calpis candy that features the same blue and white color scheme.
Name
The name Calpis was constructed as a portmanteau, by combining cal from calciumCalcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
and pis from Sanskrit सर पिस sarpis (butter flavor).
In some English speaking countries, such as the United States, the name Calpis is changed to Calpico, believed to be so because Calpis sounds similar to cow piss
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
in English.
Logo
Calpis's original logo was a simplified black and white depiction of a black man with large lips drinking from a glass using a straw. The logo was developed from a painting by a German artist depicting a black person wearing a Panama hatPanama hat
A Panama hat is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant...
drinking Calpis. As the logo came to be considered politically incorrect
Politically incorrect
The phrase "politically incorrect" may refer to:* Someone or something which does not meet a standard of political correctness* Politically Incorrect, a late-night U.S. political talk show* Politically Incorrect, a German political blog...
, the black/white was first reversed and then the logo was subsequently dropped all together.
Inspiration
The founder of Calpis, Kaiun Mishima, traveled to the MongolianMongolian
Mongolian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a landlocked country in East and Central Asia that borders Russia to the north and People's Republic of China to the south, east and west.* Mongolians, Mongols.* Mongolian language...
region of northern China ("Inner Mongolia") in 1904, encountering a traditional cultured milk product known as airag
Airag
Airag may refer to*Airag, also spelled ayrag, the Mongolian word for fermented horse milk; see kumis, the name under which it is more widely known throughout Central Asia. It is an alcoholic spirit that people drank in the Khan era....
. The active ingredient in airag, responsible for its unique flavor, is lactic acid produced by lactobaccilli bacteria. Upon returning to Japan, he resolved to develop beverages based on cultured milk and lactic acid.
See also
- AjinomotoAjinomotoAjinomoto Co. Inc. , is a Japanese food and chemical corporation which produces seasonings, cooking oils, TV dinners, sweeteners, amino acids and pharmaceuticals...
- wholly owning parent company of Calpis - Pocari SweatPocari Sweatis a popular Japanese soft drink and sports drink, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. It was launched in 1980 and is now also available in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East....