Calpis Soda Refresh Zero

I sought out this drink after one of my readers recommended it to me. You wouldn't think I'd need to have people telling me to try things, but the truth is that far more things are released than a single reviewer could ever manage on her own. If I had a stable of writers willing to try all of the things I don't want to try, then there's a slim chance most of the bases might be covered.

Of course, they'd have to be a stable of writing slaves since there's no money in blogging, but it would nonetheless be the only way to cover more food and drink. I can only eat and drink so much junk before the risk that my office chair will collapse becomes very real. There's a reason I mention calories in every post, and that's that I'm all too aware of what I'm eating and how much I can tolerate on a regular basis.

At any rate, I found this Calpis "Refresh Zero" soda at Seiyu supermarket for 98 yen ($1.12), but it is currently available in a wide variety of places including most (but not all) convenience stores. Seiyu was simplest the cheapest place to get it. This is a 500 ml. bottle with no sugar, though it says it has 1% real lemon juice. The first ingredient is lemon, followed by Erythritol. It includes powdered milk and lactobacillus cultures.

The combination is an uncommon one. It's the sort of thing you could never really have in real life because lemon and milk are not flavors that usually mix because lemon curdles milk. If you don't believe me, make yourself a cup of lemon tea and add milk. Watch the little curds float around.

At first, I thought this was just weird. Mainly, it seemed like lightly-sweetened, lemon mixed with club soda with a hint of milk. About halfway through the bottle, I started to actually like it and the mix of sour lemon and milk took on a yogurt-like feel which I found pleasant. I think this is one of those things that can be perceived as so new as to be hard to figure out how you feel about it at first, but then you either grow to like it, or decide it's really not your thing. It's an acquired taste, and, fortunately, I acquired it. That being said, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, or Calpis, as the case may be.