Soda-flavored soy milk? Kikkoman’s surprising summer soy flavors

Soy many flavors

You may know Kikkoman for their soy sauce and other seasonings, but in Japan, they're also famous for their soy milk beverages, especially their small square 200 ml packs which come in a dizzying variety of flavors.

You can find plain, unprocessed, extra rich and chocolate flavor for starters. If you like your soy fruity, you can also have Kyoho grape, white peach, strawberry, melon, mango, banana, and, if you can't decide on just one, fruit mix. You'll also find coffee, tea, matcha, macadamia nut, black sesame and chocolate mint. So far so good. But then things get a bit more unusual. There's ume (plum), oshiruko (sweet red bean soup with mochi), ginger, baked yam, pudding, vanilla ice cream, and amazake.

Two new flavors for summer

Now, for summer 2020, Kikkoman is releasing two new flavors: Annin Tofu (almond pudding) and ... "soda."

Soda flavor soy milk beverage

If "soda soy milk" makes you think of soda water and soy milk mixed together, don't worry. What is known as "soda" ソーダ in Japanese beverage parlance, especially when referring to a flavor, is something very similar to ramune. Tastes may vary slightly, but that's the main flavor profile. For example, the famous Garigarikun popsicle brand's original flavor is soda. Just like ramune, it conjures up refreshing images of cooling off in summertime with a nice cold drink.

Annin Tofu flavor soy milk beverage

Since Kikkoman has already released pudding and vanilla ice cream flavors before, Annin Tofu is not as surprising as "soda," especially since the "tofu" in Annin Tofu doesn't describe soybean tofu but rather a soft gelatine made with agar.

Summer surprise

Kikkoman recommends taking a few extra steps to enjoy their two new soy milk beverage flavors in new ways for a delicious summer treat:

For their soda flavor, they recommend freezing the pack, for a refreshing soda-flavored soy sherbert dessert.

For their Annin Tofu flavor, they recommend heating it up on medium heat with a bit of gelatine, then putting it in the refrigerator to make it even closer to its namesake, a pudding-like dessert.