Impromptu Taste Test: The Cult of Yakult
Best described as a "melty creamsicle," but I still don't like it.
Have you ever tried Yakult? A probiotic dairy drink that comes in wee 65-milliliter plastic containers, I've only known it as "yahkuhluhteh" (essentially Yakult pronounced in Korean); that icky drink that my parents and grandparents drank but left my mouth with a strange, dry feeling whenever I took a sip.
Created in Japan, it's a staple there and in other East Asian countries. Given my childhood distaste for the drink, I thought it was time to bring it into the Serious Eats office and get a collective judgment once and for all. Is Yakult actually secretly delicious? Were my taste buds of yesteryear just incapable of dairy drink appreciation?
After tearing back the foil of a frosty Yakult straight from the fridge, I took a sip. Yakult has a very thin consistency, almost like water, and the familiar sweet, slightly fruity flavor came rushing back to me.
And then I drank a lot of water. Yakult still makes me thirsty. (By the way, I'm not lactose intolerant.) Straight to the point, Robyn said, "It's sweet. I like it." Score one for Yakult.
Erin perhaps described it best as a "melty creamsicle," and I remembered how my family would sometimes keep them in the freezer for a slushy treat on hot days. So in the end, I was still the lone holdout against the Yakult cult. Is there anyone out there on my side?
Usually available at Asian marts, here's a handy store locator to get you started on your own Yakult journey.
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54 Comments:
sorry, i have a fond remembrance of these.i'm going to have to get some to see if they're still as yummy as i remember. what about yogloo?
dmarina at 6:10PM on 08/15/09
Never enjoyed the sweet fruitiness. I think there are plenty of folks who prefer their yogurt more clean and acidic, like Kefir.
Hannekin at 6:26PM on 08/15/09
Oh I forgot about yogloo! (though I prefer Milkis). Love yakult, I've had it since I was a little kid.
misterhee at 6:41PM on 08/15/09
Yakult was one of my favorite beverages during my childhood (in Hong Kong), and I think I used to drink 1-2 bottles a day. It has a very refreshing taste, especially when it's icy cold. I also remember collecting those little foil lids in exchange for some promotional items...forgot what they were since it's ages ago. I think the color of the print on the bottle and the lids come in red or green, but I've only seen red ones here in the US. Oh my goodness, the above photo alone is enough to bring back very fond childhood memories...
Thank you for the post, Grace, even though I'm not on your side :)
cacao at 6:50PM on 08/15/09
You're crazy. This stuff is delicious. However, you are right about the funny feeling in your mouth that it sometimes leaves. Misterhee is also right, Milkis is even better.
blim8183 at 6:50PM on 08/15/09
i love yakult! when i was a kid i use to freeze it, then cut off the plastic top part of it, to make it sorta like a popsicle! now i drink it every morning, to aid my digestion :D
nindi_18 at 8:17PM on 08/15/09
I remember liking these.. but we never bought them. I think my parents thought they were too expensive or something. If we wanted drinks, we usually just had box drinks. (yay Vitasoy!) I dont know if i'd like them now. ... I'll have to try them again.
engmcmuffin at 8:44PM on 08/15/09
I die for this drink, I would drink gallons of it if it wasn't so loaded with sugar :)
Kacid at 8:44PM on 08/15/09
I love these drinks when I was little and they used to have funny TV ads advertising them in Hong Kong. I think this drink was the closest I got to yogurt when I was little and but it does have a lot of added sugar in it though and it's best to drink it cold! These plastic bottles are so cute and just makes it extra special...and the opening always reminds me of a little pig's face with the snout being the opening :)
seaurchin at 8:55PM on 08/15/09
Grew up with that stuff, imagine my surprise when I saw my FOB-tastic childhood snacks and drinks showing up in the supermarket!
I really liked an ice cold one of these when I was young, but I find them a tad bit on the sweet side, now.
They're the original drinkable yogurt! Take that Gogurt!
fuuchan at 9:26PM on 08/15/09
I loved these when I was a little kid spending summers in Taipei. My mom would buy a 5-pack (I think) at the street market from a guy with a cooler. It would last me all week. Now I pick them up once in a while at Uwajimaya. My husband thinks it's hilarious because I stand next to the garbage can and wolf down all five one after another, like shots. I don't even bother sitting down to enjoy them. Love them when I was younger, and I love them still!
fanghsing at 9:50PM on 08/15/09
I have loved Yakult ever since I tasted it on my first trip to Japan when I was 3.
When I was a teenager, a family friend felt compelled to overnight 2 packs (12? total) in a cooler from Tokyo to Honolulu. Of course, the cost of shipping was ~100x the cost of the actual product sent. :P
On my most recent trip to Japan ~15 years ago, I met the Hiroshima side of my family for the first time on their turf, and discovered that my aunt is a vendor for Yakult. She found out I loved the stuff and gave me so much each day that I was probably sweating Yakult by the time we left town to continue our travels. :)
As much as I love Yakult, I don't like most yogurts - the sourness is a real turn off for me.
Cassaendra at 9:57PM on 08/15/09
sorry grace, i have to throw in my vote for "delicious," too. whenever i visit taiwan, i can't get enough! i know it as yang le duo.
absentmindedprof at 10:07PM on 08/15/09
I grew up with it in Jakarta (although the most well-known brand here was Vita Charm) and I was happy to find Yakults in Asian markets when I was living in southern California.
Now I'm back in Jakarta and my two young sons love 'em, too! I really had to stop them from finishing the whole 5-bottle pack in one sitting :).
cucumberpandan at 10:23PM on 08/15/09
I like it when I first start drinking it. And then...the dreaded, dry aftertaste that you write about comes along. I find the after-feeling too unpleasant and so thumbs down for me.
avocadoboba at 10:26PM on 08/15/09
Hi all, first time seriouseats reader/commenter here. Chalk another point for Yakult--sorry, Grace. But although I love the stuff, your article made me think... What do I like about the drink anyway? I seriously can't think of an answer to that. Apart from its sweetness, there's nothing special with Yakult's taste. If you've ever been to the Philippines though, you'll know it is very widely advertised here (since way back in the 70's I believe?) and almost everyone is familiar with the term "Lactobacilli Shirota strength" ;-)
Pechay at 11:09PM on 08/15/09
I'm with you Grace. I think this stuff is way too sweet and chalky and the taste reminds me of baby aspirin. I wonder if it is even good for you. Although if i had to choose between Yakult and Bikkle I'd choose Yakult, mostly because it is smaller.
fuzzneko at 2:24AM on 08/16/09
I grew up on this stuff, love it, but they are too expensive in North America, I get the generic store brand stuff at asian supermarkets.
@seaurchin - I remember that as kids, we used to make the bottles into little pigs as craft projects!
gnomatic at 3:47AM on 08/16/09
nope, hated these too. although a couple of weeks ago, i was out with a bunch of korean friends and they introduced me to yogurt soju which they compared to yakult. the yogurt soju i could tolerate.
soopi25 at 8:22AM on 08/16/09
i love yakult, this is really a part of my childhood. and this is available all year round in manila, philippines, where i grew up.
titashi at 10:25AM on 08/16/09
I used to be able to drink the whole 5 pack in one seating. I still don't understand why they made the serving size so small.
YvesPaul at 10:39AM on 08/16/09
mmm...love yakult. I remember the first time my mum gave it to me. It was in Shanghai, and we were at a bus stop --I was so entranced by its cute packaging and my first sip that I almost forgot to get on the bus after her!
dead_brontes at 10:40AM on 08/16/09
...and now years later I can drink an entire pack a day :)
dead_brontes at 10:41AM on 08/16/09
Love it ever since I was born! Love it as slushies, blend it with fruits to make smoothies, but the best is still straight all 5 straight up in one sitting!
kobetobiko at 11:46AM on 08/16/09
I haven't tried these in years, but the first time I tasted a morir sonando (a Dominican drink made with fresh squeezed orange juice, milk and sugar), it reminded me of these, but in a much fresher and yummier way.
plantainsandkimchi at 12:19PM on 08/16/09
I used to hate it as a young girl but now it's different.
Now I like it as a mexican version with the same ingredients that is sold as a dessert in a jelly texture. Still sweet, still confusing, ha.
muertecaramelo at 2:32PM on 08/16/09
this stuff is awesome. it's great when it's frozen too!
foodinmouth at 6:07PM on 08/16/09
I love this stuff, but my heart goes out to Calpis.
Keebz at 6:50PM on 08/16/09
i heart you yakult!
ivy99 at 7:32PM on 08/16/09
mmmm so good! I used to love this as a kid and still drink it occasionally. i admit, it's a bit overly sweet now and there is that chalky aftertaste but still, so weirdly addicting!
minji at 10:02PM on 08/16/09
OMG, how can you not like Yakult?! I buy at least one pack every time I go to Hmart. Sweet and milky, yum....
Tia Kim at 10:20PM on 08/16/09
We had a Yakult lady deliver Yakult and Joah (yogurt drink, comes with different flavors) at our front door, like milk delivery.
hmw0029 at 3:14AM on 08/17/09
I grew up with Yakult and I still love it! When I had it in Singapore, it would occasionally come with a free gift...I'm sure I have that ruler somewhere still...
sulin at 6:37AM on 08/17/09
Have have Yakult and some imitation and love the original not just for taste, but for the health benefits. There are about 8billion of live Lactobacillus casei shirota (a strain of probiotics) in one container. Take that yogurt!
lisac at 8:17AM on 08/17/09
You can get different flavors now, like peach and banana. But I still remain loyal to the original. I wonder if I would like it as much if it didn't come in such a small cute package--probably not. Oh, and you just reminded me I have a few packs in my freezer! Time to big them out!
leeber at 10:42AM on 08/17/09
If they came in a gallon size, I'd go broke.
@Keebz: Totally different though - I don't consider it being unfaithful to Yakult, if I love Calpis too...?
Cassaendra at 11:53AM on 08/17/09
love these too…ubiquitous in seoul and LA's koreatown. does anybody else think this is exactly what the original pinkberry flavor is in liquid form?
chokpocky at 12:13PM on 08/17/09
I tried one when a coworker brought them into work. I thought it was delicious!
misplacedtexan at 3:41PM on 08/17/09
grew up with Yakult and have loved it since i was a kid...i always thought that they should come in bigger bottles...around 250-500 ml! ^_^
ryushin at 1:09PM on 08/18/09
Bleh. I'd take a Yop over Yakult any day. Or even better, drink a Vitasoy instead.
anonymoose at 5:54PM on 08/18/09
Anyone who likes this stuff most likely grew up on it. My Brasilian girlfriend made me try it once and I thought that it tasted like cheap, chalky, watery yogurt. It has so much sugar too; 18 grams per 100 ml? Coke is 10 grams per 100 ml! There are more health benefits in a good yogurt than this tiny, sugary bottle that I will never again consume. Next time you drink this, read the list of ingredients... that turns me off right there.
ChefR0bert at 9:30AM on 08/19/09
we used to take these on family hikes (you know, those "san" trips)... my sister and brother used to get a kick out of getting me to finish mine first by playing the "let's see who can drink the fastest" - just so they could laugh at me when i'd win and then realize they still had theirs to enjoy. mean kids.
conspicuousconsumptions at 9:59AM on 08/19/09
it's a probiotic? I thought it was just sugary goodness!
ilovermonteats at 7:01AM on 08/20/09
Yes it tastes exactly like pinkberry in liquid form!
lanalana at 1:52PM on 08/20/09
Oh yeah, very fond memories of this stuff. I still grab it from Asian supermarkets every once in a while.
It's a nice tiny snack. I generally make it last by using my nail to push only a tiny hole in the foil and suck it out a small amount at a time. Just enough to coat the tongue and get the flavor.
wunami at 11:39PM on 08/20/09
I grew up in Paraguay, South America, and all of my Chinese and Korean classmates brought Yakult (imported from Brazil) to school every single day. I never tried it ... I remember the color of it kind of freaking me out as a child, so even now I'm irrationally afraid to taste it.
klizco at 3:01PM on 08/21/09
Yakult is great, just too small! Had it growing up in Brazil!
Carioca at 10:26PM on 08/21/09
@ilovermonteats: Yes, Yakult is a probiotic.
Although Yakult has a high sugar concentration, given it small bottle size (65 ml), it only has 11 grams of sugar per serving, which is less than the amount of sugar in most yogurts (except plain yogurts or those with sweeteners).
cacao at 11:30AM on 08/22/09
I was excited to find this in the local market, bought it, and then discovered it was made in Mexico. My concern is that there have been so many recalls recently on food products made in Mexico. Thoughts/input welcome. Thanks.
mangeur at 1:16PM on 08/22/09
Had this growing up too and was surprised to see the marketing lately.
I used to freeze it then eat it like a miniature slushy. I'd use a chopstick to fluff up the frozen goodness.
manda at 9:05PM on 08/22/09
There is a bar/restaurant called Maru on 32nd street in KTown NYC that serves a cocktail featuring this little drink. It is so tasty! If you are a fan, I would go seek this out.
juleslov at 12:05PM on 08/23/09
It brings me back to childhood. They do taste the best when frozen!
Ambitous at 11:43AM on 08/24/09
Ooh, I have fond of memories of this. It was a staple in my childhood, and it was always a treat. There was always something so pleasurable about tearing off that red and silver foil cover.
I'm now in my 30s, and I've rediscovered this drink. I just decided to buy three packs when I chanced upon a vendor on our street, since it was so humid. Great decision! I am now stashing packs in my fridge. If anyone asks, I'm citing the health-probiotic thingy as my reason for drinking it :-P.
darkchoco at 10:57PM on 10/17/09
Danactive tastes better, does more, is healthier and only costs .50 cents a bottle.
ChefR0bert at 3:46PM on 10/21/09