Punch Cola SP: Classic Japanese Instant Cola Drink

I like powdered sports drinks, like this, because they don’t take up much space to store, and when I want to have the beverage, it is very easy to make just with cold water.

When I was a boy, I also loved powdered soft drinks.

More precisely, the instant cola for children available in tablet form, like Namaiki Beer, a draft-beer-like soft drink that appears in the Japanese anime “Dagashi Kashi (だがしかし)”.

Generally, those powdered soft drinks for kids are categorized as “Dagashi (駄菓子)” candy in Japan and only cost 30 yen (0.3 USD) or so.

Today I actually bought the Japanese instant cola drink at a supermarket, so let’s look at what it is.

Matsuyama Punch Cola Special 

What I picked up this time is the product shown above, “Punch Cola Special (パンチコーラSP)” from Matsuyama Confectionery.

I used to buy this instant cola drink as a kid, so its packaging brings back memories of my childhood.

In Japan, Matsuyama Confectionery is well known for its variety of tablet-shaped instant drink powder, which includes this Punch Cola SP and Namaiki Beer.

Contents

Those products usually contain 2 different types of effervescent tablets in the packet. If you want to make the instant soft drink, all you need to prepare are the 2 tablets and some chilled water.

How to Make

As for this Punch Cola Special, the maker recommends making the instant cola with 180ml water.

So after preparing it, just put the 2 tablets into the glass of water at the same time and wait for a few minutes.

Taste

Then, you can enjoy the carbonated drink. This Japanese cola has a distinctive refreshing flavor and isn’t that fizzy. And you might think the taste is somewhat chemical.

Ingredients 

As a matter of fact, according to the ingredient list on the back of the packet, the effervescent tablets for the Punch Cola SP mainly consist of sugar, starch, milk sugar, acidifier, sodium bicarbonate, flavoring, caramel pigment, cellulose, and sweeteners.