Review: Asahi - Clear Latte

Asahi's Clear Latte is a "clear espresso & milk" drink that is low in calories and contains neither caffeine or fat.

I bought a 600 ml (about 20 fl oz) bottle for $2.29. It's mostly sold in Japan but I saw an imported bottled at a local Asian supermarket and thought it'd be interesting to try.

Looking at the ingredients, and despite its appearance, the Clear Latte actually contains coffee and whey powder (which comes from milk). It's also sweetened with sugar and fructose rather than any sugar substitute. It also smells like coffee and milk.

I guess the more important question is: "does it taste like coffee and milk?" And I would answer that with a qualified, "yes." It tastes like lightly sweetened coffee and milk but it also tastes like water. By that, I meant it has a crisp, refreshing note at the end just like a cold cup of water. As far as the coffee notes go, it's pleasant and just a little bitter and a little creamy as well, which is weird because it looks like water.

Basically, when it comes down to it, Asahi's Clear Latte is what I imagine coffee-flavored water to be (which sounds a bit ridiculous as coffee is mostly water). If you think of other flavored waters, this is the coffee-and-milk version... Or maybe you could think of it as the equivalent of a coffee echo. That being said, I'm not sure who the audience for the drink is supposed to be. I think it's supposed to be for people who like the taste of coffee with a splash of milk but don't want the caffeine or calories. The milk has to be important because otherwise you could just drink a cup of black coffee (decaf or otherwise) for a more robust coffee flavor.

Nutritional Info - Asahi Clear Latte
Serving Size - 1/2 bottle
Calories - 30 (from Fat - 0)
Fat - 0g (Saturated Fat - 0g)
Sodium - 50mg
Carbs - 8g (Sugar - 8g)
Protein - 0g