![Japanese Hot Coffee (41619985121)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Japanese_Hot_Coffee_%2841619985121%29.jpg)
is a pre-brewed version of the beverage, sold ready to drink. It is particularly popular in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, and elsewhere across Asia, and produced in a number of styles and by a large number of companies.
Canned coffee is available in supermarkets and
convenience stores
A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...
, with large numbers of cans also being sold in vending machines that offer heated cans in the autumn and winter, and cold cans in the warm months.
History
Canned coffee is a Japanese innovation, and the term ''kan kōhī'' is
wasei-eigo
are Japanese-language expressions based on English words, or parts of word combinations, that do not exist in standard English or whose meanings differ from the words from which they were derived. Linguistics classifies them as pseudo-loanwords ...
: the English-language term "can coffee" was created in Japan.
UCC Ueshima Coffee Co. is well known in Japan for pioneering canned coffee with milk in 1969. The official government web site of
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, claims that the world's first canned coffee, Mira Coffee, appeared in
Shimane
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...
in 1965, but this was short-lived.
More significant perhaps was the 1973 introduction by
Pokka
is a corporation headquartered in Japan, which sells canned or bottled coffee, flavored tea and an assortment of other beverages.
Pokka is owned by Sapporo Holdings, Japan's fourth largest brewer by volume and makers of Yebisu and Sleeman.
His ...
Coffee of the hot and cold drink vending machine. In 1983 canned coffee makers shipped more than 100 million cases.
Can design and shape have changed drastically. The earliest cans were simple in terms of graphic design and were often corrugated in the middle two-thirds of the can. Cans with straight steel sides appeared next, finally settling on a more modern shape. Like the earlier cans, this type also starts as a flat sheet that is curled and seamed. Extruded steel is also used extensively. Aluminum coffee cans are almost non-existent, although UCC Black is a notable exception.
Companies
Besides UCC and Pokka, all large Japanese beer, soda, and drink companies and most coffee companies either currently, or have at some point, offered canned coffee. Some of the more popular brands are listed below;
*
Boss Coffee (produced by
Suntory
(commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...
)
* Fire (
Kirin Beverage)
*
Dydo
*
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
(Coca-Cola of Japan)
* Nescafe
* Roots (Owned by
Suntory
(commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...
from July 2015, originally owned by
Japan Tobacco
Hepburn: ''Nippon Senbai Kōsha''
, type = 1985-: Public (''kabushiki gaisha'') 1949-1985: Statutory corporation
, traded_as =
, industry = FoodTobacco
, foundation = 1898 (as Imperial Japanese Tobacco Company)1 June 1949 (as Japan Tobacco ...
)
Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
br>June 13, 2015 Suntory gains ground in battle of the machines
Retrieved June 17, 2015
* Wonda (
Asahi
Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to:
Cities
* Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards
* Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'')
* Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'')
Towns
* Asahi, Aichi (旭 ...
)
Other brands include Kissui (
Sapporo Softdrinks, in January 2013 onward
Pokka Sapporo Foods and Beverages),
Itoen
() is a Japanese multinational drinks company specializing in tea production, distribution, and sales. Ito En is the largest green tea distributor in Japan. The Ito En Group includes subsidiaries based in Japan, Indonesia, the United States, Au ...
,
Sangaria, Coffee Time (
Yakult
is a Japanese sweetened probiotic milk beverage fermented with the bacteria strain '' Lacticaseibacillus casei'' Shirota. It is sold by Yakult Honsha, based in Tokyo. It is distributed through convenience stores and supermarkets in single-servin ...
), BG (
Meiji Dairies
is a Japanese food company. It was renamed into the , on March 31, 2011.
It was a major dairy industry company established in 1917. Apart from dairy products like milk, ice cream, and cheese, their lineup includes sports drinks, pizza, choco ...
), and Cafe La Mode (
Calpis
Calpis ((カルピス, Karupisu))/Milkis ((밀키스, Milkiseu)) is a Japanese uncarbonated soft drink, manufactured by , a subsidiary of Asahi Breweries headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo.
The beverage has a light, somewhat milky, and slightl ...
). Regional and house brands are common, and the bigger companies offer regional versions of their coffee.
Types
There are numerous types of canned coffee in Japan, most of which make up a typical company's line up. Very common is "milk coffee", which includes milk and is generally quite sweet. Black coffee is also popular, as are , cafe au lait, and milk coffee without sugar. Georgia has offered flavored coffees, such as hazelnut, but they are rare. Seasonal coffees are also produced, especially
iced coffee
Iced coffee is a coffee beverage served cold. It may be prepared either by brewing coffee normally (i.e. carafe, French press, etc.) and then serving it over ice or in cold milk or by brewing the coffee cold. In hot brewing, sweeteners and fla ...
, which appears during the summer months. The coffee varieties are often sold both hot and cold.
Can design
The original UCC can had a capacity of 250 ml. In the 1970s, 190 ml cans appeared, and both of these can sizes still exist. Size does not denote type of flavor in either the 250 or 190 ml can, but iced coffee cans tend to be short and fat and contain 280 ml. American-sized (350 ml) cans are almost non-existent, although Dydo produces one of that size called "American Coffee". Barrel-shaped cans are also fairly popular, while an aspect of the Roots' marketing campaign is the company's unique "waist-shaped" can. A new kind of
cone top A cone top (also called a cap-sealed can, cone-top, or conetop) is a type of can, especially a type of beverage can, introduced in 1935.Soroka, Walter (2008). ''Illustrated Glossary of Packaging Terminology.'' DEStech Publications, Inc, Cone tops ...
type can with a twist-off cap has appeared in recent years, and many companies offer at least one of their coffee types in this kind of container.
Commemorative cans are quite common in Japan, for major events such as the Tokyo Motor Show, sports teams and sporting events, and
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
characters.
Can collecting
In Japan, there is no coffee can collecting organization equivalent to the
Brewery Collectibles Club of America
The Brewery Collectibles Club of America (BCCA) is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1970 by Denver Wright Jr. Based in Fenton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, it is dedicated to documenting the history of brewing in the United States and ...
. However, coffee can collectors do indeed exist in Japan, and some of them have put those images of parts of their collections online. How many collectors there are is unknown.
There are no books available on the topic. Rare coffee cans may have a monetary value, but efforts at systematizing the hobby are at a low level.
TV commercials
Boss Coffee uses
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' The ...
in advertising. Jones has appeared in over 30 TV commercials for Boss since 2006 as his character "Alien Jones".
See also
*
Coffee vending machine
The coffee vending machine is a vending machine that dispenses hot coffee and other coffee beverages. Older models used instant coffee or concentrated liquid coffee and hot or boiling water, and provided condiments such as cream and sugar. Some m ...
*
List of coffee beverages
Coffee drinks are made by brewing water with ground coffee beans. The brewing is either done slowly by drip, filter, French press, ''cafetière'' or percolator, or done very quickly under pressure by an espresso machine. When put under the p ...
References
External links
*
{{portalbar, Coffee, Japan
Japanese drinks
Coffee softdrinks