There are many things I like about Japan, like turning on the kotatsu for the first time in winter, eating omurice (an omelette-over-rice dish) with a heart drawn on top in ketchup by my wife, or that one time I found myself in an outdoor onsen bath with snow falling all around me. I also love warming my hands with a can of hot coffee while waiting for the train to arrive in winter. The first canned coffee appeared in 1969, when the founder of the Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC to you and me) created their iconic “Coffee with Milk” as a way of selling coffee in a portable package, as this was back in the days when milk beverages were sold in bottles that had to be returned to the shop. Canned coffee is the most popular beverage in Japan, handily beating out not just fizzy sugar water but even bottled Asian teas. Marketers are very good at creating products consumers will want to identify with, and coffee lovers can choose from hundreds of varieties of canned coffee, including Suntory’s Smart BOSS, Coca-Cola’s iconic Georgia Coffee and Roots Aroma & Tasty Blend. If you’re curious about the taste, we’ve got some cool anime-themed canned coffee in stock for you.
There’s nothing like cracking open a can of coffee.
