Japanese Canned Coffee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Canned coffee (缶コーヒー), or "can coffee" is ubiquitous in Japan, with a large number of fiercely competing companies offering various types for sale. Not to be confused with a tin of ground coffee beans, Japanese canned coffee is already brewed and ready to drink. Although available in supermarkets and convenience stores, large numbers of cans are sold in vending machines that offer heated cans in the fall and winter, and cold cans in the warm months. These machines are found in large numbers in all parts of the country.
Contents |
[edit] History
According to the Japanese language Wikipedia article on this topic, canned coffee is a Japanese creation. Moreover, the English-language term "can coffee" was created in Japan and is believed to have subsequently worked its way into English as a way of distinguishing the relatively new product from a typical can of, for instance, Folgers. However, in the United States at least "canned coffee" is the preferred term if used at all.
UCC Ueshima Coffee Co. is well known in Japan for pioneering canned coffee with milk in 1969. However, the official government web site of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, claims that the world's first canned coffee -- Mira Coffee -- appeared in Shimane in 1965. This early attempt at canning brewed coffee was short lived however.
More significant perhaps was the 1973 development by Pokka Coffee which introduced the first hot and cold drink vending machine. The Japanese Wikipedia version of this article claims that it was the introduction of heated and cooled cans in the same machine that allowed the industry to truly take off, and in 1983 canned coffee makers shipped more than 100 million cases.
One noteworthy element of Japanese canned coffee is the liberal use of English both for the word "coffee" and the brand name. Engrish is also used. Occasionally the Japanese word kōhī (コーヒー) dominates the can design, or for effect, the kanji for coffee(珈琲) might be used as well (also pronounced kōhī). However, apart from company and content information English is the primary language used on Japanese coffee cans for reasons that remain unclear.
Can design and shape have changed drastically over the years. 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.
Certain cliches entered the world of canned coffee graphic design early on and remain in use today. One in particular is white cream swirling into a cup of black coffee, while another is coffee beans. A more noteworthy cliche is the use of Western faces as part of the design, notably Pokka Original from the early 1970s, and Boss Coffee which first appeared in the early 1990s. Of seemingly more recent origin is the use of ice cubes on many iced coffee brands.
[edit] Companies
Besides UCC and Pokka, all large Japanese beer, soda, and drink companies, as well as most coffee companies either currently, or have at some point, offered a line of canned coffee. The most popular (check) brand today is Georgia (drink) produced by Coca-Cola of Japan. Other popular national brands are Fire (Kirin), Boss Coffee (Suntory), Wonda (Asahi), Dydo, Nescafe, and Roots (Japan Tobacco). Other brands include Jack (Sapporo), Itoen, Sangaria, Coffee Time (Yakult), BG (Meiji), and Cafe La Mode (Calpis). Regional and house brands are also common, and the bigger companies offer regional versions of their coffee as well.
[edit] 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, true to its name, includes milk and is generally quite sweet. Black coffee is also popular, as is "low sugar"(微糖), cafe au lait, and milk coffee without sugar. In the past Georgia has offered American-style flavored coffees such as hazelnut, but those are rarely seen suggesting that Japanese coffee drinkers eschew them for more traditional tastes. Seasonal coffees are also produced, especially "ice coffee" which appears during the summer months. There seems to be no difference between iced coffee and cold coffee, except as a marketing gimmick.
[edit] Can Design
The original UCC can was 250 milliliters and appears tall and narrow to the Western eye. Sometime in the 1970s smaller cans of 190 ml appeared, and both of these can sizes exist today. Despite differences in the amount of coffee the price is the same for each. Size does not denote type of flavor in either the 250 or 190 ml can, but in the case of iced coffee the cans tend to be short and fat and contain 280 ml of liquid. 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 that of the company's unique "waist-shaped" can. A new kind of cone-top 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.
As noted above, coffee can graphic design follows certain strictures, especially the use of English, as well as some cliches and certain colors. Until recently most cans produced by a particular company followed a set pattern, with color differentiating the type of coffee. Recent can design, however, especially among the major brands, has abandoned that tradition. The cans often provide superb examples of modern Japanese commercial graphic design.
Commemorative cans are quite common in Japan, whether for major events such as the Tokyo Motor Show, sports teams and sporting events, manga characters, and so forth.
[edit] Can Collecting
In Japan there is no coffee can collecting organization equivalent to the Brewery Collectibles Club of America, an organization that revolves around beer can collecting. However, coffee can collectors do indeed exist in Japan, and some of them have taken the time to photograph parts of their collections and put those images on line (see links below). Nevertheless, just how many collectors are out there is currently unknown.
Testament to the grass-roots nature of the hobby, there are no books available on the topic. On the other hand it is likely that rarer Japanese coffee cans do indeed have monetary value, but for the time being all efforts at systematizing the hobby are at a low level. Foreign collectors of Japanese coffee cans may exist, but their numbers are likely extremely low for various reasons.
[edit] External links
All of the below are in Japanese, but offer numerous images of historic Japanese coffee cans:
