Canned Coffee

Also kan kōhī, 缶コーヒー, RTD coffee

Japan's vending-machine coffee in a small steel can, usually sweet and milky and sold hot or cold. A category Japan invented and still dominates.

ColdServed coldFrom Japan

Volume
185ml6.3 US fl oz
Espresso
0shots
Caffeine
52mgderived, USDA FDC
Glass
Serving glass190 ml

The build

Watch it made, step by step
Serving glass, 190 ml. Layers in pouring order from the bottom, drawn by volume.
  1. Ready-to-drink coffee185 ml100%
Volume
185ml
Caffeine
52mg
Espresso
0shots

Scales every component together, so the ratio holds; caffeine scales with the coffee.

A 185 ml can of milk-and-sugar coffee is the Japanese standard; black and low-sugar versions exist, and vending machines dispense them hot in winter.

Caffeine

Derived
52mg

in a 185 ml canned coffee

USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee volume in components, assuming 1 g per ml. FDC 171880 (Beverages, coffee, ready to drink, milk based, sweetened) 28.0 mg/100 g x 185 ml.

USDA FoodData Central record 171880 · read 2026-10-26

A derived figure: the reference food's caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee in this build. Real cups vary with the coffee, the dose and the shot.

Variants by country

3
NameCountryHow it differs
Georgia / Boss / WondaJapanMajor Japanese brands recorded in Wikidata.
canned coffeeSouth KoreaKorean convenience-store equivalent.
bottled cold brewUnited StatesUS ready-to-drink coffee.

History

Popular account

Wikidata classes canned coffee as coffee and convenience food. UCC's 1969 milk coffee can is the usual first (popular account).

Japan; sold hot and cold from vending machines.

Popular account

Parts of this story are repeated widely but were not confirmed against a source this atlas accepts. They are kept as the story people tell, not as fact.

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