# Japanese Canned Coffee Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/canned-coffee/ Last updated: 2026-10-19 > Japanese canned coffee, kan kōhī, is ready-to-drink coffee sold in cans, above all from vending machines that serve it hot or cold. UCC launched its canned milk coffee in April 1969. In 1973 Pokka and Sankyo Electric brought out a vending machine that sold cans hot in winter and cold in summer, making hot canned coffee an everyday drink. ## At a glance - Category: Instant & Industrial (Industrial) - Difficulty: Beginner - Origin: Japan, 1969 - Also known as: kan kōhī, kan coffee, canned coffee, vending machine coffee ## Steps 1. **Choose hot or cold**: At a Japanese vending machine, choose a hot or a cold can; the machine shows which is which. 2. **Pick your style**: Choose black, milk coffee or sweetened, as the can describes. 3. **Buy and open**: Buy the can, let a hot one cool for a moment, and open it. 4. **Drink**: Drink it straight from the can, hot or chilled. **Japanese canned coffee**, *kan kōhī*, is coffee ready to drink from a can, sold in shops and, above all, from Japan's vending machines, where you can buy it **hot or cold** all year round. It started in **1969**, when **UCC** put its **milk coffee** in a can, and it took off after **1973**, when **Pokka** and **Sankyo Electric** brought out a vending machine that could sell cans **hot as well as cold**. Here's the story and how it works. ## The short version - **Ready-to-drink coffee in a can**, from black to sweet milk coffee. - **Sold hot or cold**, often from vending machines. - **UCC's milk coffee**, April 1969, is usually credited as the first. - **Pokka's hot-or-cold vending machine**, 1973, made hot cans possible. - **Over 100 million cases** a year were shipping by 1983. ## How is canned coffee made? Canned coffee is made in a factory: coffee is brewed at scale, blended, often with **milk and sugar**, and sealed in cans. It isn't brewed by you at all, which is why it sits in the industrial chapter: the "method" is buying it. ## Why is canned coffee sold hot? Because of the vending machine. In **1973**, Pokka and Sankyo Electric (now Sanden) brought out a machine that could be switched to sell drinks **cold in summer and hot in winter**, according to Nagoya's official tourism site. In **1978** came machines that sold **hot and cold drinks at the same time**. Pokka's own history says its founder, Toshikage Tanida, had the idea in 1968, after seeing **truck drivers drinking cold drinks on a freezing night**. ## A short history of canned coffee - **1965:** Wikipedia records a short-lived canned coffee, **Mira Coffee**, in Shimane Prefecture. - **1969:** **UCC** launches **UCC Coffee with Milk** in a can, in April, usually credited as the first successful canned coffee. The original can held 250 ml. Its founder reportedly wanted a coffee he could drink on the go. - **1972:** in May, **Pokka** starts making **Pokka Coffee**, its first canned coffee. - **1973:** in November, Pokka and Sankyo Electric bring out the **hot-or-cold vending machine**. - **Mid-1970s:** Coca-Cola Japan launches **Georgia** coffee, about two years after Pokka's machine, and smaller 190 ml cans appear. - **1978:** vending machines that sell **hot and cold drinks side by side** spread. - **1983:** canned coffee makers ship **more than 100 million cases**. - **Today:** canned coffee is still a fixture of Japanese vending machines and convenience stores. ## How do you drink it? Straight from the can. Choose **hot** or **cold**, and black, milk or sweet, as the can describes. Hot cans can be very hot, so give them a moment before you open one. ## Canned coffee vs other ready coffee | | Japanese canned coffee | [Ready-to-drink coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/rtd-coffee/) | [Instant coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/spray-dried-instant/) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Form | Liquid, in a can | Liquid, in bottles or cartons | Powder or granules | | Temperature | Hot or cold | Usually cold | Made hot | | Preparation | None | None | Add water | *General guidance only. Hot cans can burn, so hold them with care, and check the can for sugar and caffeine if you're watching either.* ## Canned coffee vs other methods - **[Snap-chilled coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/snap-chilled/):** coffee brewed hot and chilled fast for cans and bottles. - **[Cold brew](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cold-brew/):** steeped cold, sold canned by some brands. - **[Spray-dried instant](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/spray-dried-instant/):** the other great convenience coffee. - **[Japanese iced coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/japanese-iced-coffee/):** brewed hot onto ice, at home. Explore every industrial method in the [instant and industrial chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/instant-industrial/). ## Words used in this guide - [Steeping](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/steeping/): Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew. ## FAQs ### Who invented canned coffee? UCC launched its canned milk coffee in April 1969 and is usually credited with the first canned coffee. Wikipedia notes a short-lived canned coffee, Mira Coffee, in Shimane in 1965. ### Why is canned coffee sold hot in Japan? In 1973, Pokka and Sankyo Electric (now Sanden) brought out a vending machine that could be switched to sell drinks cold in summer and hot in winter, and in 1978 came machines that sold hot and cold drinks at the same time. Pokka's history says its founder had the idea after seeing truck drivers drinking cold drinks on a freezing night. ### How popular is canned coffee in Japan? Very. By 1983, canned coffee makers were shipping more than 100 million cases, and canned coffee is still a staple of Japan's vending machines. ### What does Japanese canned coffee taste like? It ranges from black to very sweet milk coffee. Many of the classic cans are milky and sweet. ### Is canned coffee the same as cold brew? No. Canned coffee is ready-to-drink coffee made in a factory, and is often sold hot. Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water, which some brands also sell in cans. ## Sources - [Canned coffee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canned_coffee) - [UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCC_Ueshima_Coffee_Co.) - [Pokka history](https://pokka.co/my/about-us/history) - [Nagoya’s “nandakore” vending machines (in Japanese)](https://www.nagoya-info.jp/feature/detail/127/) - [Was canned coffee invented in Japan?](https://perfectdailygrind.com/2023/02/where-did-canned-coffee-come-from/) - [How vending machines changed Japan’s coffee culture](https://japanesecoffeeco.com/blogs/japanese-coffee-blog/how-vending-machine-changed-japans-coffee-culture)