Many asian countries have the reputation for drinking tea. But that has changed in many areas as coffee usurps the mantle as beverage of choice. In my recent trip to Seoul and many trips to Tokyo, coffee shops large and small saturate the landscape. There are many well known american brands in these cities, Starbucks being the largest. Asian chains, like Dotour, abound in these areas as well. But unlike here, the conenience of coffee in a can is just as widespread. They can be found hot or cold, with or without milk, and strong or sweet in vending machines, combinis(convenience store), and kiosks. Below is a Japanese brand UCC and Korean brand Lotte. I prefer the ones with milk added but this option tends to add alot of sugar as well. I have not sampled some of the stronger blends without milk and cannot attest to their flavor. Many of these can be found in most asian supermarkets in major cities. Starbucks has their own line of canned coffee in the states. Some people may be shocked at how small the cans are for the Doubleshot 6.5 ounce product line. But, these cans are really no bigger than the ones found in Tokyo or Seoul. There are larger sizes but these miniscule tubes tend to be the standard.
Another brand in Japan uses Tommy Lee Jones to promote their product. I guess he looks like the guy in their logo. Before I forget, Tokyoites and Seoulites, pronounce coffee very differently than we do, hence the title of this post. Neither pronounce the "f". The japanese language does employ the "f" sound but Im not sure about the korean language. The japanese say "co hee" and the koreans say "cop pee"
