Italians taste test Japanese canned coffee and tell us what they think【Video】

You can find canned coffee almost anywhere in Japan. First invented and introduced to the Japanese market in 1969, canned coffee sales really started taking off in the 1980s. Admittedly my first canned coffee experience left me wondering what all the hype was about, but now, perhaps as a result of better production methods or acquiring a taste for it after living here so long, I have to admit nothing beats the satisfaction you feel sipping on a warm can of coffee from the vending machine just as the weather starts getting chilly.

Of course, when it comes to coffee, many people think of Italy. Along with pasta and pizza, coffee is a huge part of Italian food culture. In fact, the country has over 160,000 small cafes serving coffee, drinks, and light eats from morning to evening. So how exactly would Japanese canned coffee fare with Italian locals with a refined taste for excellent coffee? RocketNews24 decided it was worth making the trip over to ask.

Our reporters traveled to Milano, Italy to ask Italians their opinion of three different flavors of Dydo’s Demitasse coffee series. Armed with 10 cans of each flavor, our goal was to interview at least 10 people at the Piazza del Duomo, near Sforza Castle, and outside of the Scala Theatre. Fortunately the volunteers we scouted were curious to give this foreign-looking “Japanese espresso” a try, and groups of friends were more than happy to share.

▼ After arriving in Milano, our reporter Yuichiro takes a sip in front of Sforza Castle. It’s good! Surely Italians will feel the same! So let’s get to it!!

▼ These guys said, “Good!” and “Fantastic!” when it came to Demitasse Coffee and Demitasse Bitou (Lightly Sweetened).

▼ Everyone else seemed to agree. Overall, Demitasse Coffee and Demitasse Bitou were very popular.

▼ But what about Demitasse BLACK?

▼ There were a few people that liked it. Apparently older men in Napoli prefer black coffee. If we’d done our taste test in Napoli instead of Milano, maybe the results would have been different.

▼ It wouldn’t be a real taste test without seeing what baristas in Milano thought. At first they took a good, long look at it before giving it a try. So what did they think?

▼ They picked Demitasse Coffee as the best out of the three. A big thank you to all of the Italian locals who participated in our taste test!

For those of you that are curious, here were the overall results:

・18 people approved of the taste of Dydo Blend Demitasse Coffee
・17 people approved of the taste of Dydo Blend Demitasse Bitou Coffee
・2 people approved of the taste of Dydo Blend Demitasse BLACK

While Italians do enjoy black coffee, it seems Italian coffee has a richer flavor compared to the bitterness of Demitasse BLACK. Most Italians we surveyed thought it was too bitter or could use a hint of sugar. Even the baristas weren’t a fan..

The results for the other two flavors, however, are good news for Dydo should the company plan on expanding their sales to Italy someday. But would other brands have fared as well?

According to a survey conducted last year by Naver Matome, most Japanese prefer the taste of Demitasse Bitou out of the three, however Demitasse Bitou only ranks in at number 10 compared to other brands like Wonda, Roots, Boss, and UCC.

Have you ever tasted canned coffee from Japan? Are you an avid drinker of it? If you have any top picks you’d like to recommend, we’d love to hear them!

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