Nicely creamy and less focus on sweetness. Quite enjoyable, but could use a stronger cocoa element.
Sunshine Dairy Foods Fat Free Chocolate Milk
Sweet and salty, but not much cream or chocolate flavor. Super smooth and drinkable, especially for fat-free, but it needs to amp up the cocoa to fare better in a taste comparison.
Doutor Cocoa
Earthier flavor than the Royal version, and also less rich and more powdery-feeling and tasting. The first part of the sip is promising, but the aftertaste is regrettably sharp and damp, like super-stale corn chips.
Doutor Royal Cocoa
Strong, sour, unique cocoa flavor that has a richness to it but it’s lacking on the salt and cream traits that would balance out the sweetness. Still, an indulgent-feeling drink that is worthy of a try.
Fujiya Milky Cocoa
Grainy and provides a drying sensation in the mouth. Noticeably chocolate flavor, but it's not particularly good-tasting chocolate. It's potable, especially coming from a can, and it may be less sweet than you'd expect. Nonetheless, it's a lower-tier option.
Sangaria Mild Taste Cocoa Drink
Interestingly thin and chalky, something I’ve come to expect from a box but not a can. Cocoa flavor is hard to put a finger on, and there’s a musty aftertaste akin to what a mouth-breather would experience while going through old boxes in his/her attic.
Pokka Sapporo Rich Cocoa Drink
Sports an unnatural brown that borders on reddish as well as a texture that doesn’t look like it possesses normal milk properties. As I braced for a nasty, chemically flavor, I was pleasantly surprised that it was rather chocolaty, however watered-down. Its bark is worse than its bite.
Morinaga Cocoa Beverage (can)
Wow- the best concoction to have come from a vending machine and/or can! It’s super grainy, but that’s ok because the cocoa flavor is strong and feels authentic. I was happy to drink the whole can, which has not happened before.
Van Houten Cocoa (280mL)
Emulsified, but watery. Cocoa presence, but…watery. Deep down, it wants to be good— it wants to taste like hot chocolate, but the flavor is too washed out, making the taste incongruous with the average-thickness texture.
Cheerio Cocoa Beverage
The best product to come out of a can and/or vending machine thus far. It’s simply not hampered by most of the problems that plague canned or vending items— the texture feels true, there's minimal metallic taste, there’s adequate salt, and even a touch of a creamy feel. Pleasant surprise.
Bourbon Cocoa Beverage
One of the 'better' canned products I've had so far out of a vending machine, but that’s not saying much. It still is fairly watery and tastes a bit like you'd expect chocolate soda to (it's not carbonated), and the chocolate flavor is palatable, unlike many of the others.
Nestle Chuckie Chocolate Milk Drink
Very unique taste— not chocolate, not malt, not the usual suspects when you’re sampling chocolate milk. It’s an onslaught of salt with a wheaty / starchy flavor and feel. Coats the inside of your mouth with an oily-feeling residue.
Koiwai Family Milk & Cocoa
In this case, less flavor across the board makes it more palatable than many other canned chocolate drinks. The texture is thicker and chalkier than expected but the taste didn't outright offend me-- it was just poor.
DyDo Grand Time Cocoa Drink
Cocoa flavor isn’t terribly bad (perhaps has a slightly burnt quality) and the consistency manages to be rough and watery at the same time. The aftertaste doesn't do it any favors and leaves a tingling in the back of the throat.
Eki Na Cafe Milk Cocoa
Lots of salt and malt— a combination that I really enjoy in a chocolate milk. It’s pretty heavy-handed here, but I welcome the uniqueness.
Doutor Cacao 75% Bitter Chocolat
Excellent dark cocoa flavor that lasts into the aftertaste. The only thing holding it back is the lack of cream, which would add a ton more depth to the flavor and enhance the mouth feel. Still, very good and one to seek out if you are a fan of dark chocolate.
Uchi Cafe Sweets Chocolate
Very odd. Highly creamy ‘feel’ but somehow manages a watered-down ‘taste.’ The chocolate flavor is sour yet powdery, and doesn’t feel authentic. It’s really chalky and the strange properties and tastes going on here leave me a bit confused and looking for my bag of peanuts to replace the flavor in my mouth with something familiar.
Acure Made Rich Chocolate Drink
From a consistency standpoint, this is exactly what you’d expect diarrhea to look like in a cup and feel like in your mouth (here’s to hoping we never get to that point). This may be ‘spoiled’ in some regard, though it didn’t smell or taste rotten, just the chunky/gooey texture couldn't have been presented that way on purpose. I hate to say it, but the flavor wasn't terrible, but on consistency alone, this gets a zero.
Morinaga Luxury Milk Cocoa
Good cocoa flavor and creaminess delivered through a smooth texture that is not bogged down by excess thickening or emulsification. If I lived in Japan, this would be a permanent fixture on my shopping list.
Georgia Ice Cocoa
Hearing the ‘crack’ of opening the can is by far the most enjoyable part of the experience. It’s extremely watery, which usually is a bad thing, but in this case it helps the sucky flavor dissipate more quickly.