Yes Coke Yes

While on vacation for the holidays, I'm finding homes for some of the nomadic clutter lying around the house.  On this adventure, I found a Coca-Cola can that I'm not sure I've written about yet.  I don't remember where or when I got it.  But this is it.

From what I can tell, it's a can from the 1980's from Japan.  On the back of the can with the nutrition information is a circle with JAS on it.  My research shows it stands for Japanese Agricultural Standard, which is the Japanese Industrial Standards for food and agricultural products.

The top of the can is interesting.  It had a pull-top tab on it and the size of the hole is a bit smaller than American pull-tops of that era. 

If any of my information is incorrect just leave a comment below.  Thanks.

An Early Christmas Gift

Last weekend I was with a couple people doing some Christmas shopping.  At one store, I finished shopping before they did so I went to the car to wait.  Glancing around the parking lot I saw a couple of cans sitting on the base of a light post.

I waited for a couple to leave their nearby car before I went out and looked at the cans.  One was a regular Pepsi can, the other a Shnucks grape soda.

I have some older Schnucks cans in my collection, but I certainly didn't have one this new. 

When the others in my group returned to the car, we discussed the gifts we had bought for other people.  I finished by saying I also got an early Christmas gift... someone's used soda can! 

Have An Ice Day

At work one day last week I happened to glance into a trashcan as I passed by.  Was that a can I didn't have in my collection?  I pulled it out and sure enough, it was a can of black raspberry ICE sparkling water.  I've never heard of it but obviously one of my coworkers likes it.

I was ready to go clean the can out when I thought, "If there's one in here, could there be another?"  So I moved a few pieces of paper around and I found another can!  And to think, I almost passed the trashcan by without a second thought.

After digging a little ways down I actually unearthed a 5-can set!

Five cans, and they were all different flavors.  Wow.  After making sure there were no more, I took the cans to the break room and cleaned them real good. 

The colors are so vibrant.  And the graphics are crisp and sharp.  This was truly a great day at work.  I just hope none of my coworkers saw my digging in the trash!

Maui Burst

Someone I know really loves Mtn Dew, especially the limited edition flavors.  One flavor he's been searching for is Maui Burst, which is "Dew with a blast of pineapple flavor."

Someone else I know has been watching him desperately search for this elusive flavor (elusive in our area, at least).  She heard it may be a Dollar General exclusive, so we checked the Dollar General a block from my house yesterday and they had nine cans of it!!!

At only $1 each, she bought one for him and one for me; the one for him will be a Christmas present, the one for me is for my collection.

Later she realized if he really likes that flavor, he may or may not be able to find any more.  So we went back and she bought five more cans for him, so he'll be getting a 6-pack of Maui Blast on December 25.  Meanwhile, I have my can now.

I love the art style.  It has a sunny, Tiki kind of tropical style going on, which is in perfect contrast to the gray, chilly, windy, rainy November weather we currently have. 

So did she hog the Maui Burst by buying 7 of the 9 cans there?  Not according to her.  In fact, she "generously" left 2 cans for others to enjoy this equatorial treat.

Cherry Lime Rickey [Update]

This can of Arizona Cherry Lime Rickey has been in my pantry for a while just waiting for someone to drink it.  I've always loved the color and design of the can, and I've been waiting to taste the delicious-sounding beverage inside.

So when I looked for a can to feature on my blog this week, I thought this would be the perfect one.  After doing a quick search on my blog to see if I mentioned when I bought it, I was surprised to find out I've already done a feature on this can... and it was back in September of 2012!!!

If you compare the tab location in these pics to the pics in my 2012 post, you'll see this is the exact can!  I even mentioned my excitement at wanting to taste it back then.

Then

Now

I don't claim to be a procrastinator, but sometimes time just gets away from me.  Seven yeas ago I said I wanted to try this to see if it tastes as good as the can design looks.  But now again I will set the can aside to save it for a special occasion.  Maybe this Thursday at Thanksgiving.  Or maybe I'll wait and do a third post in 2026.

Refreshers, aka Lipstick on a Pig

I had some older style cans of Starbucks Refreshers, but this year I acquired three of the new style.

If you're not familiar with this brand, it's sparkling flavored coconut water.  The three flavors here are black cherry limeade, peach passion fruit, and strawberry lemonade.

I'm not a fan of coconut water, but these flavors sounded really good.  So for me, it's like the saying, "You can put lipstick on a pig..."  In my opinion, these are just nasty coconut waters with a hint of flavor, haha. 

There are other ways for me to get a kick of energy at breakfast.  I don't need my bacon to wear makeup.

A New Dazzle

There are many Dr Pepper knock-offs or "clones" as I call them.  They are usually cheaper than the real thing.  They usually aren't quite as good, but sometimes you may find one that tastes better.

The brand Summit has their own Dr Pepper clone called Dr. Dazzle.  I had a couple different Dazzle designs in my collection prior to this week.

 But now I have a third. 

I saw someone drinking this and asked them for the can when they were finished.  I'm used to the strange looks and the questions that follow.  But hey, it got me a new can and that's all that really matters.

Oranges

Two new "orange" cans.

That's it.

Silver Falls

This morning at church someone told me they brought "a few" cans for me.  So during a slow part of the service I sneaked out to grab this pic in case I forgot to after church.

It was a few more cans than I expected.  When I got home, I stacked the different cans that were in the box.  I left the doubles in the box behind the stack.

But of those eight cans I already had seven.  The only new one for me was the Silver Falls Cola can.

One can isn't quite the same as "a few," but it's still an addition to the collection.  Just like the old saying goes, "Ask and ye shall receive."

MATI

Looking around some flea markets yesterday, I wasn't seeing many cans for sale.  Then this gem popped up:

But I already have that design and mine is in better condition.

Moving on, I saw these new cans:

They were a "sparkling organic energy drink" called MATI.  I saw three different flavors, and for $.50 each I couldn't pass them up.

The flavors are grapefruit, lemon ginger, and raspberry mint.  It was late in the day and I didn't want to risk drinking an energy drink a few hours before going to bed, so as soon as they are emptied they will move on to a box in my collection.

(Not A) Football Superfan

Someone I know went to West Virginia a few weeks ago to visit family and brought back this Coca-Cola can to me.

I was grateful for the can since I didn't have it yet, but it's far from an accurate description of me.

But whether you're a sports fan or not, one thing is for sure.  When you're a general can collector as I am, whether the can's subject matter interests you or not... you still want the can.

Cayman Islands

A few weeks ago I got a text from a friend who was on vacation in the Cayman Islands.  He sent the following two pictures and asked if I had the cans.

Neither looked familiar, so I replied that I didn't have either can.  When he got home, he said the watermelon can didn't make it back, but he did give me the Jupina pineapple soda can.  After double-checking my collection, I had an older version of the watermelon can from a previous can lot purchase.

So if only one can could make it back to me, I'm glad it was the Jupina. But maybe next time he goes to the Caribbean he can bring back the watermelon can for me :)

The Food Pantry

It's not uncommon in this area for towns to have food shelters or food pantries set up to provide food and other items for people who need help.  And my town is no different.  Ours is called the Food Pantry.

People are needed to help organize the boxes and crates of food that are donated, others are needed to bag the food up so it's ready for people to take when they come in, others are needed to be there to keep the books and record the names of those who come in for food.  And all that work is done by volunteers.

My parents are volunteers and go there a couple times a month.  And when available, I like to get my kids in there to help out.  Last Monday was another chance to help out.  So we headed to the Food Pantry to pack the brown paper bags with food.

There are a couple of shelves set aside for food that is just about to expire.  Items on those shelves are available for anyone to take, even the volunteers.  So I was excited to see a couple of cans on the shelf that I didn't have in my collection.

 

One is a can of Ice Mountain pomegranate lemonade.  I am not a fan of pomegranate, so I have a feeling someone else will be drinking this one.  The other is a V8 Hydrate can of watermelon coconut water.  Guess what, I don't like coconut water either.  Strike two.

But we worked about an hour packing bags, so I felt I earned the two cans I took.  After all, the food is there for people who need it and I certainly NEEDED these two cans for my collection.

One Can to Reign Them All

So I picked up a cool energy drink can recently from someone.  It's called Reign.

This is sour apple flavored.  I didn't get to try it, but the person who drank it said it's pretty good.

The back of the can lists all the "benefits" from drinking it.  From the looks of it, you pretty much turn into Superman after just one can.  Not bad for just a couple bucks.

3D Cans

Someone recently handed me this empty 3D energy drink can.  It's very cool for a few reasons:

• The colors have a matte finish, not a glossy shine like most cans
• The flavor isn't printed anywhere on the can!
• I commented it looks like a Bomb Pop.  And he said that's exactly what it tasted like.

A few days later he had some more cans for me.  He had gone back and tried all the flavors they had.

I'm not sure which 3D cans are cooler.  These five cans or the real 3D cans I got from Japan.

Gloe Cans

 

It's been a while since I've seen cans in a store and bought them just because I need them for my collection.  But that's what happened last Tuesday when I was in another town and saw these two cans in a Walmart.

Several years ago coconut water became all the rage.  I didn't have any coconut water cans and before I knew it I was passing them up in stores, there were just too many to collect.  A couple of years ago I heard the next thing coming was aloe water.  And these are my first two aloe water cans.

They are labeled as a "Plant Infused Sparkling Water Beverage."  They are also certified USDA Organic.  They are only 5 calories per can.  And the flavors sound delicious.

The first is blood orange (fruit of the Florida vampire, I suppose).  I've got a few other blood orange-flavored cans, but I wasn't the one who drank them.  So I can't wait to try this one.














The other is Fuji apple & pear.  Just the thought of that flavor makes my mouth water.














Not only are they going to be a good refreshing drink, but I suppose the aloe would also be soothing if your esophagus should get sunburned. 

Rockstar

Just when you think you've figured out a storage/organization solution for all of your cans, the collection hits another level and it's back to the drawing board.  That's happened several times to me in the last few years.  Currently most of them are in well-labeled boxes.  Not all of the boxes are easily accessible, but "I know they're here somewhere."

Some of the boxes are dedicated to just one brand.  I recently added a few new Rockstar energy drink cans to my collection and found the Rockstar box.  So I decided to take stock of the Rockstars I've collected since 2011.  If I had been dedicated to just this brand, I would have a LOT more of them, but this is just one of hundreds of brands I've collected in the last eight years, so it may not look like much.

Maybe if I feel "energetic" I'll take a picture of my Monster energy drink collection.  I have 38 Rockstar cans.  I have 108 Monster cans. 

Four Red Cans

Here are some new cans from the last couple of weeks.  What do they have in common?

It's my first Clear American brand can.  And also my first Bubly.  But the peach Nehi and strawberry Fanta are new designs of cans cans I already had.

And that's about it.  Red cans. 

Stranger Cans

I just got two Limited Edition Coca-Cola cans based on the Netflix series Stranger Things.

For those unfamiliar with the series, it takes place in the 1980's.  So for this tie-in promotion, the red Coke can is actually the formula for New Coke which debuted in 1985.  If you missed out the first time around, now's your chance to taste the updated flavor that rocked the cola world!!!

The back of the red can even states "Original Taste" at the top, referring to the "1985 Limited Edition" printed on the front of the can.  For more info on the series and the promo, you can scan the bottle icon on the back of the can.

The Coca-Cola Zero can is really cool because when stood upright it shows the usual logo with the red circle behind the text, but when the can is turned upside down it shows a scene of dead trees and everything dark and dreary... just like the Upside-Down in the show.









I've seen season one of the series, but now need to catch up since season three just came out earlier this month.  Whether you're a fan of the show or a fan of collectible cans, these are definitely worth tracking down for your collection.

Dr Pepper Ten Commandments

Last week at church someone brought a can of Dr Pepper Ten to me and said he noticed it looked different.  It looked a little different to me too, so I took a pic of it in the pew and would investigate later when I had the can back at my house...










Back home I was able to check my can collection website and I found a pic of the TEN can I got in 2011.

Can from 2019

Can from 2011

Yes, there is a difference.  The original TEN can had maroon swirls behind the Dr Pepper logo and the print near the bottom of the can was maroon.  This new can has gray behind the Dr Pepper logo, the same gray as the rest of the can.  And the lettering near the bottom of the can is white.

When did this change happen?  Was it a while ago and we just noticed it?  Or is it truly a brand new design?  I could probably Google it and I find out but I'm going to leave this one a mystery...

Orange is the New Can

Orange can #1 - Clemson orange soda

The Clemson Tigers are a football team from Clemson University in South Carolina.  One side of the can shows they were the 1982 Orange Bowl Champions.

The other side of the can shows their perfect 12-0 season from 1981.















Orange can #2 - Whistle orange soda

Whistle is the brand of orange soda from the larger brand Vess.  This is the 75th anniversary special edition can from 1991.














Orange can #3 - Orangette orange soda

This is a modern-day can of Walmart orange soda.  Notice Walmart's star icon on the side of the can.