The aisles of convenience stores and especially vending machines in Japan offer a wide variety of different flavored beverages, but one surprising trend is that they sometimes contain "drinkable" canned versions of things not normally viewed as a standard beverage, such as tonkotsu ramen broth and whipped cream.

One of the recent kings in that category was a 10-spice drinkable canned curry released last year by longtime beverage maker Pokka Sapporo. Curry is a big foodie fan favorite in Japan, so having a ready-to-drink curry roux in a can was seen as the perfect "drink" pairing with bread or rice balls--or to simply enjoy on its own for true curry heads. According to Pokka Sapporo, the number of shipments was 1.5 times the initial plan, and so they've decided to bring back the beloved curry in a can with a few flavor upgrades:

The drink is no longer called "Curry no kibun" ("I'm in the mood for curry"), but now "Jikkuri kotokoto nomu can Curry" ("Slowly strewed canned curry you drink"), and the label specifies that it has mild spice, is cooked slowly, and pairs well with onigiri rice balls and bread. This is because the curry's recipe has been improved slightly to make it easier to enjoy at hot, cold, or room temperatures.

The drink uses a 10 spice blend made from Pokka Sapporo's own Mascot spice lineup:

The new and improved drinkable canned curry will be released nationwide in Japan beginning August 22nd.