Alpenrose Swiss Supreme Chocolate Milk

Not much chocolate to be found, but tons of cream, sweetness, and a decent dose of malt makes it wonderfully flavorful nonetheless. One of the most caloric products I’ve ever tasted, it’s like drinking melted ice cream (an overused cliché, but true here). With more cocoa, this could be elite.

Umpqua Dairy Dutch Style Chocolate Milk

Thick and creamy, but has a unique flavor to the sweetness that registers as ‘melon-y’ to me— just for a second, and then it goes away. There's as much malt as chocolate, both of which could stand to be more prominent, as there’s plenty of cream to carry it to a satisfying conclusion.

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.

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.