By Judy Hevrdejs, Tribune Newspapers Chicago Tribune

September 5, 2012
Ever since canned and bottled coffees flooded the United States 15 years or so ago, there's been a steady increase in consumption as well as innovation. These days, ready-to-drink coffee is an almost billion-dollar bonanza — sales were $944 million for the previous 12 months as of July, according to market research firm SymphonyIRI Group — with canned and bottled coffees targeting most every taste and lifestyle.

We tasted 10 canned and bottled coffees from the dozens available, some newcomers as well as the granddaddy of canned coffee, UCC Coffee with Milk from Japan. Half had milk (or a milk product); the remainder included chocolate. Some were amped up with vitamins, some with green tea. We found them at supermarkets, convenience stores and an Asian market.

They ranged in price from 13 cents per ounce to almost 33 cents per ounce. Some can be purchased on their own websites, others at Amazon.com. Here's what our eight tasters found. Note that because the coffees are so different, we did not rank them; instead, we give a rating for each. Calories are per container.

jhevrdejs@tribune.com

Also see photo gallery of our tasting.

With milk

Illy Issimo Latte Macchiato
Cost: $1.99 (8.45 ounce can)
Calories: 110
On the label: "Italian espresso style coffee drink with milk." "Caffeine content: 80 mg."
Comments: "More coffee than cream." "Roasted scent, almost a caramel flavor." "Thin, more caramel than coffee."
Verdict: Most liked it

RealBeanz Energize Iced Coffee Cappuccino
Cost: $2.29 (9.5 ounce bottle)
Calories: 140
On the label: "Nutrient enhanced." "Yerba mate leaf extract." "Panax ginseng."
Comments: "Stern coffee flavor." "Unpleasant aftertaste, almost caramely." "Some coffee flavor, yet not tasteless."
Verdict: Sort of liked it

Royal Mills Iced Cappuccino