Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

He’s one of the classic hard men of manga, so when it comes to coffee, Golgo 13 doesn’t pussy around. The cartoon assassin’s visage adorns Toyo Beverage’s Otoko no Hard Black (tagline: “This bitterness ain’t bad…”) and Otoko no Cafe Au Lait (“I don’t need sweetness…”), the manliest drinks you’re likely to find in the conbini chiller cabinet this summer. With nary a trace of sugar between them, they’re coffee as it should be: strong, bitter and with a lingering aftertaste of burnt tires. Available exclusively at Circle K and Sunkus, priced at ¥148 and ¥168 respectively.