28 BLACK ADVENTSKALENDER Christmas Can

The 28BLACK Advent Calendar Can, released around November 2015.

It arrived while I was on an energy drink trip to Las Vegas in late November. This fun concept incorporates the idea of an advent calendar—counting down the days to Christmas by opening one item each day until the 24th—into an energy drink can design.

Interestingly, even the Japanese team behind 28BLACK was unaware of this edition or didn’t have it. This might be because it comes from Germany, rather than the Middle Eastern versions available in Japan.

So, I shared daily photos featuring the 28BLACK Advent Calendar Can along with Christmas-themed props on Instagram and Twitter. I’m compiling those posts here as a summary.

Now, let’s talk about how the 24-can set was packaged.

It’s well known that air cargo handling can be quite rough, which is always a concern when shipping collectibles like these. Since 28BLACK has a strong collector’s appeal, I wanted to minimize the risk of damage.

Packaging of the 28BLACK Christmas Can

A friend showed me how it arrived, and the packaging looked decent enough to give me confidence in ordering. While it wasn’t perfect—there are safer ways to package fragile items—it was significantly better than the typical U.S. shipping methods.

As you can see, the cans were packed in a grid structure, preventing them from being crushed from any direction. This method is similar to how alcoholic beverages are often shipped. I personally like this style of packaging and use it frequently. The dividers ensure the cans don’t directly touch the outer box, which is another plus.

However, one downside is that if the box is dropped heavily, the top or bottom cans may dent. Placing cushioning at the bottom would help prevent this, but overall, this level of packaging is more than sufficient.

Additionally, two layers of cardboard were placed inside the box to reinforce it against horizontal pressure and prevent deformation. While adding extra cardboard increases the weight, I appreciate the extra effort to ensure safe delivery. (*´ｪ`*)

About the 28BLACK Christmas Can

All the cans contain the same 28BLACK Acai flavor.

The Christmas-themed design is applied as a label rather than directly printed on the can, which gives it a somewhat cheap feel. However, the illustrations are cute enough to overlook that.

At around 400 yen per can, I’d say it’s a pretty good deal. (●´ω｀●)