Starbucks Japan unveils new limited-edition matcha drink for summer
With so many icy cold limited-edition drinks on the menu, Starbucks is always a popular stop in summer. Now, the store's popularity is set to rise again, thanks to the addition of a new drink called 'Suzumi Matcha Mousse Tea' ('Cooling Matcha Mousse Tea').
Described as 'the taste of summer coolness', the Suzumi Matcha Mousse Tea contains high-quality matcha powder in the body of the beverage, carefully crafted to bring out the robust aroma and inherent bittersweet flavour of the powdered green tea. On top, an airy white mocha-flavored mousse adds creamy sweetness and richness to the drink, with a dusting of matcha powder for extra aroma and flavour.
The beautiful green and white layers give you a sense of coolness just by looking at them, and they're primed for mixing, so you can enjoy the combination of bittersweet matcha and sweet mousse in varying strengths. The drink is said to have a crisp and refreshing finish that's perfect for the intensely hot days of midsummer, and is designed to bring 'a soothing sense of traditional Japanese coolness to both mind and body'.
We're always looking for ways to stay cool in summer, and this modern take on a traditional classic looks like a very tasty solution. Available from 18 August, the new beverage will be sold in a tall size only, priced at 579 yen (US$3.93) for takeout or 590 yen for dine-in customers.
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In many ways, U.S. Steel's Mon Valley plants are relics of steelmaking's past. In the early 1970s, U.S. steel production led the world and was at an all-time high, thanks to 62 coke plants that fed 141 blast furnaces. Nobody in the U.S. has built a blast furnace since then, as foreign competition devastated the American steel industry and coal fell out of favor. Now, China is dominant in steel and heavily invested in coal-based steelmaking. In the U.S., there are barely a dozen coke plants and blast furnaces left, as the country's steelmaking has shifted to cheaper electric arc furnaces that use electricity, not coal. Blast furnaces won't entirely go away, analysts say, since they produce metals that are preferred by automakers, appliance makers and oil and gas exploration firms. Still, Christopher Briem, an economist at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Social and Urban Research, questioned whether the Clairton plant really will survive much longer, given its age and condition. It could be particularly vulnerable if the economy slides into recession or the fundamentals of the American steel market shift, he said. 'I'm not quite sure it's all set in stone as people believe,' Briem said. 'If the market does not bode well for U.S. Steel, for American steel, is Nippon Steel really going to keep these things?' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
