Latest news with #Masami
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Starbucks Japan's white peach Frappuccino and drinks are here
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 It's been an extremely hot summer in Japan this year, with the country recording its highest temperature ever just a few days ago. Temperatures have dipped a bit since then, but not by much, so we were very much looking forward to having not one, not two, but three new chilled drinks from Starbucks Japan to taste test and cool off with. Once again, this solemn duty fell to our resident Frappuccino expert K Masami, who made her way to Starbucks on August 1 as a trio of peach-flavored beverages were added to the menu. Collectively called the Three Happy Peaches, Starbucks is continuing the format it used for its Shine Muscat grape series last month, releasing a Frappuccino, a tea, and a soda, each making use of the seasonal fruit, and Masami elected to taste the Heavenly Peach Frappuccino first. Visually, this is a gorgeous-looking drink, especially when served in glass that lets you appreciate the interplay of colors in the topping of whipped cream with drizzled peach sauce and sprinkling of peach-flavor powder. At the bottom of the glass is quite a bit of chopped white peach pieces, and in between the Frappuccino base itself, made with white peach puree but without any milk. This mix of ingredients makes for a drink that's sweet, flavorful, and packed with juicy peach notes, but the milk-less Frappuccino base minimizes oiliness too. So while the flavor is bold, it comes to a clean finish, a combination that means there was really only room for one possible complaint: it all tastes so good that part of Masami wanted to savor it as slowly as possible, but it was so revitalizing on a hot summer day that she wanted to gulp it down with gusto. That dilemma isn't the beverage's fault, though, and Masami feels the Heavenly Peach Frappuccino truly deserves the 'Heavenly' part of its name. Next up, the Craft Juicy Peach Tea. This is the simplest drink in Starbucks' peach lineup, as it's a glass of their black tea with chopped white peach, plus ice to keep everything chilled. There's nothing wrong with simplicity when it's staying true to a purpose, though, and the Craft Juicy Peach Tea is wonderfully focused on providing a gentle and relaxing flavor. Starbucks' black tea is a little on the strong side, but the peach pieces help mellow out some of its bitterness and also add a sweet, fruity zip to the mix that fits in very nicely. Also, out of the three new drinks, the Craft Juicy Peach Tea uses the largest quantity of fruit, as you can easily see when they're all lined up next to each other, so this is the one to go for if you feel like you can never have too much peach. ▼ Almost half of our Craft Juicy Peach Tea glass was fruit. The mood often starts to feel bittersweet as Masami approaches the end of her taste tests, but for the final drink in this session the taste was tart and sweet. That's because the Chillax Soda Peach's base is made with a green citrus syrup with nearly a dozen flavors, including lime, grapefruit, and lemon, and there's a lemon slice in the glass too for good measure. There's still room for the sweetness of the chopped white peach to shine, though, with the fizzy carbonation helping it pop on the taste buds, with the sharp citrus coming on stronger at the end to close off the sensation of each sip, making it Masami's pick for the most refreshing of the trio. Honestly, these are all so satisfying that Masami would be happy to drink them throughout the year as regular menu items, but since they make use of seasonal ingredients, we'll just have to enjoy them as often as we can before summer ends. Photos ©SoraNews24 Read more stories from Sora News24. -- More peach is the name of the game with Starbucks Japan's Momo More Frappuccino【Taste test】 -- We try the new Peach on the Beach Frappuccino from Starbucks Japan -- Starbucks Japan's first-ever white peach Frappuccino is ready to kickstart the summer fun External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
This is one of Starbucks Japan's rarest Frappuccinos, but is it worth tracking down?【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan's second pink Frappuccino of the summer is a flavor that's only available at a fraction of its branches. Variety and consistency are usually opposite ideals, but Starbucks Japan manages to pull them both off with aplomb. Particularly when it comes to Frappuccinos, every few weeks the chain rolls out a new seasonal flavor, and yet, no mater which of the chain's many branches you happen to be at, you can expect the staff to make yours perfectly. However, there do exist Japanese Frappuccino that you can't get at just any Starbucks location. The My Fruit³ Frappuccino series is only available at a very small number of select branches, which meant that with the newest one, the Golden Pineapple and Guava Yogurt Frappuccino, now on sale, our resident Frappuccino connoisseur K. Masami was going to have to do some legwork if she wanted to taste-test it. And want to taste-test it she did, even though out of the mere 31 Starbucks nationwide where it's being served, only two of them (the Aeon Mall Kyoto and Nara Konoike Undokoen branches) are in the Kansai region, where Masami lives. Now, the reason for that 3 in the My Fruit³ Frappuccino name seems to be that these Frappuccinos give you free customization options, with three official suggestions listed on the menu. Out of them, Masami was most intrigued by the combination of the golden pineapple Frappuccino base and guava yogurt customized with the addition of black tea and whipped cream. Since this was a rare opportunity to drink this ultra-rare Frappuccinos, though, Masami wanted to make sure she'd have the best possible drinking experience, so she asked the clerk at the register for their recommendation, and the Starbucks staff member clued her in to using Passion Tea instead, and skipping the whipped cream for a lighter, more refreshing flavor. So that's exactly what Masami did, and her 770-yen (US$5.20) Golden Pineapple Guava Yogurt Passion Tea Frappuccino was very pink, thanks to the colors of the guava and Starbucks' Passion Tea, which is a non-caffeine herbal tea with hibiscus, orange peel, cinnamon, and licorice. Masami expected a complex flavor, but there turned out to be even more stimulation for her taste buds than she'd imagined. It's been her experience that with pineapple-flavored beverages the taste of pineapple tends to dominate the flavor profile, but to her surprise it's actually the guava that most assertively makes its presence felt in this Frappuccino. The pineapple notes come on later, starting off with the impression of pineapple fragrance that gradually triggers your taste receptors, and the creaminess of the yogurt helps make a smooth transition between the two types of fruit. And after those three ingredients have played their parts, the Passion Tea comes in with a spritz of sharp tartness to clean your palate and get you ready for the next sip. ▼ Or spoonful. No judgement. So yes, Masami feels that the Golden Pineapple Guava Yogurt Frappuccino is totally worth going out of your way to get your hands on. In Tokyo, it's available at Starbucks' Azabujuban Nichome, Urban Dock Lalaport, Omotesando Hills, Shibuya Stream, Meets Kokubunji, Minami Machida Grandberry Park, and Machida Tokyu Twins East branches, with the complete list of Starbucks Japan branches serving it can be found here. And if you can't make it to any of those, don't forget about the other pink Frappuccino that's out there right now. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
Japan Today
6 days ago
- General
- Japan Today
Lawson debuts new fried chicken, so let's see how it compares to other stores
By SoraNews24 There are certain staples that each of the major convenience store chains in Japan is sure to carry. Onigiri are almost a certain bet, and nikuman steamed meat buns have more recently become available everywhere and all year round. You'll probably even find a melon pan in each store if they aren't already sold out. Another convenience store sure thing is fried chicken. Back in the day, each store had its own unique style of chicken, but more recently, they have all adopted a breaded fried filet, similar to Family Mart's mega-hit Fami Chiki. If we took a poll, it seems very likely that Fami Chiki would still reign supreme, but Lawson's L-Chiki and 7-Eleven's Nana Chiki both have offerings worth trying. And now, Lawson is upping their game with a new item called Manmaru Chicken for 248 yen. The name 'Manmaru' suggests a chicken filet that's both plump and filling, so our writer K. Masami headed out to her nearest Lawson to try one the day it was released on July 29. Despite the big fried chicken launch, the store wasn't nearly as crowded as she expected. Also, when she went to the fried chicken cabinet, there weren't any Manmaru Chicken there. There was a price tag for it, however. When she asked the staff about it, they seemed surprised and replied, 'Oh, it comes out today! Do you want us to fry some up?' She had clearly come during a slow period, so they were probably planning on cooking it when more people would be around. It was nice of them to fry some just for her, and she felt her loyalty for this Lawson branch grow stronger. She even bought two since she appreciated the gesture so much. Though not in the spirit of her newfound loyalty, she also stopped by a FamilyMart and 7-Eleven to buy a Fami Chiki for 240 yen and Nana Chiki for 223 yen from them too. After all, this was for science. ▼ From the bottom clockwise: Manmaru Chiki (Lawson), Nana Chiki (7-Eleven), Fami Chiki (FamilyMart) Masami was impressed with the size of the Manmaru Chicken compared to the others. After slicing one open, she could see that the trick was rolling the meat up to make it look more three-dimensional. The other big difference was that this chicken was more lightly battered than others, by about 10 percent. ▼ Manmaru Chiki Those were some very wise decisions by Lawson, and they paid off not only in presentation but taste as well. When she bit into it, juices filled her mouth, and the light seasoning and batter both helped to emphasize the strong meat flavor. Next, she tried the Nana Chiki from 7-Eleven. It had a bold salt and pepper flavor, and the meat had more fatty parts in it than the others. The new Manmaru Chicken had a milder flavor and was more filling, but Nana Chiki might be a good pick-me-up when tired. ▼ Nana Chiki And then Masami tried the Fami Chiki, and there were no surprises here, but it was interesting to taste all these chickens back to back. Clearly, Lawson and 7-Eleven weren't trying to just clone a Fami Chiki and hoped to create their own hits. All of the chickens had their own blend of spices in the coating, showing each store's intention to carve its own path. ▼ Fami Chiki Masami found that the Manmaru was strangely the most filling and yet also the lightest to eat. They all have their own set of charms though, so it's best to try each one and see which is best for you personally. ▼ For a sense of scale, here are the measurements for the Manmaru Chiki Meanwhile, they all have one thing in common: They taste great with beer or cola. A journalist friend of hers once said that convenience store chicken and a beer are her lifesavers after a shift. They were totally right too, because at the end of the day, when she's too tired to cook, convenience store chicken and beer felt like they had saved her life. And with these sweltering nights where it can be difficult to eat heavy foods, Manmaru Chicken from Lawson can really hit the spot. Photos © SoraNews24 Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Chiki taste test! Japan's big three convenience stores challenged by fried chicken field newcomer -- Does Japan's new low-calorie convenience store fried chicken have any reason to exist?【Taste test】 -- Ramen-covered fried chicken is coming to Japanese convenience stores, and we're totally ready External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Starbucks Japan's white peach Frappuccino and drinks are here! Are we tickled pink?【Taste test】
Trio of chilled sweet seasonal drinks arrives as Japan copes with record heat. It's been an extremely hot summer in Japan this year, with the country recording its highest temperature ever just a few days ago. Temperatures have dipped a bit since then, but not by much, so we were very much looking forward to having not one, not two, but three new chilled drinks from Starbucks Japan to taste test and cool off with. Once again, this solemn duty fell to our resident Frappuccino expert K. Masami, who made her way to Starbucks on August 1 as a trio of peach-flavored beverages were added to the menu. Collectively called the Three Happy Peaches, Starbucks is continuing the format it used for its Shine Muscat grape series last month, releasing a Frappuccino, a tea, and a soda, each making use of the seasonal fruit, and Masami elected to taste the Heavenly Peach Frappuccino first. Visually, this is a gorgeous-looking drink, especially when served in glass that lets you appreciate the interplay of colors in the topping of whipped cream with drizzled peach sauce and sprinkling of peach-flavor powder. At the bottom of the glass is quite a bit of chopped white peach pieces, and in between the Frappuccino base itself, made with white peach puree but without any milk. This mix of ingredients makes for a drink that's sweet, flavorful, and packed with juicy peach notes, but the milk-less Frappuccino base minimizes oiliness too. So while the flavor is bold, it comes to a clean finish, a combination that means there was really only room for one possible complaint: it all tastes so good that part of Masami wanted to savor it as slowly as possible, but it was so revitalizing on a hot summer day that she wanted to gulp it down with gusto. That dilemma isn't the beverage's fault, though, and Masami feels the Heavenly Peach Frappuccino truly deserves the 'Heavenly' part of its name. Next up, the Craft Juicy Peach Tea. This is the simplest drink in Starbucks' peach lineup, as it's a glass of their black tea with chopped white peach, plus ice to keep everything chilled. There's nothing wrong with simplicity when it's staying true to a purpose, though, and the Craft Juicy Peach Tea is wonderfully focused on providing a gentle and relaxing flavor. Starbucks' black tea is a little on the strong side, but the peach pieces help mellow out some of its bitterness and also add a sweet, fruity zip to the mix that fits in very nicely. Also, out of the three new drinks, the Craft Juicy Peach Tea uses the largest quantity of fruit, as you can easily see when they're all lined up next to each other, so this is the one to go for if you feel like you can never have too much peach. ▼ Almost half of our Craft Juicy Peach Tea glass was fruit. The mood often starts to feel bittersweet as Masami approaches the end of her taste tests, but for the final drink in this session the taste was tart and sweet. That's because the Chillax Soda Peach's base is made with a green citrus syrup with nearly a dozen flavors, including lime, grapefruit, and lemon, and there's a lemon slice in the glass too for good measure. There's still room for the sweetness of the chopped white peach to shine, though, with the fizzy carbonation helping it pop on the taste buds, with the sharp citrus coming on stronger at the end to close off the sensation of each sip, making it Masami's pick for the most refreshing of the trio. Honestly, these are all so satisfying that Masami would be happy to drink them throughout the year as regular menu items, but since they make use of seasonal ingredients, we'll just have to enjoy them as often as we can before summer ends. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
30-07-2025
- Business
- SoraNews24
Lawson debuts new fried chicken so let's see how it compares to other stores
Is the biggest bird best? There are certain staples that each of the major convenience store chains in Japan is sure to carry. Onigiri are almost a certain bet, and nikuman steamed meat buns have more recently become available everywhere and all year round. You'll probably even find a melon pan in each store if they aren't already sold out. Another convenience store sure thing is fried chicken. Back in the day, each store had its own unique style of chicken, but more recently, they have all adopted a breaded fried filet, similar to Family Mart's mega-hit Fami Chiki. If we took a poll, it seems very likely that Fami Chiki would still reign supreme, but Lawson's L-Chiki and 7-Eleven's Nana Chiki both have offerings worth trying. And now, Lawson is upping their game with a new item called Manmaru Chicken for 248 yen (US$1.67). The name 'Manmaru' suggests a chicken filet that's both plump and filling, so our writer K. Masami headed out to her nearest Lawson to try one the day it was released on 29 July. Despite the big fried chicken launch, the store wasn't nearly as crowded as she expected. Also, when she went to the fried chicken cabinet, there weren't any Manmaru Chicken there. There was a price tag for it, however. When she asked the staff about it, they seemed surprised and replied, 'Oh, it comes out today! Do you want us to fry some up?' She had clearly come during a slow period, so they were probably planning on cooking it when more people would be around. It was nice of them to fry some just for her, and she felt her loyalty for this Lawson branch grow stronger. She even bought two since she appreciated the gesture so much. Though not in the spirit of her newfound loyalty, she also stopped by a Family Mart and 7-Eleven to buy a Fami Chiki for 240 yen ($1.62) and Nana Chiki for 223 yen ($150) from them too. After all, this was for science. ▼ From the bottom clockwise: Manmaru Chiki (Lawson), Nana Chiki (7-Eleven), Fami Chiki (Family Mart) Masami was impressed with the size of the Manmaru Chicken compared to the others. After slicing one open, she could see that the trick was rolling the meat up to make it look more three-dimensional. The other big difference was that this chicken was more lightly battered than others, by about 10 percent. ▼ Manmaru Chiki Those were some very wise decisions by Lawson, and they paid off not only in presentation but taste as well. When she bit into it, juices filled her mouth, and the light seasoning and batter both helped to emphasize the strong meat flavor. Next, she tried the Nana Chiki from 7-Eleven. It had a bold salt and pepper flavor, and the meat had more fatty parts in it than the others. The new Manmaru Chicken had a milder flavor and was more filling, but Nana Chiki might be a good pick-me-up when tired. ▼ Nana Chiki And then Masami tried the Fami Chiki, and there were no surprises here, but it was interesting to taste all these chickens back to back. Clearly, Lawson and 7-Eleven weren't trying to just clone a Fami Chiki and hoped to create their own hits. All of the chickens had their own blend of spices in the coating, showing each store's intention to carve its own path. ▼ Fami Chiki Masami found that the Manmaru was strangely the most filling and yet also the lightest to eat. They all have their own set of charms though, so it's best to try each one and see which is best for you personally. ▼ For a sense of scale, here are the measurements for the Manmaru Chiki Meanwhile, they all have one thing in common: They taste great with beer or cola! A journalist friend of hers once said that convenience store chicken and a beer are her lifesavers after a shift. They were totally right too, because at the end of the day, when she's too tired to cook, convenience store chicken and beer felt like they had saved her life. And with these sweltering nights where it can be difficult to eat heavy foods, Manmaru Chicken from Lawson can really hit the spot. Photos © SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
