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Japan Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Starbucks Japan unveils new limited-edition matcha drink
By Oona McGee, SoraNews24 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 flavor. 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 for takeout or 590 yen for dine-in customers. Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Starbucks Japan's new summer drinks deliver all the goodness of Matcha and Youthberry -- Starbucks Japan releases exclusive new matcha drinks at select stores this summer -- Starbucks Ginza House now sells the most expensive matcha Frappuccino in Japan External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
07-08-2025
- 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 ]
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
03-07-2025
- Business
- SoraNews24
Starbucks Japan releases Bitter Cream Coffee, but how does it compare to Sweet Milk Coffee?
We discover what sets one coffee apart from another at Starbucks. Earlier this year, Starbucks Japan gave its once limited-edition Sweet Milk Coffee a permanent place on the menu due to popular demand, but now there's a newcomer set to give it a run for its money. Called Bitter Cream Coffee, this new beverage is the perfect antidote to the syrupy sweetness of the Sweet Milk Coffee, which some customers find slightly too saccharine for their liking. The Bitter Cream version is said to have a richer flavour designed to appeal to coffee lovers, so we decided to head out when it was released on 30 June to check it out. The first point of difference with the bitter version is the price — at 530 yen (US$3.68), it's slightly more expensive than the sweet version, which is priced at 510 yen. This difference in price is due to the extra coffee it contains, as it uses espresso shots diluted with water, like an Americano, while the sweet version uses iced coffee. According to staff, the Tall size contains two espresso shots, although you can add extra espresso shots for an additional 55 yen each, so you can amp up the caffeine to your liking. Another point of difference is the bitter version uses only fresh cream, whereas the sweet version uses a mix of fresh cream and milk. However, both use the same syrups — vanilla and white mocha — so there is a likeness in flavour there. ▼ Visually, the bitter coffee (above) has a deeper, sharper color than the sweet one (below). Starting with the sweet coffee, it had a delicious, mellow flavour. It was quite sweet, with the creamy milk pairing well with the coffee, combining to create something that felt like an adult coffee milk drink. Taking a sip of the Bitter Cream Coffee, we could tell it was clearly different from the sweet version. The aroma was fresh and strong, thanks to the espresso shots, with a robust bitterness and sweet aftertaste rounding out the flavour. The taste was crisper and more refreshing than the sweet version, which we personally preferred, and the espresso had enough strength to stand up to the syrup, so it felt less sweet than the sweet coffee. ▼ The well-balanced combination of fresh cream and espresso was simply superb. If you're like us and prefer your Starbucks drinks with less syrup then the Bitter Cream Coffee will be right up your alley. While it may not be as much of a crowd-pleaser as the sweet version, which has a more wide-ranging appeal, it's nice to know that Starbucks is now catering to diehard coffee lovers with a new drink that packs a punch. For now, though, the bitter version is only available for a limited but unspecified time period, so you'll want to get in quick to try it before it disappears, like the exclusive summer beverages that came before it. 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
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Starbucks Japan releases exclusive new Mango Au Lait for summer
By Oona McGee, SoraNews24 Starbucks has gone totally fruity this summer, starting the season with strawberries before setting them aside for mangoes as the star ingredient on the menu. While the limited-edition Frappuccinos are currently stealing the limelight, diehard fans will be seeking out a more understated new beverage called the Mango Au Lait, which focuses on simplicity to allow the fruit to shine. Made with only milk and fruit pulp, this is a drink that's bound to explode in popularity as the weather heats up. Not only is it refreshing, but the simplicity makes it super easy to drink. While it's usually served without cream, in-store baristas recommend customising it with whipped cream for an additional 55 yen and a free sprinkling of cinnamon powder, so we went with their advice and were glad we did, as the spice added an exotic aroma to the mix. With mango pulp at the bottom of the cup, and blended into the milky body, this is a drink that lets you enjoy full-on mango flavour when you sip it as is. Stirring the mixture together, however, creates a mellower, creamier experience with a sweetness that becomes more pronounced in every sip. The simplicity makes the drink suitable for a wide variety of customisations, and the cinnamon tuned out to be a perfect partner for mango, adding a dash of extra flavor to excite the taste buds right through to the very last sip. This is the kind of easy-to-drink beverage that you'll want to order again and again, so it's a good idea to alternate between the standard version and a few customisations while it's available until July 8. Priced at 590 yen, this is a great alternative to the more well-known drinks on the menu, and a nice palate cleanser for the super spicy Hot Honey Oriental Mango & Tea Frappuccino, which is currently burning mouths around the nation. Photos ©SoraNews24 Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Starbucks Japan's new Hot Frappuccino is almost too spicy to drink -- Starbucks Japan has a new limited-edition Frappuccino for summer, but does it taste any good? -- Does Starbucks Japan's new Frappuccino really help you forget about everyday life? External Link © SoraNews24
