SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

TOP

» Japan
» Starbucks Japan releases matcha scones and doughnuts with their new matcha Frappuccino

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

Starbucks Japan releases matcha scones and doughnuts with their new matcha Frappuccino

Oona McGee Jun 15, 2017
Tweet

Come with us as we eat and drink our way through the newest green tea treats from Starbucks.

As soon as we heard that Starbucks was releasing another matcha-flavoured Frappuccino in Japan, this time featuring a whole chocolate cake as its topping, we knew we had to try the delicious new drink for ourselves come release day.

What we didn’t know, however, was that Starbucks had another green-coloured secret up its sleeve: it was releasing matcha doughnuts and scones to coincide with the new release. So when we came upon these delectable green delights in the display case, we knew we had to try these too.

▼ Though not a new release, the Coffee & Espresso Cake Matcha is also on sale.

When we approached the counter, we could see that the Chocolate Cake Top Frappuccino with Matcha Shot was the star pick of the day from the new menu.

▼ Signs for the good-looking new drink were on display throughout the store.

We ordered all the new matcha releases, and the tempting tray of green already had our mouths watering.

Though our first instinct was to dive into the tasty looking Frappuccino, we decided to restrain ourselves and start off with a bite of the baked green treats.

The traingle-shaped scone was weighty, with a nice crust on the outside, just as a good scone should be. The staff recommended we try this warm, and it was definitely a good recommendation, as the warmth brought out a heavenly matcha aroma and flavour.

On the inside, it was a crumbly, chewy delight, filled with the glorious, earthy flavours of matcha, which sang out above all the other flavours. Soft white chocolate pieces, which were scattered throughout the scone, and on its topping, provided a slight sweetness to the dish, while the rich, flavoursome matcha sauce enhanced the flavour of green tea.

Next up, we sank our teeth into the matcha doughnut, which was surprisingly light on green tea flavour. As you can see, the ratio of dough to matcha was firmly weighted in favour of the former, making this a good sweet to try if you’re just starting out on your journey towards falling in love with matcha. Compared to the scone, the white chocolate and green tea icing combination here was incredibly mild, but it still made for a tasty treat.

Next, we moved on to the star of the day – the Chocolate Cake Top Frappuccino with Matcha Shot, which comes in a tall size only, for 620 yen (US$5.60).

The drink certainly lived up to its name, with a shot of matcha giving the top part of the drink a beautiful green shade, and the chocolate cake top peeking out from the generous layers of cream.

Starting off, our matcha-loving tastebuds were a little concerned about the ratio of cream to matcha in this one, but we needen’t have worried, as the match shot was so intense its flavour permeated the entire drink.

The dark green matcha powder topping was also concentrated in flavour, helping to fill every mouthful with the taste of green tea.

The almond cream base is said to provide a nutty counterpart to the drink, but what really had our tastebuds standing up and paying attention was the combination of green tea and chocolate cake.

▼ As promised, the Frappuccino contains a whole piece of chocolate cake.

This isn’t any ordinary type of chocolate cake, though, as its crumbly texture is designed to make it fall apart inside the drink. As you push at the mound of cake with the straw, the drink transforms into a delightful mush of green tea, cream and soft chocolate pieces.

As you make your way through the drink, each mouthful is a beautiful balance of matcha, chocolate, and cream. Creamy, rich and decadent, this green tea Frappuccino is one of the best we’ve tried from Starbucks.

If you still can’t get enough of their green tea flavours, Starbucks now has a range of matcha latte shakers on sale as well.

While they won’t necessarily have you mastering the art of a Frappuccino, the shakers are a quick way to make a cold and icy matcha latte to enjoy on the go.

Simply pour in one of their pre-made Via matcha sachets, add ice, give it all a shake and voila! You have your very own matcha drink to enjoy throughout the day.

The green “shaker bottles” retail for 1,800 yen, plus tax, and, like the matcha Frappuccino and baked treats, will be available only for a limited time.

Follow Oona on Twitter and Instagram for more information about exciting limited-edition releases in Japan!