In Japan, New Year’s is considered to be a very Japanese time of year. While the country celebrates on January 1, just like many other parts of the world, a lot of the decorations and customs are strongly connected to Japanese traditional culture, such as eating osechi and visiting the local shrine or temple, often while dressed in kimono.
So it makes sense that Starbucks Japan’s New Year’s Frappuccino is packed with Japanese ingredients, and while you might have guessed that green tea plays a big role, you probably weren’t expecting seaweed to be part of the drink too.
Going on sale Monday is the Matcha Genmai Mochi Frappuccino, and yes, all of those marque components are part of the dessert drink. It’s made with three kinds of matcha plus genmaicha (brown rice tea), giving it a complex bitterness to play off the sweetness of the milk, whipped cream, white chocolate powder, toasted mochi, and matcha mousse. But where things get really unique is the kakushiaji, as subtle, almost-hidden flavorings are described in Japan, which for the Matcha Genmai Mochi Frappuccino is powdered kuromame (sweet black beans) and kombu (kelp).
Seaweed and sweets, for the uninitiated, no doubt sounds like a bold combination, maybe even foolishly so. However, a small dish on kombu is often served alongside plates of sweets at old-school Japanese dessert cafes, where it serves as a salty palate cleanser that helps enhance the sweetness of the desserts, and it’s likely Starbucks is aiming to replicate that effect, or at least remind customers’ palates of the sensation.
As is usually the case, the new Frappuccino is being accompanied by a companion hot tea latte, the Matcha Genmai Mousse Tea Latte. Tea latte fans will also have another new option in the form of the Japanese Chai Tea Latte. A Japanese-style take on Indian masala chai, this is a hot hojicha latte seasoned with yuzu citrus and mandarin orange peel, ginger and sansho (Japanese pepper).
Prices start at 678 yen for a tall Matcha Genmai Mochi Frappuccino, 540 yen for a tall Matcha Genmai Mousse Tea Latte, and 501 yen for a tall Japanese Chai Tea Latte. All three sre on sale until January 17, or while supplies last.
Source, images: Starbucks Japan via Entabe
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© SoraNews24
7 Comments
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Tom San
Yes, please.
I'll give it a try at least once.
smithinjapan
For a country with the proverb: "Simple is best" they make some of the absolute worst monstrosities I have ever seen when it comes to food and drink. If they made a smoothie with kelp/seaweed and other healthy ingredients, adding some fruit juice, that would be one thing. But knowing how sweet they make their drinks, having salty seaweed and tonnes of whipped cream and other sources of sugar in there... no... it's not a good idea at all and will likely not last the season even as seasonal goods go here. It'll be worse than the "carrot and mikan" ice cream, or "tomato / strawberry" ideas they had a few years back, and MUCH worse than cucumber Pepsi. Go to any sushi shop, particularly a high-class one, and start asking for ketchup and tabasco to put on your sushi -- that's about what this is like in the land of "simple is best".
Charlie Sommers
My favorite additive for my morning cup of green tea is a couple of umeboshi plums with shiso, gets me ready to face the day.
falseflagsteve
No thank you, I will stick to my cup of English tea (PG Tips). Just under half a spoonful of sugar and cold milk.
Elvis is here
Not much of that Japan, I'm afraid.
falseflagsteve
Elvis
Seijo Ishii and Amazon both sell PG Tips and sometimes Tetley, very easy to find especially if living in Osaka.