
Can’t let the sakura have all the springtime fun, right?
Starbucks may have the highest profile of any American coffeehouse in Japan, but it’s not the only java provider from the U.S. to set up shop here. Los Angeles-based chain The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf also has a handful of locations in the country, and it’s about to roll out two new beverages exclusive to Japan that combine the flavors of matcha green tea and strawberries.
This spring, we’ve been seeing sakura strawberry treats pop up here and there, including at Starbucks with the sakura strawberry Frappuccino, and we’re tempted to think the pink coloring associated with both ingredients is the reason it’s become a trendy pairing. Matcha and strawberries, though, are two things we haven’t seen together so often, and while one Kyoto confectioner was recently offering matcha chocolate-covered strawberries, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s new matcha strawberry latte is the first time we’ve come across such a combination in drink form.
Served hot, the matcha strawberry latte starts with a matcha tea base to which steamed skim milk and vanilla are added, giving it some creamy sweetness without turning it oily. It’s topped with whipped cream and strawberry sauce with bits of the fruit in it, plus crumbled graham crackers.
With the days becoming warmer as we get further into spring, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is also ready to whip up a chilled version of the beverage, the matcha strawberry ice blended drink.
The hot version is priced at 620 yen (US$5.50), while the ice blended variant is just slightly more at 670 yen. Both go on sale March 15 at all Japanese Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations, and will be available until mid-May.
Related: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Japan location list
Source: Entabe
Images: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Japan



Starbucks matcha marches into the Via lineup with new, Japan-exclusive green tea drink mix
Merry matcha! Starbucks Japan adds two subtly changed, deliciously different green tea beverages
Starbucks Japan goes back to the matcha past with new stone-milled green tea drinks at Roastery
McDonald’s Japan’s matcha dessert family grows with the new strawberry green tea Frappe
New illy matcha coffee drinks combine green tea with espresso for a limited time
Starbucks Japan releases two new seasonal drinks that blur the line between summer and autumn
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Japanese convenience store sunglasses just became our newest Convenience Wear obsession
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Dog-friendly Wanwan Liner bus to begin operations between Tokyo and Osaka this fall
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
12-year-old foreign tourist missing in Japan, police asking for help finding her [Video]
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken
Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Tokyo cafe’s brilliant idea: Serve coffee and matcha green tea in chocolate-coated waffle cones
Our matcha skeptic finds green tea dessert for people who don’t like green tea sweets【Taste test】
Matcha chocolate-covered strawberries: The newest green tea treat from Kyoto
Matcha Fair comes to Ikea with all things green tea
The Deep Matcha Matcha of Matcha-Cha, an awesome green tea sweets cafe in an unexpected place
Starbucks Ginza House opens in Japan, with exclusive matcha drinks you can’t get anywhere else
Starbucks promises “new world of matcha” with green tea cheese Frappuccino, citrus green tea
Matcha green tea cheesecake pretzels are now on sale in Japan, courtesy of Auntie Anne’s
Matcha strawberry daifuku from Hatoya really lets the green tea shine in more ways than one
Matcha pancakes with green tea chocolate cream glaze now on the menu at Japanese cafe
Kyoto tea maker Tsujiri offers a taste of spring with sakura sweets and drinks!
McDonald’s Japan releases matcha green tea cake, frappes and lattes for a limited time
Taste of spring coming this winter with sakura flower and leaf green tea and matcha from Ito En
Starbucks Japan finally makes the iced Matcha Tea Latte a permanent part of its menu
Japanese tea house creates gold-leaf covered matcha green tea gelato dessert