Japanese convenience stores continue to be awesome with this new matcha dessert.
As the green tea dessert boom continues in Japan, more and more high-class confectioners and patisseries are dreaming up matcha-based sweets. But on the other end of the spectrum, Japan also now has a greater number of inexpensive, easily available matcha indulgences than ever before.
Case in point, we recently picked up this stylish-looking matcha cheesecake, and it only cost us 198 yen (US$1.85).
We didn’t have to stand in line for hours in front of some bakery in the high-rent district of Tokyo either. All we had to do is walk over to our local 7-Eleven, since the Uji Matcha Rare Cheesecake is part of the convenience store chain’s proprietary line of sweets.
“Rare cheesecakes” are what Japan calls unbaked versions of the dessert, and as such the Uji Matcha Rare Cheesecake is meant to be eaten with a spoon, like pudding. As we removed the lid, the rich smell of cheesecake drifted upwards from the cup, which only heightened our expectations.
The treat actually has two different layers. The creamy white top is a moist, fairly traditional (and properly delicious) rare cheesecake. Beneath that, the green layer is airier in texture and has a distinct, pronounced taste of matcha, with the cheese notes coming along a few moments later.
This two-part nature means you’ve got a few different options in how to go about eating the cheesecake. You could eat the entire top layer first, then move on to the bottom. You could, alternatively, alternate between bites of the white and green cheesecake. Finally, the cake is soft enough that you could mix everything up with your spoon at the very beginning, then enjoy the blended flavor.
Of course, if you’re the indecisive type, you might not be able to choose just one eating style. Thankfully, the Uji Matcha Rare Cheesecake is cheap enough that buying three won’t hurt your wallet, and at just 260 calories each, not nearly as bad for your waistline as some other desserts.
Follow Casey on Twitter for more things to pick up at Japanese convenience stores along with the Ebisu beer and manga magazines you should already be buying there.
Images ©RocketNews24