Häagen-Dazs Japan brings out new limited-edition Hojicha Latte roasted green tea ice cream

The delicious new frozen dessert showcases the flavour of roasted Japanese green tea.

Häagen-Dazs has been catering to local tastes in Japan for a number of years now, with special limited-edition releases featuring traditional flavours like azuki red bean, purple potato, and matcha powdered green tea.

Now the respected ice cream maker has just announced a brand new offering based on another well-known variety of Japanese green tea called hojicha. Unlike most other green teas, which are usually steamed, hojicha is roasted, and often made using tea from the last harvest of the season, which gives it a strong toasted flavour.

▼ Once roasted, green tea takes on a reddish-brown colour and becomes known as hojicha.

Traditional teas like matcha and hojicha are often served in Japanese cafes as hot lattes, with the addition of warm, frothed milk working to add a creaminess that helps to mellow out the often strong flavours. Now Häagen-Dazs is taking this Japanese-western hybrid beverage to the world of ice cream with the new Hojicha Latte frozen dessert, which will only be available for a limited time.

For this new offering, the luxury ice cream brand will be delivering high-quality flavours by using a roasted hojicha made with leaves sourced from the first harvest of the season rather than the last, in order to produce a less bitter, less astringent taste.

The combination of milk and fresh tea extract is said to give the dessert a rich, refined flavour, complimented by delightful tea aromas and rounded off with a refreshing aftertaste. The brown-coloured roasted green tea ice cream will be blended with a lighter-coloured variety, to give the treat a marbled appearance, similar to the look of a hojicha latte.

Available at supermarkets and convenience stores around the county from 25 April, the Häagen-Dazs Hojicha Latte ice cream will be sold in 110-millilitre (3.7-ounce) mini cups for a recommended retail price of 294 yen (US$2.56).

Source: Häagen-Dazs Japan
Featured image: Häagen-Dazs Japan
Insert images: Wikimedia Commons/FCartegnie (edited by RocketNews24), Häagen-Dazs Japan