Maker of Japan’s eternally popular Pocky chocolate snack sticks lends a hand.

McDonald’s might not have a reputation for culinary innovation in its home country of the U.S., but to succeed in Japan, you have to keep things fresh with a constant rollout of new temptations to attract easily bored Japanese fast food fans. For example, the orthodox milkshake lineup of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry just isn’t enough, which is why McDonald’s Japan has offered flavors such as Hokkaido melon, peach, and Calpis.

So later this month, the Golden Arches in Japan will offer their newest flavor for mature shake connoisseurs: café au lait.

To clarify, this isn’t a blended ice beverage, nor is it an iced coffee that’s particularly heavy on the cream. The Café au Lait McShake is a legitimate milkshake flavored with drip coffee extract-infused coffee syrup. Similar to how McDonald’s partnered with confectioner Morinaga for its milk caramel shakes a while back, the Café au Lait McShake is a collaborative effort with food and beverage company Glico, who, when not busy making jaw-dropping commercials and Pocky sticks, also sells a line of pre-packaged refrigerated café au lait in Japanese supermarkets and convenience stores.

As such, the Café au Lait McShake promises to be full of enough coffee flavor to please grown-up pallets, while ironically being sipped through McDonald’s Japan’s breast-feeding-simulating straws. The new shake is priced at 120 yen (US$1.10) for a small and 200 for a medium, goes on sale March 28, and will be available until late April.

Source: Glico via Entabe
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