Chewy, jiggly, sweet and ahead of the trend.

Bubble tea has soared in popularity in Japan in the past few years with bubble tea ramen, Pokémon bubble tea, and even bubble tea “hands-free” challenges.

But here at SoraNews24 we’re so achingly on-trend and ahead of the pack that we’re all about a new drink that combines the drink/dessert hybrid concept of bubble tea with traditional and super-cool Japanese ingredients.

Nara-based shop Inoue Tengyokudo recently released a new drink called Kuzu Mochi Cider. Kuzu mochi is type of edible jelly made from arrowroot and present in many traditional Japanese sweets, and “cider” is the Japanese version of lemonade. The drink is available in three flavors: lemon, camu camu (a cherry-like fruit) and mixed berries, each 500 yen (US$ 4.68) including tax.

It’s the perfect snack to sip as you take in the sights and sounds of historic Nara!

We decided to try the camu camu flavor drink. The pinky-orange beverage also comes with a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon floating in it, which makes it an extremely refreshing pick-me-up.

Taking a peek inside the drink’s inner workings, we can see some the kuzu mochi. Like tapioca, it adds texture, bulk and novelty to the drink, although you may have to do some chopping to be able to suck it up the straw, as kuzu mochi is a rather firm jelly.

Here you can see a nugget of kuzu mochi all ready to be slurped.

We think this is the perfect drink for those who are into more traditional Japanese sweets and confectionaries. It’s also the right balance of subtle sweetness that Japanese wagashi tends to have over more cloying desserts from other countries.

If you’ve grown tired of tapioca or you’re bored with boba, perhaps as a result of over-consumption at Harajuku’s bubble tea amusement park, we reckon kuzu mochi cider is the perfect thing to refresh your palate.

Restaurant Information
Inoue Tengyokudo, JR Nara station / 井上天極堂 JR奈良駅
Address: Nara-ken, Nara-shi, Sanjo Honmachi 1-1
奈良県奈良市三条本町1-1
Hours: 10:00 a.m – 9:00 p.m

Images: ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]