Starbucks Japan kicks off the cherry blossom fun early, because you can never have too many sakura desserts.
The start of sakura season is a tricky thing to pin down, since the opening of the cherry blossom buds is heavily dependent on weather conditions in hard-to-predict early spring. The timing for the arrival of sakura sweets, though, is a lot easier to figure out, and in the case of Starbucks Japan it was this week.
On Monday, Starbucks, which is every bit as popular for its desserts as its coffee in Japan, added a slew of cherry blossom treats, starting with the Soft Sakura Chiffon Cake.
Priced at 390 yen (US$3.75) a slice, the Soft Sakura Chiffon Cake is an annual favorite, with Starbucks sweets fans looking forward to its return just like they do for the flowers themselves. Made with sakura leaf powder, coated in a layer of cream, and with a salt-preserved shiotzuke cherry blossom atop each piece, the cake is exemplary of the sweet and slightly salty flavor that characterizes cherry blossom desserts.
Also joining the food lineup are Sakura Donuts (250 yen). Made with two types of sakura powder and a sakura glaze, these too are a sweet and salty snack.
At 1,500 yen, the Sakura and Berry Chocolate Cookies are a bit pricier, but you do get a pack of eight, which come in a decorative tin with an illustrated cherry blossom pattern. Cooked to a lightly crunchy texture, these are made with sakura leaf powder, strawberry, cranberry, and raspberry, plus a white chocolate coating with freeze-dried strawberry bits. The cookies themselves even have the distinct five-petal cherry blossom shape.
And last, Starbucks is offering tins of Sakura After-Coffee Mints (320 yen). Of course, these sakura-flavor mints can be used a breath freshener for any situation, not just after a cup of java.
As always with sakura-themed foods, these items will be available for a limited, though unspecified, time. Oh, and if you need even more Starbucks sakura temptations, they’ve got a separate selection at their Reserve Roastery locations.
Source: Starbucks Japan via Entabe
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Starbucks Japan
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Follow Casey on Twitter as he continues his quest to eat as many sakura desserts as he can.