Convenience store donuts fight their way up to the top of the Japanese donut world. 

If you’re a regular follower of SoraNews24, you probably know by now that we love Japanese donut chain Mister Donut. Between their regular selection of classic flavors, their Pokémon donuts, and their ever-changing rotation of seasonal and limited-edition flavors, they keep us wanting to return to them for our donut fix every time.

But Mister Donut might have new competition, a strong contender for the role of “top donuts in Japan” (according to us and, probably, others). And they aren’t even a donut specialty shop! Convenience store Daily Yamazaki has just started selling “Sora Tobu Donuts” (“Flying in the Sky Donuts”), and they’re astoundingly delicious.

They’re part of Daily Yamazaki’s Daily Hot line, which are all made fresh in-house. Not all Daily Yamazakis offer Daily Hot products, however, so the Sora Tobu Donut will not be available in every store. Where they are, they retail for 140 yen each (US$1.02).

Our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun knew that the quality of Daily Yamazaki’s Daily Hot line is unusually good, but he didn’t know about their new donuts. Naturally, that meant he had to go out and try one immediately. 

Wondering how it might compare, P.K. also bought Mister Donut’s Sugar Raised Donut (151 yen), which is the closest Mister Donut has to the Sora Tobu. Though it has a hole, it has a similar sugar-dusted coating, so they appeared to be comparable. Full disclosure: Sugar Raised is P.K.’s favorite Mister Donut donut, so his opinion may be slightly biased.

▼ Mister Donut’s Sugar Raised on the left, Daily Yamazaki’s Sora Tobu on the right

After trying both, P.K. summed up his experience of each one neatly:

Texture
Sugar Raised – It had the lightness he’s come to expect, and P.K. says its airy texture, without an ounce of weight to it, is the best.
Sora Tobu – Though it doesn’t quite match the lightness of the Sugar Raised, it does have a certain springiness and moistness to it that’s missing from the Sugar Raised.

Flavor
Sugar Raised – It was packed with the taste of wheat. It has a very simple flavoring that draws out the umami of the dough.
Sora Tobu – Since it’s dusted with Sudaki sugar produced on the remote island of Amami Oshima, southwest of Japan, it has a sweetness that gradually builds. The flavor of the sugar is stronger than the dough.

Sweetness
Sugar Raised – It has a mild sweetness that’s almost refreshing, despite being a donut. It’s almost more like low-sugar bread.
Sora Tobu – Its sweetness is reserved and simple. It’s less sweet than the average donut but sweeter than the Sugar Raised.

If he were to make an overall judgment, he would have to say that both donuts are equally delicious. Whether you agree is up to your personal preferences. At the very least, P.K. feels confident in saying that the Sora Tobu Donut is well beyond the level of other convenience store donuts.

Besides, he had to admit that the fact that a convenience store donut could compete in the same ring as the almighty Mister Donut in itself is an impressive feat. If you’re looking for a delicious, light donut to add to your breakfast or tea time, you won’t go wrong with the Sora Tobu Donut, provided you’ve got a Daily Hot Daily Yamazaki in your area.

By the way, Daily Yamazaki’s other Daily Hot products are amazing too. If you’re a fan of fresh-baked bread, you really can’t go wrong with anything they sell there!

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