A cheesy green tea Frappuccino to celebrate the holidays.

On 1 November, Starbucks released the Strawberry Merry Cream Frappuccino as its first Frappuccino for the holiday season. The star component of the new drink is the Merry Cream topping, which contains a blend of white chocolate and mascarpone, and it’s so good the chain reckons it’ll pair well with a lot of its other drinks, releasing it as a special customisation for a limited time from 8 November.

The customisation costs an additional 55 yen (US$0.37), and the chain highly recommends trying it with its Matcha Frappuccino. Our reporter Anji Tabata couldn’t imagine what a cheesy mascarpone matcha drink might taste like, so she headed out to her nearest branch to try it.

When she received the beverage, it didn’t look dissimilar to a regular Matcha Frappuccino. However, as soon as she tasted the cream she realised the cream topping was totally different, displaying a rich depth of flavour, thanks to the chocolatey cheese combination.

Upon first sip, the scent of matcha tickled her nostrils playfully, and when she got a good mouthful of the green tea with the Merry Cream topping, it was a very merry moment indeed. The mellowness of the cream danced with the sweetness of white chocolate on the tongue while the richness of the mascarpone cheese brought everything together with its delicious umami notes.

The cheesy cream turned out to be a perfect partner for matcha, allowing the unique flavour and natural astringency of the tea to shine without being overpowered, making for a delicious combination.

The cream was so tasty Anji reckons it’ll taste great with any of the other drinks on the menu, but you’ll want to get in soon to taste it, as it’s only around while the first holiday Frappuccino is available, until 28 November.

Images © SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]