A new discovery that’s taking customers totally by surprise.

Convenience stores in Japan have been known to add secret items to select locations without a lot of notice or promotion, leading customers to experience a rush of excitement as they discover the new products for themselves. That’s what happened to our reporter Mr Sato the other day, when he was browsing the fridge and freezer sections at his local 7-Eleven and saw something he’d never seen before — the Cafe Latte Smoothie.

Whipping out his phone to run a search online and see what it was about, Mr Sato discovered that this product went on sale at select branches in Tokyo and Kyushu in summer. Despite being available in Tokyo, Mr Sato had never come across it at any other 7-Elevens, so it truly was a hard-to-get item.

The smoothie cups were filled with delicious-looking caramel-coloured cubes that made Mr Sato salivate just by looking at them. At 290 yen (US$1.92) each, the smoothies were reasonably priced, so he wasted no time in plucking one out from the freezer and taking it to the register.

▼ After paying for the smoothie, it was time to whip it up, so he removed the cap…

▼ ..and held the barcode in front of the reader at the base of the dedicated machine to open the door.

▼ Then all he had to do was set the cup in place, close the door and press “OK” to start the blending process.

▼ The machine quickly went to work making Mr Sato’s delicious smoothie.

▼ After a one-to-two minute wait, the process was complete and the door opened so he could retrieve the smoothie.

The milky coffee mixture gave off a sweet aroma that was incredibly enticing, but how would it taste?

Taking a big sip, Mr Sato raised his eyebrows in delight as the sweet, rich flavour of coffee washed over his taste buds. It was smooth to drink and had a depth of flavour that was remarkable for a humble convenience store beverage.

As he greedily sipped up the rest of the drink, he began to feel a strange sense of déjà vu, and after a while he realised it was because the smoothie tasted incredibly similar to a 7-Eleven coffee. 7-Eleven coffees in Japan are famously good and well-known for being one of the chain’s most popular products, so this was a fantastic selling point. Mr Sato loves the chain’s coffees so much he says they sometimes taste better than the coffees he brews at home so to have that flavour in a freshly made cafe latte smoothie made this secret discovery even more thrilling.

Now that he’s gotten a taste of the hard-to-find beverage, he has his fingers crossed that it’ll be re-released next summer. The limited-edition smoothie is likely to disappear soon as the days get colder so if you do come across it be sure to try it, and you might want to pick up a secret 7-Eleven doughnut as well!

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