New konbini find becomes a hit with locals and overseas tourists alike, but is it really worth the hype?

Japanese convenience stores are constantly adding new products to their extensive ranges, and just last month, a new item appeared at 7-Eleven, garnering rave reviews.

Simply called the “Banana Milk Smoothie“, the new drink has become popular with locals and overseas tourists, and when we checked it out online, we couldn’t find a single bad review, with customers leaving comments like:

“It’s seriously delicious!”
“Definitely my new go-to!”
“A genius-level banana smoothie.”
“If you like bananas, you’ll go crazy for this.”
“My favourite amongst all of 7-Eleven’s smoothies so far.”

We’ve long been singing the praises of the chain’s smoothies, which come in a number of flavours like acai and sweet potato, so we were keen to find out if the banana version would live up to the hype.

Priced at 330 yen (US$2.25), the new smoothie uses “Kanjukuoh” (“Kanjuku King” or “Fully Ripe King”) bananas, a famous brand from the Philippines that makes use of fruit that would otherwise go to waste due to irregular size or skin blemishes.

▼ Helping to reduce food waste, one smoothie at a tine.

Like previous smoothies, this one is sold as a cup of frozen fruit in the freezer section.

After paying for it at the register, simply rip off the lid and place it in the smoothie machine on the counter for mixing.

▼ After a couple of minutes of whirring, the smoothie was ready to drink, and we were ready to give it a taste.

Taking a sip, we were immediately sold on the flavour. The deliciousness was totally undeniable, with a perfect amount of sweetness that seemed like it was purely from the banana pieces. This natural sweetness gave it a refreshing aftertaste while the smooth, creamy texture imparted an intense richness, creating a perfectly balanced blend of texture and flavour.

After trying it, we could understand why a drink this good had no negative reviews, and just as we were about to give it a perfect rating ourselves, our discerning palate realised there actually was one fault that nobody had previously mentioned.

▼ The straw tends to get clogged, making it difficult to drink.

The blockages are caused by pieces of banana that fail to be fully pulverized by the machine, so although the fresh fruit provides quality freshness, it does get in the way of fully enjoying the drink.

Still, these occasional blockages don’t affect the delicious flavour, and if you’re of the mindset that fruit pieces add extra texture to your smoothie, what is a near-perfect beverage in our book might end up being your perfect beverage.

Either way, it’s a delicious smoothie that’s well worth trying, and we love the convenience of being able to buy it at 7-Eleven whenever we get a fruit craving.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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