Limited-edition drink celebrates the Year of the Horse with gorgeous Japanese details. 

With only a couple of weeks left in the year, we’re galloping full pelt towards 2026, which is the Year of the Horse. In Japan, where the Chinese zodiac is celebrated from 1 January, the four-legged steed will be making its appearance on all sorts of New Year’s imagery, including… a Starbucks chilled cup.

The chilled cup series made its worldwide debut in Japan in September 2005, and since then it’s gone on to include all sorts of flavours, packed inside cups adorned in beautiful designs. This new release is no different, with a stunning design in auspicious hues of red, white and gold, and the zodiac animal of the year sitting beneath the green mermaid, in a way that makes it look like she might be riding on its back.

▼ Look closely and you’ll see auspicious patterns and seasonal motifs that make the golden horse glisten.

Inside, you’ll find a gentle tea latte with a mellow taste of milk, enhanced by the sweetness of honey and the aroma of yuzu for a burst of sweet citrus on the palate. As the third instalment in Starbucks’ “Delight Me” series, which focuses on a sense of seasonal novelty, excitement, and surprise, the Yuzu Honey Tea Latte is said to deliver a delightful moment that will warm your heart in the cold winter season.

▼ Plum blossoms are common New Year’s motifs due to their late winter blooming period, symbolising renewal.

Starbucks says the new drink is ideal for partnering with Japanese sweets containing red bean paste, which is timely, given that a lot of red bean sweets are commonly eaten around New Year. The flavour of the red bean paste is said to pair well with the delicate aroma of the tea, while the citrusy zing of the yuzu cuts through the sweetness of the paste and honey, lightening the richness of the sweets.

▼ Anything with cream, like this red bean-filled pancake-like dorayaki dessert, will enhance the milkiness in the tea.

While the drink looks set to be a hit on its own, Starbucks has totally roped us in with the idea of pairing it with sweets to alter the flavour. We never would’ve thought to pair something so traditional as a red bean dessert with a modern Starbucks beverage, but this blend between East and West, and old and new, is actually a perfect representation of what Starbucks Japan has to offer.

Source, images: Press release
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!