Expand your knowledge of Japanese tea culture with three new green “experiences”.

With spring comes fresh harvests of green tea, and Starbucks is reminding us of that with the grand unveiling of three new beverages so special the chain is describing them as tea “experiences“. These beverages feature the chain’s ever-popular matcha, but with the addition of a new “sencha blend” (sencha refers to steamed green tea, which is the most popular type in Japan). Specially crafted with five types of loose leaf green tea to complement the richness and umami of the matcha, this all-new combination adds richness and refreshment to the body of each beverage, and the adventure begins with the Tea Frappuccino.

▼ Sencha Matcha Tea Frappuccino with Warabi Mochi (805 yen [US$5.03] takeout; 820 yen dine-in)

“Sencha Matcha Tea Frappuccino” is a phrase that’s hard to get your tongue around, and with pieces of warabi mochi (sweet, jelly-like bracken starch) hidden inside, there’s literally a lot to get your tongue around too. The traditional Japanese ingredients continue with the chain’s original sencha-infused blended tea working its magic with matcha in the milky body of the beverage, while the kuromitsu (black sugar syrup) mousse, kuromitsu syrup and sprinkling of kinako (roasted soybean flour) are the perfect flourishes for this dreamy Japanese Frappuccino.

▼ Next up is the Sencha Matcha Craft Tea Latte (736 yen takeout; 750 yen dine-in)

This latte keeps things simple by pairing milk with the original sencha blend, which is meticulously brewed for each order with a tea strainer. This allows you to truly appreciate the nuance of flavours in the blend, which contains gyokuro leaves (premium tea grown in the shade) for umami, brown rice for fragrance, and roasted gyokuro and roasted stem tea for richness.

▼ Sencha Matcha Green Tea Sparkling (717 yen takeout; 730 yen dine-in)

Finally, we have a sparkling green tea, which combines the sencha matcha base with soda for maximum refreshment. Starbucks also adds a splash of its original green citrus flavoured syrup – used in its recently developed Chillax sodas – for heightened enjoyment and a light finish.

According to Starbucks, these three new drinks are designed to introduce customers to the many charms of Japanese tea, and are perfect for restoring your energy levels as we head towards the early days of summer. They won’t be easy to find, though, as they’re only on the menu at Japan’s Starbucks Tea & Cafe stores, which are limited to 28 locations around the country, but it’s an adventure worth setting out on when they become available on 1 April.

Related: Starbucks Tea & Cafe Stores
Source, images: Press release
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