When it comes to traditional Japanese dessert flavours, matcha seems to take the cake in recent years. And the ice cream. And the tiramisu. And even the curry.

But a Japanese tea flavour you may not know about is hojicha. This type of tea consists of roasted green tea leaves and is characterised by a toasty taste and light brown colour. It’s this flavour, which has been growing in popularity, that McDonald's Japan have selected for their brand new drink duo, showcasing some traditional Japanese ingredients, perfect for autumn.

For the ‘Hojicha Shiratama Frappe Kuromitsu Kinako’ beverage, the hojicha has been ground into a powder and combined with milk to create the frozen frappe base. The toppings are a lineup of the usual Japanese dessert suspects. Kinako (roasted soybean flour), Okinawan brown sugar syrup and even some super soft shiratama (white mochi) have all been carefully placed on top of a whipped cream peak.

But if you can do without all those extras and just want a pure roasted green tea experience, you can go for the simpler ‘Hojicha Frappe’ instead. Since these beverages were made with a traditional taste of Japan in mind, it only makes sense that they contain 100% domestically sourced tea leaves.

Similarly, a matcha duo are returning from the ever popular ‘Uji Matcha Series’. The matcha version of the shiratama drink, the ‘Matcha Shiratama Frappe Kuromitsu Kinako’, and the ‘Matcha Latte Frappe’ will both be back on the menu temporarily.

These fancier McDonald's beverages are only sold at branches in Japan with a ‘McCafe’, and sadly all these tea-based treats will be bumped off the menu come late October, so you’ll have to grab your pick soon if you want to indulge in some Japanese dessert-inspired frappes.


By - Jess.