The shelves of Japanese convenience stores are often lined with much more than standard drinks and snacks, with a constant slew of limited edition treats such as pudding sandwiches and Demon Slayer traditional Japanese sweets.

If you're not so sure what to get, however, another option is to whip up your own semi-instant snack using the variety of goods available to you. We decided to do that ourselves hearing that individual packets of Earl Grey tea (used to mix with hot or ice water) were actually gaining more popularity to use with sweets than drinks.

Wanting to put this theory to the test, we picked up a Meiji Essel Super Cup Ultra Vanilla from the same 7-11, as many had recommended ice cream. Somewhat of an 'ol reliable cup ice cream in Japan known for its rich and creamy vanilla base, it seemed to be the perfect complement for the strong but sweet shots of concentrated Earl Grey.

And the results did not disappoint! The syrupy concentrate looked like it might have been a little overwhelming at first, but the dense and velvety Ultra Vanilla cup acted as the perfect sponge for the topping, resulting in what tasted like an Earl Grey tea float in each spoonful.

Next on our recommendations list was pudding. We went with 7-11's in-house brand "Kimi dake no purin" ("Pudding just for you"), which is a pretty solid example Japanese pudding, made from whole egg yolks and often compared to Flan or creme caramel.

The pudding already comes stewing in its own sweet and slightly bitter caramel sauce, and when mixed with the Earl Grey packet gave the custard pudding an extra thick layer of black tea notes that only enhanced the caramel flavor, making for a true treat for caramel fans.

Tea lovers in Japan not wanting to wait for limited edition tea-flavored goods at the convenience store may want to consider heading to their local 7-11 to pick up these Earl Grey tea packets to craft their very own tea desserts.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.