It was just a few years ago that Shake Shack, a US burger chain that started in New York, opened their first branches in Japan. Since then they haven’t been shy about embracing some Japanese-style flavours for their offerings, including sakura milkshakes every spring.

Their Kyoto branch-exclusive Uji Matcha Shake is so beloved by green tea enthusiasts that they requested it be sold in all their Japanese stores. Shake Shack must take the suggestions of their diners seriously, since they’ve decided to bring the beverage to the whole of Japan from this month.

The luxurious milkshake was created in collaboration with a historic Kyoto teahouse called Itohkyuemon, and is packed with rich Uji matcha. It’s made with Shake Shack’s vanilla frozen custard which is made fresh in store every morning, mixed in with Itohkyuemon’s Uji green tea which has been ground down in a stone mortar to create fine quality matcha.

A small size Uji Matcha Shake costs 616 yen, while a regular will set you back 814 yen. The shake shown in the photo in a plastic cup is just to display the colour and texture of the drink, in real life they are served in a more environmentally friendly paper cup.

Sadly this isn’t a permanent menu change, this drink will only appear outside of Kyoto until early August.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.