HOME Get the 2021 Sakura Blossom Party Started: Japan's New Springtime Matcha Sweets & Drinks!
Get the 2021 Sakura Blossom Party Started: Japan's New Springtime Matcha Sweets & Drinks!

Get the 2021 Sakura Blossom Party Started: Japan's New Springtime Matcha Sweets & Drinks!

Date published: 18 March 2021

The season for hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing, has arrived!

Thanks to coronavirus, you may not be able to gather with friends for a picnic this year. However, a recent trend is allowing people to decorate with cherry blossoms and enjoy hanami with family from the comfort of your own home! And of course, you can still take a walk by yourself to see the cherry blossoms, away from the crowds.

When it comes to hanami, sweets and drinks go hand in hand!
Especially matcha sweets, with their unique and bitter taste that many fans believe add to the authentic Japanese spirit of hanami.

Spring of 2021 has brought us an abundance of matcha sweets and drinks. Here are some of the most popular choices from Haagen-Dazs Japan, Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo, and Mister Donut!

1. Limited Time Haagen-Dazs Matcha Bar

Haagen-Dazs Bar Matcha Croccan
Haagen-Dazs Bar Matcha Croccan

This spring, Haagen-Dazs is offering a limited-edition matcha item: the delicious and crunchy Haagen-Dazs Bar Matcha Croccan.

Every part of this treat contains matcha, from the ice cream to the shell, to the toppings, too! Immerse yourself in the rich taste and aroma of matcha. The texture and the sweet, tart flavor lets you enjoy matcha in all its forms, in one single treat!

The flavorful matcha ice cream is wrapped in a crunchy matcha chocolate coating with plenty of matcha croccan cookies.

As each bite of ice cream melts in your mouth, you'll enjoy the rich flavor of milk and matcha as only Haagen-Dazs can provide. It also goes incredibly well with the crunchy cookie bits!

Because it is an ice cream bar, you can also eat it easily while walking around!

・Product Information:
Haagen-Dazs Bar Matcha Croccan 295 yen (retail price/excluding tax)

・Where to Buy:
Supermarkets, convenience stores, and department stores throughout Japan

・Sales Period:
Limited time only from Tuesday, March 9, 2021

2. Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Stone Mill: 3 Matcha Beverages, Ground Right Before Your Eyes!

2. Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Stone Mill: 3 Matcha Beverages, Ground Right Before Your Eyes!

Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo has its own roasting factory, and a special drink menu that you won't find in your average Starbucks shop. Tea leaves are ground into an aromatic matcha powder using a Japanese-style stone mill right before your eyes! Get your hands on one of these drinks from March 12, 2021 (Friday).

Watch the staff grind the matcha with the stone mill installed at the TEVANATM BAR on the 2nd floor. You can also observe how the matcha is used to make each drink right on the spot. Not only will you enjoy your delicious matcha beverage, you'll also learn how it is made!

Try one of the following three matcha drinks!

Hot Stone Ground Matcha Latte 900 yen (excluding tax)
Hot Stone Ground Matcha Latte 900 yen (excluding tax)

The Hot Stone Ground Matcha Latte is made by combining ground Uji matcha and Wasanbon, a high-grade, mildly-sweet sugar made with chikuto sugar cane, and milk. This drink really brings out the rich, authentic taste of the matcha.

Iced Stone Ground Matcha Latte 900 yen (excluding tax)
Iced Stone Ground Matcha Latte 900 yen (excluding tax)

The Iced Stone Ground Matcha Latte is shaken before serving for a creamy froth and a mellow taste. The milk has a delicious, fluffy texture, and is also made using one cup of Uji matcha and Wasanbon sugar.

Stone Ground Matcha Fredo 1,000 yen (excluding tax)
Stone Ground Matcha Fredo 1,000 yen (excluding tax)

The Stone Ground Matcha Fredo is a frozen beverage. It is made with ice cream and milk, and sprinkled with ground Uji matcha and Wasanbon sugar.

Each beverage brings out the rich and unique taste of freshly ground matcha in a way that only Starbucks can.
You can also order the Iced Stone Ground Matcha Latte and the Stone Ground Matcha Fredo to go, so you can enjoy it at home, or while looking at the cherry blossoms.

・Product Information:
Hot Stone Ground Matcha Latte 900 yen (excluding tax)
*Takeout not available.

Iced Stone Ground Matcha Latte 900 yen (excluding tax)
*In-store and takeout orders available.

Stone Ground Matcha Fredo 1,000 yen (excluding tax)
*In-store and takeout orders available.

・Where to Buy
Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo

・Sales Period
From Friday, March 12, 2021

3. Gion Tsujiri's Most Popular Uji Matcha! Colorful Sakura and Matcha Sweets at Mister Donut

misdo meets Gion Tsujiri First Blooming Matcha
misdo meets Gion Tsujiri First Blooming Matcha

Mister Donut and Gion Tsujiri, a specialty Uji tea shop, have collaborated to bring us "misdo meets Gion Tsujiri First Blooming Matcha," a series of five matcha-based sweets. Sales start March 12 (Friday), and they will be available in limited quantities and for a limited time.

These items feature the colors of cherry blossoms and matcha, and are a combination of Mister Donut's seasonal spring Sakura Donut and Uji matcha from the popular Gion Tsujiri specialty tea shop.

Here are their five new donuts, each a gorgeous spring-themed combination of sakura and matcha.

●Sakura Mochito Donut Sakura Anfu

Sakura Mochito Donut Sakura Anfu 180 yen (excluding tax)
Sakura Mochito Donut Sakura Anfu 180 yen (excluding tax)

This soft, sakura-flavored dough is coated with white chocolate and sakura bean paste glaze, and topped with Uji matcha chocolate.

●Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Chocolate

Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Chocolate 180 yen (excluding tax)
Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Chocolate 180 yen (excluding tax)

This fluffy, sakura-flavored dough is coated with Uji matcha chocolate and topped with cute, cherry-colored arare (cracker-like sprinkles).

●Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Whip

Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Whip 180 yen (excluding tax)
Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Whip 180 yen (excluding tax)

This sandwich-style donut is a sakura-flavored dough with Uji matcha whipped cream filling. Topped with white chocolate and cherry-colored arare. Another cute treat!

●Warabimochi Sakura An & Uji Matcha Whip

Warabimochi Sakura An & Uji Matcha Whip 200 yen (excluding tax)
Warabimochi Sakura An & Uji Matcha Whip 200 yen (excluding tax)

This rich treat is another sandwich made of fluffy, sakura-flavor dough, and filled with sakura bean paste and Uji matcha whipped cream and warabimochi. It is topped with rich white chocolate.

●Warabimochi Sakura & Uji Matcha Whip

Warabimochi Sakura & Uji Matcha Whip 200 yen (excluding tax)
Warabimochi Sakura & Uji Matcha Whip 200 yen (excluding tax)

This sandwich is made of a fluffy yeast sakura dough, and filled with a double whipped cream of sakura and Uji matcha and warabimochi. The Uji matcha topping leaves a rich and delicious aftertaste.

Each of these cute, spring-themed donuts are made with green matcha and pink cherry blossoms.

・Product Information
misdo meets Gion Tsujiri First Blooming Matcha: 5 Varieties
Sakura Mochito Donut Sakura Anfu 180 yen (excluding tax)
Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Chocolate 180 yen (excluding tax)
Sakura Mochito Donut Uji Matcha Whip 180 yen (excluding tax)
Warabimochi Sakura An & Uji Matcha Whip 200 yen (excluding tax)
Warabimochi Sakura & Uji Matcha Whip 200 yen (excluding tax)

・Sales Location
All Mister Donut stores (excluding some shops)

・Sales Period
March 12, 2021 (Friday) to mid-April (limited time only)

Of all the Japanese sweets, matcha flavored goodies are always the most popular with foreigners. And now you can enjoy hanami from your own home with some delicious spring-themed sweets and drinks made with matcha.

*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.

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