Starbucks Japan unveils new lineup of sakura beverages and drinkware for 2017

The global coffeehouse chain gives us a taste of spring with two new beverages and a drinkware range containing over thirty cherry blossom-themed items.

Starbucks has been known to delight customers in Japan throughout the seasons with a number of tasty and creative Frappuccino releases, but there’s one very special limited-edition range that everyone scrambles to get their hands on every year.

It’s the annual sakura line of beverages and drinkware, and this year’s offering looks just as gorgeous and delicious as any we’ve ever seen! The new spring range, which goes on sale from 15 February, kicks off with a set of brightly coloured drinkware they’re calling the “Harmony Collection”. The items in this lineup include floral-themed store cards, as well as cherry blossom tumblers, glasses and travel mugs which range in price from 1,500 yen to 4,400 yen (US$13.30 – $39.03).

On 1 March, the “Purity” collection will appear on shelves, featuring store cards and drinkware in a more subdued colour palette. Items will range in price from 1,700 yen for the tumbler (pictured third from the right in the back row of the photo below), through to 4,500 yen for the white stainless steel bottle (pictured second from the right in the back row).

The two new beverages coming to menus from 15 February are the Sakura Blossom Cream Latte (430-550 yen) and the Sakura Blossom Cream Frappuccino with Crispy Swirl (570-650 yen). Both drinks feature a milk sauce made from a mix of white bean jam, condensed milk, and sakura blossoms and leaves.

The topping includes pink flakes of shaved chocolate to resemble cherry blossom petals, and pink balls made from roasted mochi rice to add a delightfully crunchy texture to the hot and cold beverages. Finished off with a maple sauce-flavoured whipped cream, these new dessert drinks are said to combine western and Japanese flavours in beautiful harmony.

In addition to the new beverages and drinkware sets, Starbucks will also be offering customers 40 different sakura-themed digital frames to dress up their snapshots. Two sets of designs will be rolled out, with the first lot available from 15-28 February, and the second instalment available from 1-14 March.

Sakura season at Starbucks is almost as short as the real cherry blossom period in Japan itself, so be sure to stop by from 15 February to get your hands on one of these popular limited-edition items. The drinks will only be on sale until 14 March, after which they’ll be gone, like the beautiful blossoms themselves, until next year.

Source: Net Lab
Featured image: Starbucks Japan
Insert images: Starbucks Japan

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