New marvelous McDonald’s matcha dessert drinks have more Kyoto green tea powder than ever before

Beverages are packed with Uji matcha and other tempting stars of Japanese dessert world.

Back in the summer, McDonald’s Japan promised to punch us all in the face with the spiciness of limited-time extra-fiery McNuggets. But with the weather starting to cool, it’s time for less violent, more relaxing fare.

So instead of setting your stomach ablaze, McDonald’s is ready to soothe your green tea-loving heart with a new lineup of mouth-watering matcha dessert drinks, all of which go on sale this week. Starting things off is the decadently delicious, amply annotated Kuromitsu Kinako Matcha Frappe (490 yen [US$4.40]).

Running through the Japanese-language marque ingredients, the slushy green tea beverage is made with green tea matcha powder from the Kyoto town of Uji, Japan’s most highly respected matcha producer. It’s then topped with a swirl of whipped cream dusted with kinako, a sweet roasted soybean powder that’s a little like cinnamon, and drizzled with sticky kuromitsu syrup made with Okinawan brown sugar. There’s also a trio of shiratama dumplings, and for even extra Japanese-ness, the Kuromitsu Kinako Matcha Frappe (like all of McDonald’s new matcha drinks) is made with milk from Japanese dairies.

If you don’t need quite so many toppings, there’s a de-specced Matcha Latte Frappe (450 yen) which withholds the shiratama, kinako, and kuromitsu, but as a consolation sprinkles extra matcha powder on the whipped cream.

If you want something cold but not necessarily icy, the smooth-textured Matcha Latte (390 yen) is the way to go.

And finally, since it won’t be long until an autumn chill makes itself felt in the air, the Matcha Latte is also available in an elegant hot version, which looks like just the thing to sip on as you relax and peruse some stimulating reading material while occasionally glancing out the window to admire the changing color of the autumn foliage.

While this isn’t McDonald’s first time to offer matcha beverages, the company says that this time it’s significantly upped the quantity of green tea powder for a richer taste and deeper color. The new lineup goes on sale September 12 at McDonald’s Japan branches with the McCafé by Barista cafe menu (location list here), and while trying all four dessert drinks will require multiple visits, the Matcha Frappes will be available until mid-October, and the Lattes until late November.

Source, images: Press release

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