Customers go crazy for Starbucks Choux Cups in Japan

New cream puffs become a sell-out hit!

After enjoying a final sip of the 47 Jimoto Frappuccino series and refreshing ourselves with the summery pineapple Frappuccino, a new cult item has just snuck under the radar at Starbucks in Japan.

This time, the new product everyone’s talking about isn’t something you’ll find on the drinks menu, as it’s a sweet treat called the “Choux Cup Choco and Nuts Custard”. Rendered in English as “Cream Puffs Chocolate and Nuts Custard Cream”, we knew we had to try this for ourselves to see if it lived up to the hype, so we made our way to our nearest Starbucks straight after work.

However, staff at the Starbucks we visited told us they’d already sold out of all their Choux Cups for the day, so we made a trip to another branch nearby, only to be told the same thing. People online weren’t lying when they said these pastries were hard to find due to popularity, and seeing as staff at both stores said they sold out before noon, we figured the only course of action would be to line up at our local Starbucks as soon as it opened the next day.

So, at 8:00 a.m. the next morning, we walked through the doors of the coffeehouse and made a beeline for the sweets cabinet. There, glistening under the lights of the display, we finally found the elusive sweet, and we wasted no time in ordering a cup for 352 yen (US$3.20).

The Choux Cup contained a generous portion of sweets, with a total of six bite-sized cream puffs inside, in two different varieties.

First up, we tried the Nuts Custard Cream, which contains a smooth custard cream mixed with almond praline and topped with nut cookie pieces. Popping the entire ball into the mouth and biting into it was heavenly, as the cream oozed out over the taste buds, leaving them awash with the rich flavour of sweet custard and a faint hint of praline. The crunchy texture of the cookie pieces was a great counterpart to the smoothness of the cream and the chewiness of the dough, leaving us with the impression that we’d just eaten an expertly crafted pastry from a French patisserie rather than a treat from Starbucks..

Next up, we tried the Chocolate Custard Cream, and this too was remarkably delicious. The bitter flavour of cocoa in the cream was intensified by the chocolate dough, while the pearl sugar and chocolate cookie topping added a sweet contrast, creating a perfectly rounded blend of flavours.

The two varieties of choux worked beautifully together, with the slightly bitter chocolate providing an extra depth of flavour alongside its nuttier sweet companion. In fact, the Choux Cup was such a great dessert that we went back and ordered another one the next day, making sure to get there early before they sold out.

The Choux Cup is only being sold at select branches around Japan, so if you’d like to get your hands on this season’s hottest Starbucks sweet, check out the participating store list below and don’t forget to arrive early to avoid missing out. Because, like Starbucks Japan’s hugely popular afternoon tea set, this is a sweet that’s definitely worth trying!

References: Starbucks, Participating Store List
Photos: ©SoraNews24
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