Family Mart goes matcha crazy with new lineup of green tea sweets in Japan

Convenience store chain teams up with a company that traces its history back to a high-ranking tea master.

It’s often said that you can get pretty much anything you want at a Japanese convenience store, and that’s certainly true now that top chain Family Mart has announced its upcoming Kinsei Uji Matcha Zukushi collection.

“Kinsei Uji Matcha Zukushi” roughly translates to “All Sorts of Carefully Produced Uji Matcha“, and it looks set to be a high-quality collection, as it’s been produced under the supervision of Kanbayashi Shunsho Honten. This tea wholesale store in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, was established in the Eiroku era (1558-1569), which predates the Edo era (1603-1867), so they have a wealth of experience when it comes to matcha goods.

There are a total of 16 Uji matcha products in the collection, so let’s take a look at them all below, starting with the products that were released on 28 March.

▼ Uji Matcha Frappe supervised by Kanbayashi Shunsho Honten (330 yen)

This delightful beverage blends high-quality Uji matcha with milk to bring out the aroma and mellow sweetness of matcha.

▼ Uji Matcha Nama Choco Mochi (4 pieces for 268 yen)

A matcha centre wrapped in mochi rice cake and covered in ganache and matcha powder makes for an irresistible sweet.

Now we have a couple of products that went on sale at most outlets on 28 March, but will be released in eastern Japan a little later, on 4 April.

▼ The Uji Matcha Cream Daifuku (165 yen) encases a centre of cream in a layer of matcha bean paste and a mound of matcha mochi.

▼ The Uji Matcha Dorayaki (180 yen) has a smooth matcha paste middle, with matcha also kneaded into the dough.

Now we move on to the rest of the range, which will be released nationwide on 4 April.

▼ The Uji Matcha Melon Pan (158 yen), has a sweet matcha whip, bittersweet matcha paste and a crunchy matcha exterior.

▼ The Uji Matcha Financier (178 yen) contains two types of matcha to reduce astringency and enhance the aroma.

▼ The Uji Matcha Baumkuchen (180 yen) also blends two types of matcha for sublime flavour.

▼ As does the Uji Matcha Pound Cake (170 yen), which also adds a small amount of brown molasses to the mix.

▼ The Uji Matcha Terrine Chocolate (298 yen) blends Uji matcha with white chocolate to create a rich green tea sweet.

▼ The Uji Matcha Tiramisu (320 yen) contains layers of matcha sponge and tiramisu mousse, topped with matcha powder.

▼ The Matcha Fragrant Matcha & Cocoa Cookies (268 yen) contain a well-balanced mix of matcha and cocoa in the dough.

▼ The Gateau Chocolate-style Chocolate Matcha Flavour with a Moist Texture (158 yen) combines soft white cookies with matcha chocolate.

▼ The Karinto with Matcha Chocolate (178 yen) are deep-fried sugar snacks coated in matcha chocolate.

▼ The Mini Matcha Soaked Chocolate Explosion Cone (158 yen) contains crunchy chocolate cone delights soaked in matcha.

And to finish, we have a couple of ice creams:

▼ The Waffle Cone Uji Matcha (278 yen), which delivers a double matcha hit with green tea in the ice cream and the cone.

▼ The Crispy Textured Matcha Cookie Ice Bar (230 yen) is a chocolate-coated ice cream bar filled with matcha ice cream and cookie pieces.

That’s a whole lot of matcha coming to Family Mart this spring, and it’s certainly the most convenient way to get a taste of an esteemed matcha manufacturer in Japan. Kanbayashi Shunsho Honten is currently headed up by its 15th generation owner, who’s descended from a tea master of the highest rank who once served tea to the shogunate and feudal lords, and now the store is able to serve customers all around Japan.

It’s a great example of tradition and innovation coming together for a beautiful partnership, but it’ll only be around for a limited time while stocks last.

Source, images: PR Times
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