McDonald’s Japan’s new Peach Frappe is pretty as a peach, but is it any good?【Taste test】

McCafé by Barista’s spring star returns, and it’s brought a new friend.

Starbucks Japan’s Frappuccinos are hard to ignore, what with the quantity of different drinks they release and their consistently high quality. But Starbucks isn’t the only seasonal frappe-maker in town, er, country, and this week McDonald’s Japan rolled out a tantalizing limited-time dessert drink of its own.

Two new drinks have been added to the menu of McCafé by Barista, as McDonald’s Japan calls its in-store sweets and specialty beverage sub-brand, both with peach as their star ingredient.

First up is McDonald’s Peach Smoothie, or “Momo Smoothie” if you’re ordering it in Japanese. When people in Japan think of peaches, they’re usually thinking of white peaches, but the Peach Smoothie uses juice from both the white and yellow varieties, plus nectarine juice too.

With its gentle pink color demurely inviting us to try a taste, we leaned in for a sip, and it felt like we’d just bitten into a juicy peach. Sweet yet refreshing, with a fresh dose of enticing peach aroma every time we lifted the cup up for another sip, there’s nothing lacking here, and even the crunch of the blended ice was immensely satisfying. Really, the only complaint we have is the internal conflict the drink produces as you struggle to decide whether to enjoy it all while it’s still at its maximum-deliciousness ice-cold temperature, or if you should take your time and savor it (the silver lining being that there’s really no wrong answer).

McDonald’s Japan brings the Peach Smoothie back every spring, but this year it’s being joined by an all-new drink, the Peach Yogurt Frappe.

▼ Prices for the Peach Yogurt Frappe start at 500 yen (US$3.25), just 10 yen more than the Peach Smoothie.

This adds some tart and creamy flavors to the mix by being a combination of a peach and yogurt base, whipped cream, white peach sauce with bits of fruit in it, and strawberry sauce.

After reacquainting ourselves with how delicious the Peach Smoothie is, we kept our expectations modest for the Peach Yogurt Frappe, since this was a back-to-back taste test. But you know what? This newcomer more than holds its own. The primary flavor is still, unmistakably, peach, but you can really taste the yogurt too, and the syrup gives the drink a rich, nectar-like sweetness.

We were also happy to find that while they’re both undeniably sweet drinks, they’re not overpoweringly cloying, with a flavor that’s fruity but not sugary. That doesn’t mean they’re light on flavor, though. After we were done drinking, not only did the scent of peaches linger, we could still taste them on our lips, so while the Peach Smoothie and Yogurt Frappe aren’t permanent menu items, we’re glad they’ll be sticking around a little longer.

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