Is McDonald’s Japan’s new watermelon frappe worth your yen?

We find out if this new limited-edition drink tastes as good as it looks.

As the hot summer days continue to sear away at our spirits, cold drinks are becoming more of a necessity, and McDonald’s is here to support our needs with a new beverage called the Watermelon Frappe.

▼ On sale from 31 July, the drink contains a smoothie base made of watermelon juice, with a topping of whipped cream and kiwi and banana sauce.

The beautiful bright red hue and the kiwi fruit seeds in the sauce make this look like a watermelon in a cup. The visuals alone conjure up refreshing summer vibes…but what about the taste?

The first sip delivers a fruity sweetness while the crunchy texture of ice melts over the taste buds, creating the same sense of freshness as biting into a juicy watermelon. It instantly cools you down to the core, which is great on a hot day!

Overall, the flavour profile is sweet, but the juiciness of the watermelon is contrasted well by the kiwi fruit, which provides pockets of tartness throughout. The whipped cream topping provides an extra flavour accent, making the drink taste like a creamy sweet the more you mix it in.

After gulping it down on a hot day, the Watermelon Frappe gets the thumbs-up from us as a drink that’s worth your hard-earned yen. Plus, the promotional campaign, featuring actress and model Suzu Hirose and actor and singer Tomohisa Yamashita, or “Yamapi“, as he’s commonly known, is just as refreshing as the beverage.

▼ If watermelon isn’t your thing, there’s a pineapple frappe and banana macaron on the menu for a limited time too.

The new Frappes are currently available at over 2,000 McDonald’s branches out of approximately 3,000 nationwide so your chances of encountering them are good, but numbers are limited so you’ll want to get in quick before the promotion ends in mid-September.

Photos © SoraNews24
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