Starbucks Japan adds new Sweet Potato Frappuccino and Latte to the menu, but do they deliver the taste of autumn?

New drinks coincide with the opening of the chain’s new “Customisation Bar”, giving us a hack for making them even better.

There’s now a distinct feeling of autumn in the air, and Starbucks is heralding its arrival in Japan with a very distinctive autumnal flavour: sweet potato .

The ingredient is being showcased in two new drinks, the Torori Mitsuimo Beni Haruka Frappuccino and the Torori Mitsuimo Beni Haruka Mousse Tea Latte , which went on sale on 2 September.

With “ torori ” meaning “ melty ” or “ gooey ”, and “ mitsuimo ” (“honey potato”) referring to its thick sweetness, the Japanese names sound enticing to the ear, but would they be just as enticing to the palate ? That was something our resident Starbucks expert, K.

Masami , was keen to find out, so she lined up early when the drinks were released, and purchased them both for a tasting. ▼ She started the proceedings with the Tea Latte, which is sold in Small through to Venti sizes, from 640 yen (US$4.35).

The beauty of this drink lies in its many layers – take a preliminary sip and you’ll get a beautiful mouthful of honey-like sweetness from the chilled sweet potato paste in the base .

Move the straw up slightly, and you’ll be able to enjoy a layer filled with milk tea , made with Darjeeling and Assam for a bold yet aromatic and refreshing astringenc y, before finishing with the fluffy mouthfeel of the sweet-potato-flavoured mousse topping .

As the drink contains a pre-blended tea mix, it can’t be customised with a different type of milk, so that’s something you might need to be aware of, but thankfully for Masami, that wasn’t a concern.

After enjoying the layers separately she mixed them all together, and that’s when the beverage levelled up, taking on a richer, deeper flavour and consistency, and making every sip taste like Japanese autumn.

Masami loved the way Starbucks chose to use the Beni Haruka sweet potato variety, as it’s the one that’s most ubiquitous in Japan so it delivered all the familiar, nostalgic flavours from way back in her childhood .

It worked a treat in the Frappuccino too, proudly showing off its sweet, rich flavour with the addition of crispy roasted sweet potato-flavoured pieces on top.

These pieces are inspired by “ imomitsu ” (“potato honey”), which is the caramelised, honey-like juices that ooze out and harden on the surface of a sweet potato as it bakes, and they added an extra layer of authentic flavour to every mouthful. ▼ Frappuccino on the left Another surprise awaiting customers from 2 September is the new “ Customisation Bar ”, which lets customers add various extras to their drinks , to personalise the flavours. ▼ The five optional add-ons are: Vanilla Sugar & Salt , Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce , Ginger Sugar Chips , and Cinnamon Powder and Honey .