By NAOYUKI MORI/ Staff Writer
July 13, 2023 at 07:00 JST
KOBE--For those looking for a more exotic taste in their coffee, UCC Foodservice Systems Inc. thinks it has the answer: wasabi.
The restaurant provider, which is affiliated with beverage maker UCC Group and based here, now offers the unusual coffee product at its Ueshima Coffee outlets across Japan.
Grated Izu Wasabi is mixed with the milk-based coffee, which is then topped with chipped wasabi.
The company has previously experimented with mugwort, mint and other herbs to cups of joe.
“Beat the summer heat with our refreshing offering,” said a representative of UCC Foodservice Systems.
According to the cafe operator, customers should first taste the wasabi with a dollop of ice cream on the top of the beverage.
Shreds of wasabi can be blended with the coffee to create gradations of flavor.
The chain uses a wasabi variety from the Amagi district of Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, because it boasts not only a spicy aroma but also a sweet fragrance.
The beverage was created with the aim of “expanding coffee’s creativity in a way other companies will not be able to imitate.”
The finished product is already drawing rave reviews on social media.
One person called it “an interesting and tasty combination” of materials. Another online user described the drink as presenting “a new taste I have never tried before.”
A regular cup of wasabi milk coffee carries a price tag of 780 yen ($5.40), including tax. A large cup goes for 900 yen.
Sales will continue through early August, the company said.
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Wasabi milk coffee, shown June 5 in Kobe’s Chuo Ward (Naoyuki Mori)
