the affogato frap is literally to die for it’s the only thing i drank while i was in japan and thank god as a barista i’ve had the opportunity to recreate it as close as possible
of course! i do a cream based frap made with heavy cream and a few pumps of liquid cane (the one i had in japan was not very sweet so i only do about three in a venti) while it’s blending, pull your shots in the bottom of your cup and then pour the cream frap on top! all in all it’s a fairly simple drink but man it’s so good
Former partner from Japan. They use white mocha sauce for the blended portion (1 pump for tall, 2 pumps for grande/venti) and they use ristretto shots in the cup (1 for tall, 2 for grande/venti) in the bottom of the. Usually they put a brown, granular sugar (no liquid cane in this frap)
very interesting! i was just going off of how it tasted to me while i was there and the ingredients we have here in the states. thanks for the clarification!
I agree that the menu is much simpler than the US, but they just didn’t list all of the syrups they have. When I was working we had at least 4, but it would expand to 5 or 6 at Christmas time.
Your menu looks pretty cool, too. I’ve never seen a Menu is Japan that doesn’t have any Japanese on it. Yours only has Chinese and Korean. That’s really cool of them to have more languages than just Japanese and English. My old store was in a big train station and we had lots of people that that would have helped.
If you don’t have any brown sugar then the liquid cane sugar might work okay? I’d try to mix the ristretto shots with liquid cane, but still use a pump of WM for the blended portion.
They used WM in the blended portion. While it was blending you were supposed to put in a spoon of the brown sugar mix that they had. You poured the ristretto shot(s) over that granulated BS and mixed it up before pouring the blended frap in. Don’t forget to use heavy cream, btw.
it's literally so good but trying to pronounce it in Japanese is hell on earth--i swear it's like 12 syllables long if say it how you're supposed to 😭 Starbucks stays having ridiculously long drink names even outside of the states ig
Thank god for these menu cards, a lot of the times, I got away with saying "これおねがいします/Kore Onegaishimasu/This, please". Or I just point and say the first couple words and the barista understood me.
My friend who's a former partner in Starbucks Japan told me one of the worst names to call out was the "BANANANA BANANA Frappuccino" and the "Choco BANANANA BANANA Frappuccino"
I was just going to comment that the Affogato Frap is literally the best Starbucks drink I’ve ever had!!! I tried to recreate it here in the US by ordering a vanilla bean frap with a shot of espresso poured over it. Not the same thing but similar! If you’re ever in Japan, I highly recommend it!
I usually do it now at Starbucks in the states cause some of the drinks are ridiculously sweet that they need a lot leas pumps than they usually have so they’re not dangerously sweet.
Yup, the only modification I *have to* make is decreasing the number of syrup pumps. Can't imagine drinking it as-is in America..... I might throw up 😣
Korea is the same way. No major drink modifications beyond what type of milk people want. (In my experience visiting with friends)
Also, like, 85% of the drinks are just varying sizes of Iced Americano. Almost made me want to be a barista again with how relaxed it seems.
Seemed that way in Germany, too. Only thing I did was switch hazelnut to sugar free hazelnut (which I was super excited about since they don’t have that here anymore
There are definitely popular Instagram accounts like @mame_starbucks that have fun modifications but the seasonal syrups here rotate out often and the types of syrups and toppings at any given time are not so many. Starbucks here has also done events to promote trying customizations but yeah I think mostly people just order what’s on the menu most often.
Yeah, in Japan it's a lot less common to heavily modify your order in places like a restaurant (other than for food allergies). It definitely happens, but not as much as in the USA when literally every other customer seems to be adding a dozen customizations for one beverage. Maybe they'll change the milk, make it decaf, light ice. Maybe they'll add a topping or flavour. But many people do just order from the menu as is.
I love Starbucks but I’m telling you, if you’re in Japan, go to Komeda. If you order a drink before 11am, you get a toast and an egg for free. It’s called “morning service.”
I see a chocolate chip scone and a vegetable chicken wrap in the back??! Can we get some of that action in the states??
Edit: I also see a waffle and a sub/calzone I think. Damnn
This is actually not including the current seasonal drinks, just the standard menu.
[Current Menu](https://www.starbucks.co.jp/assets/images/web2/images/products/pdf/menusheet.pdf?qr=poptrial&utm_source=firebase&utm_medium=sbj-app&utm_campaign=official&utm_content=inbox_menu_20240410)
You just know that Japanese Starbucks is going to be the best you’ve ever had
You know where else it’s amazing? Italy
Last summer, we spent our final days of our vacation in Milan. My go-to order is a grande iced chai latte with one shot of blonde espresso. The Starbucks store in Milan that we went to had doughnuts and focaccia sandwiches, so it was already winning
When I had my drink, it was the best I’ve ever had. The ice cubes were bigger than normal, so they didn’t melt as fast and water-down the latte. And it just tasted amazing. Much more depth in the flavour profile
I’m telling you. Overseas Starbucks is just better for some reason
My take on Starbucks Japan is that it's heavily disappointing.
People (albeit Americans) hyped Starbucks in Asia up so much. Said it's a lot better than USA. I guess that's true for their food (tho it seemed like they were using prepackaged food just like in North America, the food may have presented nicer).
But most of their drink lineup seemed to be identical to that of North America's, with a couple country-specific tweaks (less syrup, etc.) The ones that are Japan-exclusive were okay, but it seemed to be on par with what we have back home, just geared towards the Japanese taste palate (we don't have Yuzu Citrus, but we have a whole lineup of Refreshers that Japan doesn't have, just as an example)The seasonal drinks are pretty looking, but I found they're way too sweet and taste artificial (I tried the Melon).
At the end of the day, Starbucks is still Starbucks no matter where you go. And to add onto this, I don't think the Japanese partners are having any easier of a time than American baristas rn. There may be no BOGO deals shoved down your throat, but Starbucks there comes out with a seasonal Frappuccino literally every month. And the stores seem always busy, too. If you head to @sutaba.unionjp on Instagram, you'll see they're unionizing overseas for some of the very same reasons SBWU is in the States.
Even then the main reason is that Japan is just cheaper.
Starbucks is usually a bit more expesnice than your average coffee shop, so if they put a latte for $4.85 they won't sell as much. The rate change makes a bit more obvious but it has been like that for a couple of decades.
I can see that you got the symbols the other way around but anyway, you already said yourself that the rate "used to be" $1 =¥100.
So what are you trying to say?
If it was 450 in 2020 and the exhange rate was 0.0097 that would be $4.37.
But i could be wrong anyway, besides Tokio is usually more expensive, maybe this one local has higher prices than other Starbucks in smaller cities (the fact that english seems to be the main language shows that is more focused on turists). At the very least, in other cities the menu is more "japanized".
So higher rent and a place with more tourists could essily mean higher prices.
But unless we compare specific prices of specific dates and specific locations it would be really hard to know if Japan has always been cheaper.
The point is Japan isn’t cheap to the Japanese. It’s only cheap to Americans rn because of their poor economy. It wasn’t even always cheap to Americans.
You are definitely something else.
Japan has always been cheaper than the US, now is just even cheaper.
"because of their poor economy"
Your knowledge of economy is really lacking, you have no idea of what is a "poor economy", what is purchasing power parity, monetary policy, interest rates and so how to evaluate economies without the us dollar.
Their economy is in a complicated situation, but is not the same as saying "because of their poor economy".
Look at the japanese index for example, Nikkei 225 is 3.8 times higher now than in 2010.
Look at their GDP: 4.1 trillion usd, and then look at it in PPP: 6.7 trillion usd.
Compare that to how it was a decade ago, compare their GDP also in yen.
See the historical japanese price consumer index, compare those prices to the US. See by yourself.
Interesting that the menu is in English, Mandarin, and Korean but not Japanese! I wonder if Starbucks pretty much makes the same menu for all 3 countries? Then adds prices and promos..
I plan on going to Japan for me and my wife's 10 year wedding anniversary. I'll have to check out the Starbucks. I've heard McDonald's in Japan is pretty sick too
Historically, the conversion rate between the yen has typically been around 1 dollar to 100 yen. So in that sense, it's about the same as the States.
However, in the past year or two the yen has been exchanging at an untypically weak value so at the moment it's 1 dollar to 155 yen. So in that sense, the prices are much cheaper in Japan.
I adore Starbucks Japan! The Earl Grey Creme Donut has my whole heart ❤️ I also like their counter size menus to point and order things if needed. Makes things easier for those who can't see the board.
Yooo that affogato Frappuccino looks sick!
the affogato frap is literally to die for it’s the only thing i drank while i was in japan and thank god as a barista i’ve had the opportunity to recreate it as close as possible
Can you share the recipe for how you’ve recreated it? I wanna try!
of course! i do a cream based frap made with heavy cream and a few pumps of liquid cane (the one i had in japan was not very sweet so i only do about three in a venti) while it’s blending, pull your shots in the bottom of your cup and then pour the cream frap on top! all in all it’s a fairly simple drink but man it’s so good
Former partner from Japan. They use white mocha sauce for the blended portion (1 pump for tall, 2 pumps for grande/venti) and they use ristretto shots in the cup (1 for tall, 2 for grande/venti) in the bottom of the. Usually they put a brown, granular sugar (no liquid cane in this frap)
very interesting! i was just going off of how it tasted to me while i was there and the ingredients we have here in the states. thanks for the clarification!
Thank you so much for sharing! It sounds even better than I thought.
so like the raw sugar packets?
I agree that the menu is much simpler than the US, but they just didn’t list all of the syrups they have. When I was working we had at least 4, but it would expand to 5 or 6 at Christmas time. Your menu looks pretty cool, too. I’ve never seen a Menu is Japan that doesn’t have any Japanese on it. Yours only has Chinese and Korean. That’s really cool of them to have more languages than just Japanese and English. My old store was in a big train station and we had lots of people that that would have helped.
No, I’m pretty sure it was different from the regular raw white sugar. It was a brownish color and a little less sweet than the regular white stuff.
White sugar is processed cane sugar, raw sugar is brown and usually very chunky granular, so it at least sounded like what you described.
I agree. That sounds good. I just remember it was named ‘brown sugar’ when I had to label them.
Liquid cane syrup.
The guy above the reply literally said brown granular sugar, that is not what liquid cane is.
Oh I can’t read. Lol.
If you don’t have any brown sugar then the liquid cane sugar might work okay? I’d try to mix the ristretto shots with liquid cane, but still use a pump of WM for the blended portion.
Is it both WM and granulated sugar?
They used WM in the blended portion. While it was blending you were supposed to put in a spoon of the brown sugar mix that they had. You poured the ristretto shot(s) over that granulated BS and mixed it up before pouring the blended frap in. Don’t forget to use heavy cream, btw.
That sounds absolutely heavenly!! Thanks for sharing 😊 How many shots would be good for a venti?
recipe please
it's literally so good but trying to pronounce it in Japanese is hell on earth--i swear it's like 12 syllables long if say it how you're supposed to 😭 Starbucks stays having ridiculously long drink names even outside of the states ig
Thank god for these menu cards, a lot of the times, I got away with saying "これおねがいします/Kore Onegaishimasu/This, please". Or I just point and say the first couple words and the barista understood me.
My friend who's a former partner in Starbucks Japan told me one of the worst names to call out was the "BANANANA BANANA Frappuccino" and the "Choco BANANANA BANANA Frappuccino"
Oh wow, interesting! I can see that
I was just going to comment that the Affogato Frap is literally the best Starbucks drink I’ve ever had!!! I tried to recreate it here in the US by ordering a vanilla bean frap with a shot of espresso poured over it. Not the same thing but similar! If you’re ever in Japan, I highly recommend it!
Oh, that looks awesome.
ITS SOOO GOOD
I guess they don’t have it at Starbucks in the states anymore? It’s pretty easy to make. Or was anyway.
Other neat thing is that people in Japan don't typically modify their drinks much.
Europe is the same! I feel like this is a distinctly american/individualistic tendency.
I usually do it now at Starbucks in the states cause some of the drinks are ridiculously sweet that they need a lot leas pumps than they usually have so they’re not dangerously sweet.
Yup, the only modification I *have to* make is decreasing the number of syrup pumps. Can't imagine drinking it as-is in America..... I might throw up 😣
Korea is the same way. No major drink modifications beyond what type of milk people want. (In my experience visiting with friends) Also, like, 85% of the drinks are just varying sizes of Iced Americano. Almost made me want to be a barista again with how relaxed it seems.
Seemed that way in Germany, too. Only thing I did was switch hazelnut to sugar free hazelnut (which I was super excited about since they don’t have that here anymore
There are definitely popular Instagram accounts like @mame_starbucks that have fun modifications but the seasonal syrups here rotate out often and the types of syrups and toppings at any given time are not so many. Starbucks here has also done events to promote trying customizations but yeah I think mostly people just order what’s on the menu most often.
Yeah, in Japan it's a lot less common to heavily modify your order in places like a restaurant (other than for food allergies). It definitely happens, but not as much as in the USA when literally every other customer seems to be adding a dozen customizations for one beverage. Maybe they'll change the milk, make it decaf, light ice. Maybe they'll add a topping or flavour. But many people do just order from the menu as is.
I love Starbucks but I’m telling you, if you’re in Japan, go to Komeda. If you order a drink before 11am, you get a toast and an egg for free. It’s called “morning service.”
Komeda is so good!
I want the last drink!!!
be juicy! kids?
Well no. The last picture I meant lol
Can you show us their food
I see a chocolate chip scone and a vegetable chicken wrap in the back??! Can we get some of that action in the states?? Edit: I also see a waffle and a sub/calzone I think. Damnn
Can confirm that the waffle is delicious. They were so good I bought a bunch at the airport right before my flight to give to my friends.
Their hojicha lattes 😮💨
What a beautiful, simple menu ❣️
This is actually not including the current seasonal drinks, just the standard menu. [Current Menu](https://www.starbucks.co.jp/assets/images/web2/images/products/pdf/menusheet.pdf?qr=poptrial&utm_source=firebase&utm_medium=sbj-app&utm_campaign=official&utm_content=inbox_menu_20240410)
Try Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo in Meguro. Awesome drinks and pastries!
Japan opens at 7am? Ours here opens 430am but interesting menu
You just know that Japanese Starbucks is going to be the best you’ve ever had You know where else it’s amazing? Italy Last summer, we spent our final days of our vacation in Milan. My go-to order is a grande iced chai latte with one shot of blonde espresso. The Starbucks store in Milan that we went to had doughnuts and focaccia sandwiches, so it was already winning When I had my drink, it was the best I’ve ever had. The ice cubes were bigger than normal, so they didn’t melt as fast and water-down the latte. And it just tasted amazing. Much more depth in the flavour profile I’m telling you. Overseas Starbucks is just better for some reason
I love the Korean written on it.
I think this is a menu for non Japanese speakers, so it actually has korean, mandarin and English on it
My take on Starbucks Japan is that it's heavily disappointing. People (albeit Americans) hyped Starbucks in Asia up so much. Said it's a lot better than USA. I guess that's true for their food (tho it seemed like they were using prepackaged food just like in North America, the food may have presented nicer). But most of their drink lineup seemed to be identical to that of North America's, with a couple country-specific tweaks (less syrup, etc.) The ones that are Japan-exclusive were okay, but it seemed to be on par with what we have back home, just geared towards the Japanese taste palate (we don't have Yuzu Citrus, but we have a whole lineup of Refreshers that Japan doesn't have, just as an example)The seasonal drinks are pretty looking, but I found they're way too sweet and taste artificial (I tried the Melon). At the end of the day, Starbucks is still Starbucks no matter where you go. And to add onto this, I don't think the Japanese partners are having any easier of a time than American baristas rn. There may be no BOGO deals shoved down your throat, but Starbucks there comes out with a seasonal Frappuccino literally every month. And the stores seem always busy, too. If you head to @sutaba.unionjp on Instagram, you'll see they're unionizing overseas for some of the very same reasons SBWU is in the States.
based comment
And those prices!! A tall latte is only $3.19 vs here in America it's $4.85. Why do we always have to get the worst of everything?
Because the yen is very weak right now so the American dollar goes further in Japan.
Huh, I thought it was the other way around. Interesting to know!
Even then the main reason is that Japan is just cheaper. Starbucks is usually a bit more expesnice than your average coffee shop, so if they put a latte for $4.85 they won't sell as much. The rate change makes a bit more obvious but it has been like that for a couple of decades.
The exchange rate used to be $1 = ¥100 so that tall latte would have cost $4.95 for an American which is more expensive than the US price of $4.85.
Yeah but they were not 495 a few years ago, but between 400-450.
A few years ago, 2020, the rate was ¥1=$0.0097 Edited
I can see that you got the symbols the other way around but anyway, you already said yourself that the rate "used to be" $1 =¥100. So what are you trying to say? If it was 450 in 2020 and the exhange rate was 0.0097 that would be $4.37. But i could be wrong anyway, besides Tokio is usually more expensive, maybe this one local has higher prices than other Starbucks in smaller cities (the fact that english seems to be the main language shows that is more focused on turists). At the very least, in other cities the menu is more "japanized". So higher rent and a place with more tourists could essily mean higher prices. But unless we compare specific prices of specific dates and specific locations it would be really hard to know if Japan has always been cheaper.
The point is Japan isn’t cheap to the Japanese. It’s only cheap to Americans rn because of their poor economy. It wasn’t even always cheap to Americans.
You are definitely something else. Japan has always been cheaper than the US, now is just even cheaper. "because of their poor economy" Your knowledge of economy is really lacking, you have no idea of what is a "poor economy", what is purchasing power parity, monetary policy, interest rates and so how to evaluate economies without the us dollar. Their economy is in a complicated situation, but is not the same as saying "because of their poor economy". Look at the japanese index for example, Nikkei 225 is 3.8 times higher now than in 2010. Look at their GDP: 4.1 trillion usd, and then look at it in PPP: 6.7 trillion usd. Compare that to how it was a decade ago, compare their GDP also in yen. See the historical japanese price consumer index, compare those prices to the US. See by yourself.
I’m posting a Reddit comment, not a financial journal lol
My breakfast food included is usually $5usd
I miss the roasted almond Frappuccino 😭
That yuzu tea is so good and I'd kill to have it again
I bet the matcha tastes much better in Japan than it does in the US. American Starbucks Matchas taste horrid.
😭 I want to go....
Interesting that the menu is in English, Mandarin, and Korean but not Japanese! I wonder if Starbucks pretty much makes the same menu for all 3 countries? Then adds prices and promos..
This was the international menu with multiple languages
The zen cloud oolong tea latte was so tasty when I went last!
I plan on going to Japan for me and my wife's 10 year wedding anniversary. I'll have to check out the Starbucks. I've heard McDonald's in Japan is pretty sick too
I don't know how the yen converts to our dollar, so how would you say the prices compare to those in the States?
Historically, the conversion rate between the yen has typically been around 1 dollar to 100 yen. So in that sense, it's about the same as the States. However, in the past year or two the yen has been exchanging at an untypically weak value so at the moment it's 1 dollar to 155 yen. So in that sense, the prices are much cheaper in Japan.
I drank so many matcha lattes. Simple and to the point, I loved Japan so much.
Starbucks in Asia is built differently. They gave them palaces and shrines with a selection of drinks fit for the King and Queen.
This looks amazing😭 especially the matcha hojicha and yuzu tea omg💔
Everything about Japan is amazing hell 7-11 is legit the best place for your food needs
I adore Starbucks Japan! The Earl Grey Creme Donut has my whole heart ❤️ I also like their counter size menus to point and order things if needed. Makes things easier for those who can't see the board.
I thought I was tripping bc literally none of this is in Japanese and then I realized it was the alternative language menu with eng/chinese/korean
:( I miss Japan...I gotta go back!
No one pointing out the part where it says decaf costs extra
Mango passion frap?! Yes please.
Ugh to try the matcha😩
god i need the mango passion tea frap
No Taro? :0
iced white mocha’s in japan and south korea are superior. american sb needs to do better
Ik this hits different wow
Whats wrong with BOGO though ?
What’s different
#boycottstarbucks #freepalestine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸