Following last season’s rave reviews for the dream collaboration between international donut chain Mister Donut and renowned green tea expert Gion Tsujiri, the second batch of tea-flavored desserts for this spring have arrived in our offices for another donut review. This collaboration is as amazing as it gets, so what surprises does Mister Donut have in store for us this time?
The first set of donuts was matcha-based, but the latest two sets are hojicha-based, priced at 270 yen (1.89 USD) to take out and 275 yen to eat in.
The first one has a tongue twister. “Uji Hojicha” is a fitting addition to the product name, both as the name of the entire series and as a reference to the hojicha used in Uji, Kyoto’s famous tea district. The second half, however, feels like the manufacturer simply thought about the delicious combinations and then incorporated them into the name itself. This simple and clear naming makes “Hojicha Chocolate Red Bean”: a perfect fusion of hojicha, chocolate, and sweet red beans.
Its striking appearance is as if covered with brown scales, or as if it were a raw mineral deposit. The chocolate crumbs seem to be glued to the doughnut with red bean filling. While the red bean filling is obviously an important part of the doughnut’s structure, it still plays a vital role in the overall flavor.
Taking a bite, the first thing that hits you is the rich and delicious taste of the dough: the crispy dough gently crumbles in your mouth, making for a pleasant dining experience. The slightly bitter taste of hojicha is particularly elegant. This dough alone deserves to be a regular on their menu all year round.
Both the chocolate and red bean fillings add sweetness to the doughnut, but each has its own characteristics. The combination of the soft filling and the hard chocolate takes the quality of the doughnut to the next level.
The name of this doughnut roughly means “as much hojicha as possible”, and we expected that the next doughnut would be filled with hojicha, and it was not disappointed. Both the dough and the cream on top are full of the taste of hojicha. The harmonious combination of crispy dough and thick, soft cream alone is enough to make hojicha lovers salivate, but add a sprinkle of hojicha soybean powder and your mouth will be transported to hojicha heaven.
However, that’s not all the charm of this donut. The matching black sugar syrup adds to the charm of the donut and makes the Japanese flavor even stronger.
However, the second round of donuts is not over yet. Before we rushed to the store to buy the latest round of donuts, we didn’t realize that there was a third option, which can only be ordered online.
The Pon De Uji Matcha Deluxe Quintet (388 yen) is a donut designed to make you “overdose on matcha”, with the matcha content probably the highest since Mister Donut and Gion Tsujiri collaborated. The matcha dough is wrapped in matcha-flavored chocolate, filled with matcha whipped cream and matcha warabimochi (a jelly-like dessert made with roasted soybean powder and black sugar syrup), and finally sprinkled with a layer of matcha powder. If the first batch of matcha donuts left you wanting more, get ready to be conquered by this latest matcha donut. Just remember that you need to order online one day in advance.
These three donuts and the original set will be available for a limited time until the end of May, so customers who like Japanese flavors should not miss it.
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