There were two 7-Eleven stores at the Osaka Expo, featuring slightly different branding and product offerings than your usual 7-Eleven. The freshly cooked meals such as pizzas were a hit – frankly, one of my favourite things to eat at the Expo – as well as the Uji Matcha Smoothie. In fact, the latter, which was available only at the Expo, became so popular that it sold more than 1,000 cups per day.
If you missed out on that, don’t worry. 7-Eleven is now releasing the viral Osaka Expo-exclusive Uji Matcha Smoothie at selected stores across Japan starting Friday October 24.
The bright green, full-bodied smoothie doesn’t just use any premium Uji matcha, but the tea from long-established Kyoto-based tea wholesaler Kitagawa Hanbee Shoten, which has a 164-year legacy. The company has won the top award at Japan’s National Tea Competition 11 times. Its store, Gion Kitagawa Hanbee, is a highly rated tea café in Kyoto. So yes, this is some top-shelf matcha.
The 7-Eleven Uji Matcha Smoothie is priced at ¥400. Just note that this is a limited-time release, so hurry to a 7-Eleven near you. And by the way, this isn’t the only thing making a comeback from the now-ended Osaka Expo. A huge reclining Myaku-Myaku statue is now on display at Nakanoshima in the city centre until the end of the year.
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