Walk into the dessert section of most sweet shops or convenience stores in Japan at this time of year and you’ll see a plethora of sweets designed and flavored to match the blooming cherry blossoms. So one could argue that the timing is a bit unusual for Mister Donut to launch a new range of green tea donuts just as other Japanese sweets shops are launching pink donuts.
But on the other hand, any time is a good time to collaborate with Gion Tsujiri, one of Japan’s most prestigious tea merchants, who has been in the matcha business for over a century and a half. The latest batch of Misdo Meets Gion Tsujiri donuts just hit stores this week, so we rushed out to fulfill our solemn obligation and devour all five of the new desserts, starting with the Pon de Double Uji Matcha.
This is an updated version of Mister Donut’s Pon de Ring donut. Not only is it drizzled with matcha chocolate sauce, but green tea is also kneaded into the dough, using the first-grade matcha (ichiban tsumami) for an extra luxurious taste.
If you want something a little more sophisticated, there’s the Pon de Zaku Matcha Kinako (242 yen).
Zaku is the Japanese onomatopoeia for crispy, and refers to the doughnut that’s coated in a crispy layer of kinako (roasted soybean powder). This, combined with the moist, soft texture of the doughnut itself, makes for a nice contrast.
Also using double the Japanese ingredients is the “Pon de Uji Matcha Kokuto Warabimochi” (242 yen).
Kokuto is the Japanese name for brown sugar, and while this branded ingredient may not be obvious from the outside, it’s sprinkled with non-crunchy kinako…
Rather than being crispy and then soft like the Pon de Zaku Matcha Kinako, the Pon de Zaku Matcha Kinako doughnut is soft and chewy, and this transition is just as exciting.
Moving onto the premium member of the range, let’s take a look at the Uji Matcha Chestnut Red Bean (275 yen).
This doughnut ticks several boxes on the list of doughnut recipe options, with a matcha chocolate glaze, a sandwich-style construction, and both red bean and candied chestnut fillings.
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