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For many in Japan, the bright green hues and bitter tones of powdered green tea partners perfectly with all things sweet, making for an irresistible dessert flavour. Now, as springtime brings the first tea of the new season, convenience stores and sweet purveyors are releasing limited-edition matcha, or powdered green tea, desserts. We take a look at five of the most popular finds that Twitter users in Japan can’t wait to get their hands on.
 

• Mister Donut

The popular doughnut chain is well-known for its limited edition sweets and seasonal campaigns. This year, from 15 May, they’ve been offering up six different styles of matcha doughnuts, priced from 118 yen (US$1.16) for a single matcha doughnut to 1,188 yen ($11.66) for a tub of 30 bite-sized pieces.



The most anticipated items in the line-up are the pies, which include a delectable centre of green tea and sweet red bean paste.
 

• Beard Papa

People in Japan are crazy for cream puff pastries, known in Japan as shu-kuriimu. One of the best places to try one is at Beard Papa, a company which was founded in 1999 and has since spread to many countries around the world, including Australia and the U.S.

Until 31 May, you can pick up pick up one of their famous shu-kuriimu in a new matcha flavour, which comes complete with a generous sprinkling of matcha powder, for 210 yen a pop. Look at how thick that cream is!




 

• Circle K Sunkus

Convenience stores do a mean line-up of matcha sweets throughout most of the year. One of the most coveted desserts would have to be Circle K’s Kamadashi Premium Matcha Purin, a pudding which was available for an astounding one-day only, on 15 May. It has since become the stuff of legend amongst Japanese netizens, so is very likely to make a return soon.



While many Twitter users lamented the fact that the 280-yen premium puddings sold out so quickly they were impossible to find, other users were able to console themselves with another product in store, the Torokeru Matcha Purin, which retails for 180 yen.



Other products in the convenience store’s Cherie Dolce series include matcha-flavoured stick cheesecakes for 114 yen. These sweets are so tiny there’s no need to feel guilty about having one!
 

• Lawson

If you’re near a Lawson convenience store, you’ll be able to pick up a slice of matcha roll cake for 200 yen.



As part of their Uchi Café (Home Café) series of desserts, the matcha used in this premium cake is from Uji, an area of Japan near Kyoto that’s famed for its high-quality green tea.
 

• 7-Eleven

Here you can pick up their version of the shu-cream, with a good serving of plain and matcha-flavoured cream, for 165 yen.