Doutor announces new seasonal "Sakura Fair" menu

Dotour has announced their new Sakura Fair seasonal menu

Cherry blossom season means that a variety of pink sakura themed treats start to appear in Japan’s coffee shops.

Starbucks has already released information on their annual range of cherry blossom themed goods and a new sakura flavored frappucchino.

Doutor, a popular Japanese coffeehouse chain, has followed suit by announcing its seasonal “Sakura Fair” menu, which includes an array of cherry blossom-themed beverages and sweets.

Launching later this month, the menu’s star attraction is the Sakura Scent Caffe Latte, available hot or iced and priced at 530 yen (approx. $3.46 USD/£2.76 GBP).

This beverage blends espresso with sakura flavored milk, made using condensed milk and cherry blossom sauce.

A sprinkle of sakura powder atop the whipped cream adds a final touch of spring-inspired flavor and color.

It is important to note that while many of the menu items include the term “Sakura Scent” in their name, cherry blossoms possess only a faint fragrance. The term “scent” refers to a delicate, sweet sakura flavor rather than a pronounced aroma.

Doutor advises that some locations offering the Sakura Scent Caffe Latte might use a robust, non-espresso coffee, which would technically make it a Sakura Scent Cafe au Lait instead.

For those preferring a non-coffee option, the Sakura Scent Peach Tea, priced at 550 yen (approx. $3.59 USD /£2.86 GBP), offers a refreshing alternative.

This iced tea is infused with both peach and sakura sauce, which are mixed with pieces of fresh peach.

For dessert lovers, the Sakura Scent Strawberry Chocolate Mille Crepe is available for 520 yen (approx. $3.539 USD /£2.71 GBP).

Thin crepe layers are interspersed with whipped cream and strawberry chocolate before being topped with a strawberry nappage (a glossy glaze), sakura whipped cream, and drizzles of sakura sauce.

The Sakura Baumkuchen priced at 280 yen (approx. $1.82 USD /£1.45 GBP) offers a simpler treat.

Baumkuchen, a German cake, has become a popular snack in Japan, and this sakura version offers a floral twist.

A traditional Japanese sweet is also included in the new menu.

The Sakura Dorayaki costs 280 yen (approx. $1.82 USD /£1.45 GBP) and features classic flavors of sweet red bean paste sandwiched between two small, pancake-like cakes.

A sakura daifuku (a soft rice cake dumpling) is located at its center, which is also filled with sweet red bean paste.

For a fusion of East and West, the Sakura Honey Sakura Castella is a unique offering.

Castella is a type of sponge cake originally from Portugal that has become popular in Japan, featuring on many coffee house menus in recent years.

The castella cake can be picked up in a pack of 5 slices for 730 yen (approx. $4.76 USD /£3.80 GBP).

This special castella is made with sakura honey, a rare variety harvested from beehives where the bees have gathered nectar from cherry blossom trees.

Dotour will also be offering Sakura flavored Premium Roast Coffee for 540 yen per 5 bag pack (approx. $3.52 USD /£2.81 GBP).

Since it’s launch 8 years ago in 2018, the sakura coffee has proved popular with customers and will be available in limited quantities again this year. It is a blend mainly of Ethiopian and Guatemalan coffee, roasted and smoked with cherry wood chips.

The coffee is also combined with cherry blossom powder made from double cherry blossom flowers and Oshima cherry leaves to give it an authentic sakura flavor.

While the “Sakura Fair” menu promises to be a delightful experience, the exact start date is not entirely clear.

Doutor’s announcement advises that the “Sakura Fair” menu starts from 20th February and that the latte, tea, and mille crepe will be available from that date, however some conflicting and rather confusing information suggests some items might be available from 19th February, while others may only be available until 19th February.

Sakura fans will soon be able to try the new menu items at their local Dotour coffee house

At the time of writing, none of these menu items have appeared in Doutor cafes and Doutor has not yet issued any clarification regarding the confusing dates provided.

It can however be fairly assumed that as no products are actually on sale as yet, that the new menu will actually launch from the 19th and no later than 20th February, as the special menu page on the Doutor website will not go live until midnight on the 20th.

Source: Doutor