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Starbucks Stories Japan · 2026年09月24日

Japan’s Pokémon barista competition: Pikachu Honey Cream Latte wins

On September 24, the Japanese official site looked back at an internal Pokémon recipe competition held the previous December. Six partners selected from over 700 entries spent six months refining their recipes and presented drinks to four judges, including Pokémon president Tsunekazu Ishihara and Starbucks Japan CEO Hisae Morii. Nitta of the Koriyama Asaka store won with a Pikachu Honey Cream Latte, expressing Pikachu through espresso, honey-caramel flavors and honey cream. The article said the winning drink would be offered for a limited time in Japanese stores that September. The other competition recipes were not necessarily all released.

Six partners compete for the recipe title

The competition took place the previous December. Six contestants selected from over 700 entries spent six months refining their recipes, then gave 10-minute presentations about their experiences and the connection between Pokémon and coffee. The four judges included Pokémon president Tsunekazu Ishihara and Starbucks Japan CEO Hisae Morii.

Six competition drinks

Inspired by Charmander, Pikachu and Eevee, the contestants created Apple Mocha, Honey Cream Latte, Salted Caramel Popcorn Latte, a latte with a choice of three mousses, Caramel Apple Pie Cookie Latte and Banana Chocolate Latte. These were competition recipes and do not establish that all were sold in stores.

The winning Honey Cream Latte

Nitta of the Koriyama Asaka store won with the Pikachu Honey Cream Latte. Espresso with honey and caramel flavors is topped with honey cream, red heart-shaped sugar and chocolate sauce to evoke Pikachu. The original article said it would appear for a limited time that September and recommended stirring at least five times; store affiliations refer to the time of the competition.

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