Fanta's weird #WhatTheFanta mystery flavours have burned me (and my tastebuds) at least 3 times now.
Lipton wouldn't let me down like that, right?
As always, there's only one way to find out.
The 'mystery sweets flavour' was launched nationwide (in Japan) in early December 2024. (Excluding Okinawa, for some reason. Maybe they don't have as much of a sweet tooth as the rest of us?)
According to the pack, the 'answer' will be revealed on December 26th. Until then...
There's a big problem with trying to make a 'sweets' flavoured tea - milk tea in Japan is already really sweet. Sometimes sweet enough that you can't taste the tea at all. Adding more sweetness isn't guaranteed to be a good idea.
I wondered if I'd find any sweet spoilers on the ingredient list. The only interesting thing I found there was coconut oil.
Thing is, Morinaga ran a campaign on social media asking people to try and guess the right flavour. Some lucky winners get a set of Lipton goods as a prize. 'Coconut cake' or 'macaroons' would be way too easy.
The scent is pretty strong! It isn't bad, though. My first thought was berries. Ah, but strawberry milk tea is a really popular drink already. It can't be that.
I took a first sip, and the hit was definitely fruity. But which fruit? It isn't berry - at least, not 100% berry. The scent and the taste are completely different. So that means more than one fruit? My mouth was so confused.
The aftertaste is super creamy. It's much stronger than the milky taste you expect from a milk tea. It's like drinking a carton of single cream.
Fruits and cream. Hmmmm. That could easily be over 50% of the typical dessert options in Japan. Doesn't exactly narrow things down! (Maybe that was the point...)
My best guess is: roll cake. (The Japan-style one with mixed fruits in the middle.)
Bonus mini review:
I found this on the way to work, and kept it in the fridge at the office until I could find a good time to drink it. So, naturally, I asked one of my coworkers to try it as well.
"Way too sweet. WAY too sweet. It was so sweet that it made me feel sleepy. Never again."
Straight into a sugar coma. They didn't even make a guess.
Update January 1st, 2025: it was strawberry shortcake. So, strawberry milk tea with extra cream. What a ripoff! Besides, I could definitely taste grapes. Where on earth did those come from...
Verdict: 5/10. I don't need my sweets to be in liquid form to be able to enjoy them.