This is the Black Sesame Hōjicha Milk Float ($15.80) from Tsujiri, featuring a hōjicha latte paired with black sesame soft serve. Tsujiri is a Japanese tea house originating from Kyōto, specialising in green tea–based beverages and modern Japanese dessert formats.

The drink presented as a two-layered float structure, with a roasted brown hōjicha latte base and a dense, near-black sesame soft serve crown. Initial contact delivered a restrained roasted tea profile, anchored by medium-dark hōjicha roast character. Flavour depth was moderate rather than intense, with a smooth tea base lacking sediment or particulate interference. The sweetness level remained controlled, allowing the roasted profile to sit forward without sharp bitterness.

Through the mid-palate, the black sesame soft serve became structurally dominant. Intense sesame oil richness and deep nuttiness expanded across the palate, overtaking the lighter hōjicha base. The soft serve had strong melt resistance, maintaining structural integrity across repeated spoon-and-sip cycles, allowing separation between cream and liquid phases.

As the drink progressed, partial cooling of the latte occurred beneath the soft serve, producing localised ice formation at the base. This introduced a secondary textural shift, where the drink transitioned from smooth latte consistency into a hybridised float–frappe structure. The hōjicha weakened perceptually against the persistent sesame intensity, functioning more as a structural counterweight than a leading flavour.

Towards the finish, sesame intensity remained persistent, with a lingering roasted nuttiness dominating the aftertaste.

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Overall, a layered float with converging flavour development and high textural separation, shifting from a restrained hōjicha base into a sesame-dominant, partially frozen hybrid structure.

This Black Sesame Hōjicha Milk Float was purchased from Tsujiri in Auckland, New Zealand in May 2026.