Ube Latte or Purple Sweet Potato Latte (iced and hot) and Kinako Cloud Cold Brew by Cafe Yasuragi - Reviews

It has been more than 10 years since I last tried a non-coffee purple sweet potato latte, so when I saw this as a promotional Spring drink at Cafe Yasuragi, I had to try it and ordered the cold version first, then returned a second time to try the hot version. The first one I had was from a cafe that has already closed down, but I include the original blog post below where you can see the lush pastel purple with pretty latte art and natural purple sweet potato in action.

Cafe Yasuragi is a Singaporean cafe that takes inspiration from Japanese cuisine and gourmet finesse.  Their execution and perfection with the taste was so flawless that I was initially expecting them to be Japanese-founded, but the staff said they were Singaporean. 

This version of the purple sweet potato latte by Cafe Yasuragi was called Ube Latte, but it seems to be a bit of a misnomer as ube refers to a purple yam from the Philippines, whereas everything about this tasted nothing like ube but the typical Japanese purple sweet potato. So it is actually a Japanese purple sweet potato latte.

It is a seasonal spring offering that came with some sakura-themed limited edition items (see photo of promotional items below), so it is unlikely to be on their menu for long, hence my urgency to visit twice so I could try the hot version as well.

Cold Version of Purple Sweet Potato Latte

The most unique thing about this drink is that they pair Japanese purple sweet potato with cinnamon and a good amount of salt. Right from the first sip, the salt hit my palate boldly and I was instantly delighted with the perfect balance.

There was a prominent Japanese purple sweet potato taste, with flora, honey and brown sugar notes over a nutty and faintly earthy body. Exactly like purple sweet potato, nothing like the ube's more vanillaesque and creamy profile. 

The level of salt reminded me of the Indian salted lassi level, which I also love. (I think salt pairs very well with milk and rich foods, as it balances the sugars and takes the edge off the heaviness of the cream.) This salt also balanced the honey sweetness of the sweet potato and the citrus spice of the cinnamon amazingly.

The brown sugar purple sweet potato notes also blended well with the cinnamon's woody warmth and spice, reminiscent of a pumpkin spice latte without the nutmeg. 

The overall effect of the combination of flavours is that it reminded me of an American spiced sweet potato filling, which might be like an American pumpkin pie, except using their orange sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin. They usually use honey or maple for those pies as well, so the purple sweet potato in this case fits right into that overall holiday spiced vegetable effect.

Hot Version of Purple Sweet Potato Latte

I hurried back a second time to try the hot version, after being so impressed by the cold one. I loved it too. It was mostly the same, but some differences came with the temperature change.

As the perceived saltiness tends to decreased as temperature increases, this one felt a bit less salty, with a bit less of a salt punch, but it was still prominent. It reminded me of the same level of salt as a malted chocolate milk. 

However, the purple sweet potato flavour was stronger, with a much more prominent floral honey and nutty earthy root flavour. At the same time, it was also more delicate, like the notes moved from the body to the top of the palate. Overall, it was more nutty than earthy compared to the cold version.

If you prefer hot drinks, this one will delight you equally.

Kinako Cloud Cold Brew

Finally, intrigued by their Ube Latte, I decided to try other unique offerings on their menu. This was their Kinako Cloud Cold Brew, for which their menu lists cold brew, soybean, Okinawa sugar and orange zest as ingredients. I wondered how it would all come together.

As you can see, the kinako cloud foam forms quite a thick layer, so it has very much a latte level of milk. There are also slivers of orange peel topping it, which is aesthetically very nice.

The cream had a milky base with toasted kinako nutty and bean-like notes. There were hints of caramel notes, probably from the Okinawan brown sugar or kokuto. There were also fragrant orange peel top notes, similar to that of a typical marmalade. And there was also prominent salt, although not as much as for the Ube Latte above. 

After mixing it, it becomes quite pale, even paler than the average latte. Much closer to a beige. So it was very creamy. (See photo below)

The overall taste was very interesting, and it turns out actually quite coherent, like a holiday drink.

The coffee was somewhat on the sour side, with notes of yogurt, and it paired with the orange and caramel or brown sugar notes very well.

After stirring, it became apparent that there was kinako powder floating somewhere in the mix, like undissolved cereal powder, and this provided earthy, malty and cereal notes. 

They did not allow customisation of sugar levels, but the balance was perfect to me. The sugar level felt very low, at most like a 2% sugar level (grams per 100ml), but even maybe a 1% level, which I liked a lot. It was a perfect and natural balance. 

The emergent combination was delicate, complex, mildly contrasting and unusual, but none of the flavours clash, amazingly, so I found this very interesting. Because of the caramel-like, fruity fragrance orange and nutty-cereal notes, it evoked and overall feeling reminiscent of a holiday toffee nut latte crossed with an orange spice latte that was light and on the sour side like a yoghurt. But unlike the artificially flavoured spiced coffees at chains such as Starbucks, this one felt very naturally flavoured, more nuanced and delicate, and not at all too sweet. 

I think this is the perfect Japanesque version of the American holiday toffee nut latte, substituting the toffee with Okinawan kokutou and the nut with kinako, and adding fruity orange fragrance. A most interesting discovery.

Original Post on Purple Sweet Potato Latte with Pastel Purple Latte Art

originally published 19 March 2015 10:45 PM

This is possibly one of my favourite drinks! It's a purple sweet potato latte. I got it on promotion for just $0.60 through the Sugar App from Cups & Canvas along Selegie Road, Singapore.

I absolutely loved the unique and soothing pastel purple colour, as well as the fact that they took the trouble to draw such nice latte art. It was a more intricate design than the promotional image displayed through the app. 

In terms of quality, it had a very strong and natural sweet potato taste! Like a pure and natural sweet potato milkshake, only warm. It wasn't too sweet... I don't think they added sugar if at all, because from experience, sweet potato should be sweet enough to naturally flavour what I tasted that evening.

There were also actual bits of purple sweet potato at the bottom, which you can see as the dark purple grains in two of the images. With the milk, it was like a bit of a milky sweet potato porridge that I thoroughly enjoyed after savouring the latte.

This was potentially one of the most unique lattes I had had; I was really impressed by the simplicity and elegance of the idea, and thankful that it was of good quality. I thought that perhaps I would find more unique gems at the cafe... unfortunately, nothing else really caught my attention. I suppose not everyone has my quirky habit of trying new stuff, so they may not have been able to survive if they had featured more of such drinks on their menu. 

Discover other purple sweet potato, kinako, Okinawan brown sugar and orange treats

• Okinawan Beni-imo Tart
• Purple Sweet Potato Taro Egg Tart, Macau Portuguese style, by Zok Noodle House
• Purple Potato Vegetable Waffle by MOS Burger
• Sweet Potato Chocolates with Mochi and Bean Fillings
• Kokutou Kinako Bun by Gokoku Japanese Bakery
• Okinawan Brown Sugar Kokutou Raisin Bun by Gokoku Japanese Bakery
• WowButter - Toasted Soy Butter and Supposed "Peanut Butter Substitute" for Those with Allergies
• Kuromitsu Kinako Soy Ice Cream by Chateraise
• Kinako Anko Dango (Bun) by Kamome Bakery
• Brown Cultured Butter Financier, (Candied) Orange Financier and other premium gourmet French bakes by Noix de Beurre, Japan
• Butter Tteok (Crispy Butter Mochi), Maldon Chocolate Financier and Orange Financier by Noci Bakehouse