Japanese convenience stores are highly rated by many international visitors as sightseeing spots, thanks to their outstanding product quality, cleanliness, and multifunctional convenience. In 2026, these convenience stores are focusing on freshly made “counter drinks” that you can enjoy right at the register. In addition to coffee, items like frappés and green smoothies are gaining popularity. Each company is continuously releasing new products, making these stores not just a place for hydration, but also a café-like experience.
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7-Eleven | Unwavering Quality: “Convenience Store Drinks at 7-Eleven”
[2026 New Product] Making Headlines Nationwide! Freshly Brewed Tea from a Dedicated Machine
The hot topic at 7-Eleven this year is the authentic tea “Seven Café Tea,” carefully brewed from tea leaves using a dedicated machine. Purchase a special cup at the register, and after a meticulous extraction process with the dedicated machine, you can enjoy tea as authentic as that from a specialty shop. Carefully selected tea leaves are used, and by pouring hot water and steeping for the optimal time, the natural aroma of the tea leaves is beautifully released, delivering the freshly brewed taste.
You can choose from three authentic tea blends: “Darjeeling Blend,” “Assam Blend,” and “Earl Grey.” For milk tea, you can select either “Assam Blend” or “Earl Grey.”
The Darjeeling Blend is said to pair well with a wide range of meals such as onigiri, sandwiches, or soba noodles. The Assam Blend goes well with rich sweets or cheese-based products, while Earl Grey goes well with chocolate or custard.
The Latest In-Store Made Smoothie
7-Eleven offers the “Seven Café Smoothie” series, made fresh in-store. In addition to the classic “Very Berry Yogurt Smoothie,” they also offer “Açaí Banana Smoothie,” “Fruit Mix Smoothie,” and more.
Starting September 8, 2026, a new product featuring the citrus fruit “Calamansi,” said to be rich in vitamin C, will be available: the “Calamansi Smoothie.” The sharp tartness of calamansi is blended with fruity pineapple and orange, plus the gentle sweetness of honey, resulting in a refreshing and crisp flavor. Each cup contains about 34mg of vitamin C, covering about one-third of the daily recommended intake—making it a great drink for refreshing yourself during the time of year when summer fatigue tends to set in.
We also recommend the refreshing "Pink Grapefruit Smoothie," which combines pink grapefruit with sweet and tangy blood orange juice for a crisp, refreshing flavor. This flavor was released on August 18, 2026, and contains 41.5mg of vitamin C per cup.
The Carefully Crafted "Seven Café Iced Coffee"
Seven Café coffee is always freshly ground. The beans are ground inside the machine for each cup, preserving their freshness and aroma. In addition, careful paper drip brewing brings out the original taste and aroma of the coffee with little unwanted flavour. For iced menu items, high-purity ice is used, slowly frozen while stirring the water with air. Compared to regular ice, this special ice melts more slowly and does not easily dilute the flavor, reflecting Seven Café’s commitment to quality.
💡Recommended Drink Arrangements
For a twist on iced milk tea, we recommend adding Seven-Eleven’s “Brown Sugar Warabi Mochi.” Thoroughly crush the chewy brown sugar warabi mochi before adding it to your milk tea to enjoy an original “Brown Sugar Warabi Mochi Milk Tea.”
FamilyMart｜When it comes to "New Convenience Store Drinks," it's all about the Frappe!
2026 Limited! FamilyMart’s Frappe Lineup to Watch
At FamilyMart, new frappe flavors are released one after another depending on the season and collaboration campaigns. The available flavors change depending on the time of year, and many are limited in quantity, so it’s best to grab them as soon as you find them.
The latest release is the “GODIVA-supervised Opera Chocolate Frappe,” launched on September 1, 2026. Inspired by the Opera cake, this frappe features three layers: a chocolate-coated top, chocolate and almond ice cream, and espresso sauce.
The “Afternoon Tea Royal Milk Tea Frappe,” a product supervised by the tea brand “Afternoon Tea,” is also a popular staple. It features finely crushed, smooth milk tea-flavored shaved ice mixed with tea-flavored cookies, offering a variety of textures to enjoy.
LL Size Iced Café Latte—A Welcome Choice for Late Summer and Dry Seasons
In Japan’s autumn, when the lingering heat and dryness make you thirsty, it’s nice to have a large drink in hand while sightseeing. That’s when FamilyMart’s LL size iced coffee and iced café latte come in handy.
Since around 2026, “mega drinks” and the trend of slowly sipping drinks over a long period—known as “chibidara-nomi”—have become popular in Japan, with more cafés offering LL size drinks. However, it’s only recently that such large drinks have become available at convenience stores. The LL size holds about 2.5 times the volume of an S size, so it offers plenty to drink.
The "Iced Coffee" features a rich, full-bodied flavor from the very first sip, with a satisfying taste that stands up to the ice and a clean, crisp aftertaste. You can also choose a lighter or stronger version at the same price. The "Caffè Latte," known for its fluffy foam, uses milk specially made for Famima Café, and its delicious secret lies in its rich flavor and gentle sweetness. You can also customize your drink by choosing either Coffee Rich or Milk Rich at no extra cost, so feel free to adjust it to your liking.
💡Recommended Drink Arrangements
Next to the Famima coffee machine, you'll find four types of flavored sugars: caramel sugar, vanilla sugar, apple cinnamon sugar, and hazelnut flavor sugar. Adding these to your caffè latte can give it a whole new flavour! We also recommend adding crushed coffee jelly to your caffè latte as well.
Lawson｜A Wide Variety of "MACHI café" Menu Items
Special Frozen Drinks from "MACHI café+" Available at Select Stores
Lawson's "MACHI café+" is a café menu service available only at select stores, where each drink is handmade to order inside the store. Using a dedicated kitchen space at the counter, staff members carefully prepare each drink with care. These stores have staff known as "Fantastistas," who have acquired specialised skills and knowledge in customer service and MACHI café through an in-house certification system. As of September 2026, there are about 80 such stores nationwide.
The most popular smoothie, the "Banana Milk Smoothie," contains no added sugar and is characterized by the natural sweetness and mellow flavor of its ingredients. You can enjoy the true taste of milk and the refreshing flavor of banana.
If There’s No MACHI café Plus Store, Try a Frappe
If you can't find a MACHI café+ store, we recommend the frappes that you finish yourself sold in the frozen section. The four-layer "Strawberry Frappe," finished by adding milk from the coffee machine, is especially appealing for its rich strawberry flavor.
The "Chocolate Mocha Frappe" features a bittersweet coffee accent, creating a deep flavor with every sip. This indulgent frappe is made up of four layers: chocolate sauce, shaved ice (chocolate coffee), chocolate coffee ice cream, and chocolate chips.
💡Recommended Drink Arrangement
If you start to feel tired during your travels, we recommend this arrangement: combine "Iced Earl Grey Tea" with "Kireto Lemon." Mix about 70–80% iced tea with 20–30% Kireto Lemon to enjoy a refreshing, lightly carbonated lemon tea soda. Be careful not to add too much, as it can overpower the Earl Grey flavor—adjust the taste as you drink.
Even First-Timers Can Do It! A Guide to Using Japan’s "Convenience Store Drink" Machines
For 7-Eleven
Step 1: Take an "Ice Cup" or "Frozen Drink" from the Freezer Case
When purchasing iced coffee, iced café latte, or smoothies, take the dedicated cup for your desired drink from the frozen section (freezer case). For hot drinks, simply tell the cashier directly, “One hot coffee, please,” and receive your cup at the register.
Step 2: Pay at the Register and Set Your Cup in the Self-Service Machine
After paying, take your cup and move to the self-service machine near the register. Open the lid and place the cup on the platform. Please note that different machines are used for different drinks, so be sure to check.
For smoothies, first scan the barcode on the cup lid at the sensor located at the bottom of the machine. Next, peel off the film lid, set the cup in the machine, and close the door securely.
Step 3: Press the Button and Enjoy a Freshly Made Drink!
At 7-Eleven, the Seven Café machine automatically detects the cup size and whether it’s hot or iced just by placing the cup on the machine, after which you can select your desired drink. Press the button for your desired drink, then simply wait for it to finish. Attach the dedicated lid or straw placed next to the machine and enjoy your freshly made drink.
For FamilyMart
Step 1: Take an “Ice Cup” or “Frappe” from the Frozen Case
When purchasing iced coffee, iced café latte, or a Frappe, take the dedicated cup for your desired drink from the frozen section yourself. For hot drinks, order directly at the register and receive your cup.
Step 2: Pay at the Register and Set Your Cup in the Latest Machine
After paying, take your cup and move to the self-service machine. Open the lid and set the cup in the coffee machine next to the register. For Frappes, remove the lid and gently knead the ice from the top of the cup to break it up before placing it in the machine.
Step 3: Press the Button and Enjoy a Freshly Made Drink!
Simply tap the touch panel for your desired drink, then wait for it to finish. Attach the lid or straw placed next to the machine, and your drink is ready.
For Lawson
Step 1: Take an “Ice Cup” or “Frappe” from the Frozen Case
When purchasing iced coffee, iced café latte, or a Frappe, take the dedicated cup for your desired drink from the frozen section yourself. For hot drinks, order directly at the register and receive your cup.
If you are using MACHI café+, simply order and pay at the register and wait for your drink to be prepared.
Step 2: Pay at the Register and Set Your Cup in the Latest Machine
After paying, take your cup and move to the self-service machine. Open the lid and set the cup in the coffee machine next to the register. For Frappes, remove the lid and gently knead the ice from the top of the cup to break it up before placing it in the machine.
Step 3: Press the Button and Enjoy a Freshly Made Drink!
Select your drink on the touch panel, and wait for it to finish. Attach the lid or straw placed next to the machine, and your drink is ready.
If you are worried about communication issues when ordering or paying at any convenience store, it’s recommended to use the “pointing sheet” available at the register counter or elsewhere in the store. These are sometimes provided in stores located in areas with many visitors to Japan or near hotels. However, to be prepared in case such sheets are not available, it’s a good idea to download a translation app on your smartphone or prepare your own pointing sheet in advance for peace of mind.
Summary｜The Must-Buy Drinks at Convenience Stores in 2026!
Not only at café chains, but also at convenience stores, you can now enjoy a wide variety of freshly made drinks. For tea or smoothies, 7-Eleven offers a range of options; for Frappes, FamilyMart; and for a wide range of drinks, Lawson. Each convenience store has its own unique features, so comparing drinks at different stores can be a fun experience. Enjoy your time traveling around Japan with a convenience store drink in hand!
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