Sakura syrup: what it is and the drinks to make

The short answer

Sakura syrup is a cherry-blossom flavoured syrup for drinks. It tastes lightly sweet and floral. Stir 15–30 ml into 100 ml of water, milk or soda over ice and you have a sakura drink in under a minute: sakura milk tea, sakura lemonade, sakura soda or a sakura bubble tea.

What is sakura syrup?

Sakura is the Japanese name for cherry blossom, and in Japan its flavour turns up every spring in teas, sweets and drinks. A sakura syrup puts that flavour in a bottle so a café can pour it by the millilitre. Our version is Sakura & Rose Syrup: a sakura-and-rose flavoured syrup (sugar, water, permitted flavour and colour) that pairs the soft sweetness of cherry blossom with rose notes. It does not contain the flowers themselves.

What does sakura syrup taste like?

Gentle and floral rather than fruity. Think of a light, sweet blossom note with rose behind it, closer to a delicate rose drink than to cherry fruit. Because the flavour is soft, it shines in light, cold drinks such as iced teas and sodas, and stays mellow in milk.

The base method (printed on our bottle)

1. Add 15–30 ml of sakura syrup to the cup.
2. Pour 100 ml of water or milk and mix well until the syrup dissolves completely.
3. For more depth, add 10–15 ml of green tea or black tea beverage concentrate.
4. Add 5–10 ice cubes.
5. Optional: put 30–40 g of tapioca pearls, nata de coco or popping boba in the cup first.

Use more syrup for a sweeter, bolder cup and less for a lighter, more refreshing one.

Drinks to make with sakura syrup

• Sakura milk tea. The base method with 100 ml of milk and 10–15 ml of black tea concentrate. Add tapioca pearls first and it becomes a sakura bubble tea.
• Sakura latte. Sakura syrup stirred into 100 ml of milk over ice, no tea. Soft, floral and creamy.
• Sakura lemonade. Sakura syrup with chilled water, ice and a squeeze of fresh lemon of your own. Sweet-floral meets sour.
• Sakura soda. The base method with chilled soda water in place of plain water, for a sparkling spring cooler.
• Sakura iced tea. The base method with 10–15 ml of green tea concentrate and water. Light and fragrant.
• Sakura fruit bubble tea. Sakura iced tea over lychee popping boba or lychee nata de coco. Keep popping boba for cold drinks only.

How cafés use sakura syrup

• A seasonal or spring special. One bottle gives a café a whole sakura section — milk tea, soda and lemonade — without new equipment.
• A floral line next to other syrups. Sakura sits well beside sweet osmanthus (see osmanthus milk) and the citrus yuzu (see yuzu drinks).
• Consistent cups. A fixed 15–30 ml pour per cup keeps every drink tasting the same, whoever is behind the counter.

Storage and shelf life

A sealed bottle of our Sakura & Rose syrup keeps 12 months from the manufacturing date. Store it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. After opening, reseal the bottle tightly and keep it in the fridge for the best flavour. The syrup is vegetarian and Halal, with no high fructose corn syrup; it is made in a facility that also handles milk solids, nuts and soy.

Buying sakura syrup for a café

Our syrup comes in a 700 ml bottle, nine bottles to a case, made at our FSSC 22000 certified plant in Hyderabad and shipped across India in about 7 days. Home buyers can order a single bottle from the product page; cafés and distributors buying by the case with a GSTIN get business pricing — ask us using the form below. Compare every flavour in our bubble tea syrups guide.