Starbucks Coffee Japan Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Shinagawa City, Tokyo; President and CEO Hisae Morii) is introducing "My Customize Bar," a new station that lets customers finish their own beverages and food to their preferred taste, at Starbucks stores across Japan (with some exceptions) starting Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
My Customize Bar will be stocked with five basic items: "Vanilla Sugar & Salt," "Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce," "Ginger Sugar Chip," "Cinnamon Powder," and "Honey." Each item is free to use for customers who have purchased a product at a participating store.
Add a dash for a change in flavor, or adjust the amount to match the day's mood — from as many as 5.27 million combinations,* customers can finish a drink their own way, for a new kind of Starbucks experience.
*The figure of up to 5.27 million is a theoretical number of combinations, calculated by multiplying the roughly 170,000 possible customizations for eligible beverages by the choices available at My Customize Bar.
Images are for illustration purposes.
Bringing Back the Joy of Finishing a Drink Your Way, in a New Store Experience
When Starbucks first opened in Japan, its stores had a "condiment bar" stocked with milk, honey, cinnamon, and more, giving customers a space to freely arrange their beverage however they liked after purchase. Finishing a drink to one's own taste, in a free and playful style, was still a novelty in Japan at the time and became one of the experiences that came to symbolize Starbucks.
The condiment bar's role was later scaled back amid the spread of COVID-19. Now, the joy of finishing a drink yourself is being rebuilt to fit the current store experience, launching anew as "My Customize Bar." Whether it's "I just want to add a little more aroma," "I want some texture in my usual drink," or "today I want to enjoy sweetness and spice" — customers can freely customize their drink to match their mood and preferences for the day.
Making It More Yours, by Finishing It Yourself
My Customize Bar offers more than just a choice of toppings. Choosing for yourself, adding it at your own pace, and discovering the resulting change in taste, aroma, and texture — that whole process is part of a new experience built around enjoying a truly personal drink.
By hearing recommended combinations from store partners (Starbucks' term for its employees) and sharing impressions of their customized beverages and food, Starbucks hopes to create not just new flavors but also connections between people. Recommendations from partners are also meant to help customers discover beverages they didn't know about, and find new favorites of their own.
Items Available at My Customize Bar
Three original items that pair well with a variety of beverages, including the Starbucks Latte, join Cinnamon Powder and Honey, bringing the total to five items customers can use to customize their order.
1. Vanilla Sugar & Salt
Pink salt and granulated sugar flavored with vanilla, for a taste that's sweet, salty, and fragrant with vanilla.
Recommended customization: Caramel Macchiato
2. Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce
A maple-flavored sauce with the spice of black pepper and cardamom added in. Its flavor pairs well with both coffee and tea.
Recommended customization: Caffè Misto
3. Ginger Sugar Chip
Chip-shaped sugar combined with ginger. Its gentle ginger flavor and crunchy texture make a nice accent for lattes and Frappuccinos®.
Recommended customization: Coffee Frappuccino®
4. Cinnamon Powder
A classic spice Starbucks has offered for years. Also recommended sprinkled over milk foam, whipped cream, or food items.
Recommended customization: White Mocha
5. Honey
A perennial favorite topping for beverages and food alike.
Recommended customization: Cappuccino
Three Partner-Recommended Customizations
Partners who serve up beverages one cup at a time introduce their favorite ways to enjoy My Customize Bar's items. Try the change in aroma, flavor, and texture that comes from adding just a little extra to your usual drink.
Global Barista Champion Nobuki Shimoide's Recommendation
A drink with the sweet-and-salty balance of salted caramel: Caramel Macchiato + Vanilla Sugar & Salt
Vanilla's sweet aroma and the saltiness of the pink salt bring out the flavor of the Caramel Macchiato, giving it a sweet-and-salty character reminiscent of salted caramel. Topping the foam lets you enjoy the accent of caramel sweetness and salt from the very first sip.
19th Coffee Ambassador Asumi Yamaguchi's Recommendation
A Cappuccino that lets you enjoy milk's sweetness and a lingering hint of spice
Cappuccino + Cinnamon Powder + Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce
Add Cinnamon Powder and Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce to a Cappuccino, which already lets you enjoy its finely textured foam. The maple aroma spreads from the moment it touches your mouth, bringing out the milk's gentle natural sweetness. The espresso's molasses-like sweetness layers with the spice of the cinnamon and cardamom, resulting in a drink with real depth of aroma.
Starbucks Coffee Ueno Onshi Park Barista Ayaka Okamoto's Recommendation
A subtly spiced, slightly grown-up take on a Frappuccino®
Vanilla Cream Frappuccino® + Ginger Sugar Chip + Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce
Add the crunchy texture of Ginger Sugar Chip and the subtle spice of Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce to a Vanilla Cream Frappuccino®. Within the mellow sweetness of maple, the aromas of ginger, cardamom, and black pepper layer together. It's a customization for when you want something sweet, but with a slightly more grown-up edge than usual.
Overview
Name: My Customize Bar
Launch date: September 2, 2026 (Wednesday)
Participating stores: Starbucks stores nationwide (with some exceptions)
Price: Free
How to use: At the "My Customize Bar" station set up in participating stores, customers can add their preferred items to a purchased beverage or food item themselves.
Basic items:
- Vanilla Sugar & Salt
- Pepper Cardamom Maple Sauce
- Ginger Sugar Chip
- Cinnamon Powder
- Honey
Seasonal items: Rotating selections are planned according to promotions.
Items may be temporarily unavailable depending on store inventory.
Available items may be changed or discontinued without notice.
Drinks cannot be served in a cup size other than the one purchased.
Pitchers of milk will not be set out at the bar. If you'd like additional iced milk, let your barista know and they will add it within the size of the beverage you ordered.
The condiment items previously available on request from a barista at the time of ordering ("Honey," "Cinnamon Powder," and "Cocoa Powder") will be discontinued.
Depending on usage, some stores may temporarily suspend or end use of the bar.
