On January 7th, Japan kicked off 2025 with an exciting ice cream battle! The nation’s convenience store giants – 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson – simultaneously launched their own versions of strawberry waffle cone soft serve. What makes each one unique? Time to discover the distinct charms of these three frozen treats in an ultimate side-by-side comparison!
- Winter Turns Pink: Japanese Convenience Stores Unleash a Strawberry Revolution 🍓
- 【Seven Premium Waffle Cone : Strawberry Ice Cream】Discover an incredibly airy texture dotted with real strawberry pieces – pure luxury in every bite
- 【Lawson’s Uchi Café × ICHIBIKO Strawberry Milk Waffle Cone with Strawberry Sauce】Rich berry flavor meets perfectly balanced sweet-tart notes and creamy milk
- 【FamilyMart Strawberry & Condensed Milk Waffle Cone】A luxurious two-tone soft serve featuring 30% real strawberry juice, perfectly paired with condensed milk – an aromatic whole wheat cone adds an exceptional toasted flavor
- Final Scoop: Each Cone’s Unique Charm
- Product Description
Winter Turns Pink: Japanese Convenience Stores Unleash a Strawberry Revolution 🍓
Have you noticed the explosion of pink at convenience store ice cream sections lately?
Take a close look – the shelves are absolutely bursting with strawberry illustrations!
The strawberry obsession is so intense, you might want to tell them to calm down a bit😆
But there’s a sweet reasons behind this pink paradise: January 15th.
In Japanese culture, this date has a special significance through wordplay: ‘1’ is pronounced ‘i’ or ‘ichi’ and ‘5’ is pronounced ‘go’; ’15’ can be read as ‘ichigo’ (strawberry) , making January 15th “Ii Ichigo No Hi” – literally “Good Strawberry Day”.
This berry-special occasion has sparked a nationwide strawberry celebration, with convenience stores and retailers across Japan launching extensive strawberry campaigns and rolling out countless strawberry-themed treats.
Leading the charge, Japan’s convenience store giants – 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart – kicked off 2025 early by launching their strawberry waffle cone soft serve ice cream on January 7th, along with an impressive array of other strawberry delights.
When three similar ice creams hit stores simultaneously, there’s only one thing to do – compare them all! A delicious adventure awaits as these strawberry waffle cone soft serves reveal their unique qualities!
Japanese product names:
【Seven Premium Waffle Cone Strawberry Ice Cream】
ワッフルコーン つぶつぶ果肉のストロベリー
【Lawson’s Uchi Café × ICHIBIKO Strawberry Milk Waffle Cone with Strawberry Sauce】
いちごミルクワッフルコーンいちごソース仕立て
【FamilyMart Strawberry & Condensed Milk Waffle Cone】
ワッフルコーンいちご練乳
【Seven Premium Waffle Cone : Strawberry Ice Cream】Discover an incredibly airy texture dotted with real strawberry pieces – pure luxury in every bite
Seven-Eleven’s official website describes it as ‘A waffle cone featuring strawberry ice cream mixed with strawberry fruit sauce, allowing you to enjoy the texture of real strawberry pieces.’
Size Matters! At 185ml, this fruity creation outshines the two other competitors’ 160ml offerings. You can feel the generous portion just by holding it – there’s some serious heft to this treat!
But it’s not just about size – the texture is absolutely divine! The ice cream has an incredibly airy, whipped quality that melts effortlessly on your tongue. Studded throughout are delicate pieces of real strawberry and seeds, creating an exciting textural adventure: the refreshing crunch of fruit pieces paired with that satisfying subtle crackle of strawberry seeds.
The real strawberry pieces are clearly visible.
The flavor is delightfully light and ethereal – if we could translate it into a tone, it would be distinctly bright and uplifting! Among our three contenders, this one definitely takes the crown for brightness.
The waffle cone’s rim features an elegant white coating. While the cone itself isn’t particularly sweet, there’s a delightful buttery richness that gradually unfolds with each bite. This luxurious touch sets it apart from the other two contenders – it’s uniquely indulgent! ☺️
Even as it starts to melt, the ice cream maintains its wonderfully airy texture.
Yet somehow, as it melts in your mouth, it becomes increasingly rich and satisfying.
Thanks to its perfectly balanced flavor, you can savor the entire treat without any hint of sweetness fatigue. When it comes to sophistication of taste, this one stands out as the clear winner among the three!
【Lawson’s Uchi Café × ICHIBIKO Strawberry Milk Waffle Cone with Strawberry Sauce】Rich berry flavor meets perfectly balanced sweet-tart notes and creamy milk
Next up is the ‘Strawberry Milk Waffle Cone with Strawberry Sauce,’ a creation from Lawson’s private brand ‘Uchi Café’ in collaboration with ICHIBIKO.
ICHIBIKO, the supervising partner, is a specialty strawberry dessert shop that opened its first store in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward in 2017 and has since expanded to nine locations nationwide. They’re true specialists in crafting and selling various strawberry desserts that perfectly capture the fruit’s natural charm.
Their adorable logo, featuring a rabbit from the popular medieval Japanese animal scrolls “Choju-giga” (Playful Animal-person Caricatures) carrying strawberries, makes you want to buy their products just for the packaging alone! ☺️
Visit ICHIBIKO’s website here:
https://ichibiko.jp/
While this strawberry expert has previously collaborated on ice cream products with other retailers like 7-Eleven, they’re exclusively partnering with Lawson for this year’s strawberry picking campaign! And it’s not just ice cream – we’re curious about their other ICHIBIKO-supervised products too.
A beautiful interplay of two pink tones creates an exquisite gradient effect.
The first bite reveals a distinctly different texture from 7-Eleven’s – less aerated but luxuriously smooth and incredibly creamy.
The strawberry sauce enveloping the ice cream adds a refreshing accent. This combines brilliantly with the mellow, milky strawberry ice cream base, offering a well-defined flavor contrast.
Most impressively, the sauce captures even the subtle natural astringency of real strawberries; when it comes to authentic strawberry flavor reproduction, this one stands head and shoulders above the other two.
Overall, the flavor profile has a more sophisticated, subdued tone compared to 7-Eleven’s.
Like the previous one, this cone features a white-coated rim.
Among the three, this cone has the most neutral flavor profile – it’s like air, quietly supporting the ice cream without interfering with its taste.
Texture-wise, it presents an intriguing combination: while being the most substantial among the three, it also delivers the driest mouthfeel. Though it’s worth noting that this perception of dryness might vary depending on storage conditions.
And here’s the truly remarkable part – the flavor transformation as it starts to melt is absolutely remarkable! The milky notes intensify beautifully, creating an enhanced taste experience.
The cone holds a final surprise – more strawberry sauce at the bottom!
For flavor transformation and complexity, Lawson’s version proves the most entertaining of the three.
【FamilyMart Strawberry & Condensed Milk Waffle Cone】A luxurious two-tone soft serve featuring 30% real strawberry juice, perfectly paired with condensed milk – an aromatic whole wheat cone adds an exceptional toasted flavor
Rounding out our taste test is FamilyMart’s creation: the ‘Strawberry & Condensed Milk Waffle Cone.
Taking a bite reveals an airy texture similar to 7-Eleven’s version, though 7-Eleven’s might be ever so slightly fluffier.
This creation captures the beloved flavor of the classic ‘Strawberry Mix Soft Serve’ that appeals to ice cream lovers of all ages.
While the condensed milk ice cream isn’t as intense as real condensed milk, it offers a comforting sweetness reminiscent of fresh milk.
In terms of flavor balance, the milk notes dominate over the strawberry, with less of the sweet-tart berry notes coming through. However, since I tasted this after trying the other two, the impression might have been different if sampled in a different order.
Among the three, this version appears to have the strongest sweetness level – though it’s still well within pleasant bounds and never becomes overwhelming.
Like the other two, this cone features a white coating around its rim.
What sets FamilyMart’s cone apart is its use of whole-wheat flour – and wow, does it deliver an amazing toasted aroma! When it comes to that delightful toasted flavor, FamilyMart’s version clearly takes the lead.
While all three cones share a similar crispy texture, if we had to rank them by crunchiness, I’d say: ‘7-Eleven < FamilyMart < Lawson.’
A truly comforting treat that maintains its reassuring charm right to the last bite – perfect for those moments when you need a sweet escape!☺️
Though I tried all three at once, they disappeared surprisingly quickly as I found myself caught up in exploring their unique characteristics.
And here’s the frightening part – I think I could still eat more!
Final Scoop: Each Cone’s Unique Charm
Let’s sum up the distinctive features of these three ice cream creations:
| Product Name | 7-Eleven Seven Premium Waffle Cone : Strawberry Ice Cream | Lawson Uchi Café×ICHIBIKO Strawberry Milk Waffle Cone with Strawberry Sauce | FamilyMart Strawberry & Condensed Milk Waffle Cone |
| Price | ¥289 (tax included) | ¥343 (tax included) | ¥298 (tax included) |
| Volume | 185ml | 160ml | 160ml |
| Calories | 296kcal | 262kcal | 248kcal |
| Key Features (from official descriptions) | Strawberry ice cream blended with strawberry fruit sauce, offering the texture of real strawberry pieces | Strawberry milk ice cream combined with strawberry puree, topped with sweet-tart strawberry sauce | Two-tone soft serve featuring sweet-tart strawberry ice cream and condensed milk ice cream, served in a whole wheat waffle cone offering delightful toasted notes |
| Standout Points (personal impressions) | • Incredibly airy, light texture • Refreshing crunch of real fruit pieces and seeds • Waffle cone with subtle, developing buttery umami • Sophisticated, refined taste | • Smooth, creamy texture • Dynamic flavor contrast between sweet-tart strawberry sauce and mellow strawberry ice cream • Authentic strawberry taste in the sauce • Impressive flavor evolution as it melts • Adorable packaging | • Comforting, familiar taste reminiscent of classic strawberry milk soft serve • Well-balanced sweetness with pronounced milk notes in the condensed milk ice cream • Outstanding toasted aroma from the whole wheat cone |
In conclusion, each version brings something unique to the table!
While price and volume differences exist, the real excitement comes from exploring their distinct characteristics.
Personally, I’m torn between 7-Eleven’s surprising combination of airy texture, crisp fruit pieces, and seed crunch and Lawson’s impressive flavor journey from sweet-tart strawberry to rich milky notes.
But then again, FamilyMart’s amazingly aromatic whole wheat cone is something special too…! (Guess I still can’t pick just one😅)
Product Description
【7-Eleven Seven Premium Waffle Cone : Strawberry Ice Cream】
| Energy | 296kcal |
| Protein | 3.7g |
| Fat | 13.1g |
| Carbohydrates | 41.0g（Sugars 40.2g / Dietary Fiber 0.8g） |
| Equivalent to Salt | 0.301g |
| Type of Ice Cream | Ice Milk Non-fat Milk Solids: 7.7% Milk Fat: 3.6% Vegetable Fat: 3.7% |
| Ingredients | Strawberry fruit sauce (made in Japan), dairy products, cone, sugar, glucose syrup, white coating (vegetable oil, sugar, lactose), vegetable oil, sweetened strawberry puree, dried egg white / emulsifiers, stabilizers (polysaccharide thickeners), thickening polysaccharides, flavoring, coloring (caramel, vegetable-based), acidulants, calcium lactate (Contains: Eggs, Milk, Wheat, Soybeans) |
| Volume | 185ml |
| llergens contained in the product | Eggs, Dairy Ingredients, Wheat, Soybeans |
【Lawson Uchi Café×ICHIBIKO Strawberry Milk Waffle Cone with Strawberry Sauce】
| Energy | 262kcal |
| Protein | 3.3g |
| Fat | 10.4g |
| Carbohydrates | 39.2g（Sugars 38.3g / Dietary Fiber 0.9g） |
| Equivalent to Salt | 0.26g |
| Type of Ice Cream | Ice Milk Non-fat Milk Solids:6.8% Milk Fat:3.2% Vegetable Fat: 3.3% |
| Ingredients | Dairy products (imported and domestic), sugar cone (contains wheat), sugar, strawberry sauce, strawberry juice, sweetened strawberry puree, white coating, vegetable oils and fats, powdered starch syrup, dextrin / modified starch, stabilizers (polysaccharide thickeners :from soybeans, modified starch, cellulose, agar), emulsifiers, acidulants, coloring (vegetable-based, fruit-based, red yeast rice, paprika extract, annatto), flavoring, calcium lactate |
| Volume | 160ml |
| llergens contained in the product | Standard version: Dairy Ingredients, Wheat, Soybeans |
【FamilyMart Strawberry & Condensed Milk Waffle Cone】
| Energy | 248kcal |
| Protein | 2.8g |
| Fat | 9.7g |
| Carbohydrates | 37.1g（Sugars 38.3g / Dietary Fiber 0.9g） |
| Equivalent to Salt | 0.26g |
| Type of Ice Cream | Ice Milk Non-fat Milk Solids:4.6% Milk Fat:1.4% Vegetable Fat: 4.5% |
| Ingredients | Sugar cone (contains wheat) (made in Japan), sugar, strawberry juice, dairy products, powdered starch syrup, white coating, vegetable oils and fats, lemon juice / emulsifiers (soybean-derived), stabilizers (polysaccharide thickeners, cellulose, agar), flavoring, coloring (vegetable-based, annatto, carotene) |
| Volume | 160ml |
| llergens contained in the product | Dairy Ingredients, Wheat, Soybeans |
Why not take this opportunity to explore these delightful differences yourself?
Just a friendly tip: if you’re planning to try all three at once, sharing with friends might be the wiser choice – trust me on this one! 😆
What better way to prepare for the upcoming strawberry picking season than with these sweet previews? 🍓
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