Espresso shot mochi ice cream balls unveiled at Selfridge's

The Japanese treats are stained black with charcoal and filled with gelato, a type of Italian ice cream

Coffee-lovers tired of their morning latte can now try an espresso ice cream version of the chewy Japanese dessert mochi in the UK for the first time.

The balls contain about the same amount of coffee as an espresso, and are stained black using raw activated charcoal made of coconut shells.

Mochi have been made Japan for centuries. Traditionally, glutinous rice is filled with red bean paste. Now, gelato-filled versions are becoming popular in the UK with trend forecasting agency Mintel predicting 2017 will be the year of the mochi.

Espresso shot is among three flavours that artisan mochi makers Little Moons unveiled on 17 July, including yuzu and Earl Grey. We'd recommend testing the Early Grey tea first, before moving on to yuzu and finishing with espresso. Earl Grey tea flavour, which is a tribute to Selfridge’s founder who was known as the Earl of Oxford Street, has a delicate, floral jasmine flavour. Yellow yuzu, meanwhile, is packed with the punchy Japanese citrus fruits in homage to the department store’s signature colour and is refreshing like a mango sorbet. And despite its intense black colour, espresso shot has a creamy, smooth coffee taste.

Other flavours on offer include matcha, coconut, toasted sesame, raspberry, mango, vanilla, salted caramel, hazelnut, chestnut, dulce de leche, and banana. Mochi-pop stacks of three are also available, created to look like the mochi emoji.

The pop-up on Oxford Street will stay open until 10 September.