La Croix Cran-raspberry sparkling water : Generally, I think La Croix is pretty good. But this cran-raspberry flavor has a medicinal quality to it, reminding me of children’s medicine masked with candy-like flavors. Would not drink again. 2.0/5.0
drinks avoid lacroix cran-raspberry sparkling water 2.0
Purple Kow Lychee slushie: I usually opt for milk tea or fruit teas when I go to bubble tea shops, but this time I went for the lychee slush at Purple Kow, a Bay-Area-based chain. Their drinks are served in a single-size short, fat bucket with substantially more than your typical cup. Their generosity was unfortunate in this case because even at 25% sugar, the drink was far too sweet, reminding me of the lychee mini jello cups you get at asian grocery stores. If you don’t like sweet, artificial flavors, don’t order th... (read more) 2.0/5.0
drinks berkeley purplekow lychee slushie 2.0
Larabar Cashew Cooki Bar: Containing two ingredients (dates and cashews) this minimalist bar had a soft texture somewhere between a cookie and an energy bar. I found the flavor to be off, not because it was either too sweet or savory, since the flavors together simply did not taste particularly good. This is the first time I’ve had a Larabar, and given the experience, probably the last. 2.0/5.0
dates nuts larabar cashew cooki bar 2.0
U-Cha Bomber Man milk tea with boba: After having a surprisingly good ginger milk tea last time I visited U-Cha in Berkeley, I decided to try one of their signature drinks, the Bomber Man milk tea. Unfortunately, the drink has nothing to do with our favorite Hudson Soft video game hero. Instead, the drink is essentially milk without tea. But even at 25% sweetness, the drink was overwhelmingly sweet as the honey boba has a caramel-like gooey outer layer. I wouldn't be surprised if even at 0% sugar, the drink would still be t... (read more) 2.0/5.0
avoid drinks milktea bubbletea ucha bomber man milk tea boba 2.0
Hanco’s Black milk tea with boba: Went to 5 different supermarkets in Brooklyn to look for fish sauce and could only find Thai Kitchen brand. Stopped by Hanco’s, a Vietnamese sandwich shop a few blocks from where I live, to ask where to find. They told me there were no asian grocery stores in the area and I would probably need to go to Chinatown. The sandwiches at Hanco’s were pretty good, but this bubble tea was quite bad - very diluted and milky tasting, with overly chewy boba. Might need to go to Chinatown for that too. 2.0/5.0
drinks brooklyn hancos black milk tea boba 2.0 bubbletea
7th Ave Donuts Cake donut: Earlier in the summer, I had a surprisingly good donut at 24/7 diner/donut shop 7th Ave Donuts in Park Slope, though the icing made it far too sweet. So I’ve been trying to see if ordering simpler donut flavors can recreate the same experience I had eating the custard-like, slightly under baked donut I had a few months ago. This plain cake donut did not do the job at all - it was largely flavorless, like eating a barely sweetened dry pound cake. Do not recommend. 2.0/5.0
brooklyn nyc 7thavedonuts cake donut 2.0