Steaz Peach green tea: At this year’s annual Mystery Hunt puzzle competition, my team was stationed close to the 26-100 lecture hall and its cluster of 6 vending machines. This tall can of Steaz came from the machine of non-Coca-Cola-owned beverages selling alternative caffeinated energy drinks. I was looking for a drink to get me through several more hours without the side effect of crashing, and for this, the can did its job-I felt alert and invigorated but not jittery. Flavor-wise, it didn’t stand out to me as ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
organic steaz peach ice tea 3.0 drinks greentea
The Laughing Cow White Cheddar Babybel Cheese: I miss those Laughing Cow mini cubes, readily available in the dairy aisle of the local supermarket in the 90s and even obtainable when traveling in Taiwan as a child. But I haven’t seen them in many years, except for in Canada where they still seem to be sold and in the UK, which I only know because there was a recent British ad campaign I found on YouTube. All we have left in the US are the wedges of spreadable cheese and the classic Babybel rounds, snackable cheese covered in red wax. Sof... (read more) 3.0/5.0
thelaughingcow white cheddar babybel cheese 3.0
Tao Kae Noi Hot Chili Squid Grilled Seaweed Super Crisp: The unique texture of these ultra thin and crispy seaweed crisps inspires me to keep trying new flavors. This one, hot chili squid, tastes like a concentrated seafood ramen seasoning packet, except that it incorporates a sweet garlic chili paste that makes it unsettling sweet. More zesty than spicy. It’s one of the less successful flavors from this line of snacks but not so bad that I wouldn’t purchase a flavor I haven’t tried before. If you enjoy dried seaweed snacks but haven’t picked up t... (read more) 3.0/5.0
nijiya taokaenoi hot chili squid grilled seaweed super crisp 3.0
Trader Joe’s 3 Seed Multigrain Beet Crackers: A textural crossover between a tortilla chip and a cracker, this multigrain seeded beet snack from Trader Joe’s has a vegetal flavor without being uniquely identifiable as beet (beyond the color). Because of its crisp and slightly irregular texture, they seem like a slightly more unique substitute for corn tortillas and would probably pair nicely with a creamy dip. On their own, they’re a bit salty. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes 3 seed multigrain beet crackers 3.0
Regent Pandan Cake: A half-sphere mini cake, baked-brown on the outside and shamrock-green on the inside. Has a light texture that eats a bit dry. Often paired with coconut, pandan leaves are popular in southeast asian cuisines like Thai and Indonesian; the flavor of this pandan cake fell somewhere in between rich coconut and light lemongrass. Fragrant and not too sweet, but the texture could have been more moist. 3.0/5.0
cake 99ranch asian regent pandan 3.0
Plum organics Apple cinnamon and oatmeal Jammy Sammy sandwich bars: Square cereal bars sized for kids (they barely fit in my palm). Has an apple cinnamon flavored “jam” in the middle that’s sweet, but because of the size, it’s not overwhelmingly so. Decent and standard; probably wouldn’t purchase again because of the minuscule portion size. 3.0/5.0
plumorganics apple cinnamon oatmeal jammy sammy sandwich bars 3.0