Yuki & Love Boba Milk Tea Mochi: A product of Taiwan, the motherland of boba milk tea, these mini individually-wrapped mochi snacks are about two inches in diameter and contain a moist, mulit-layered filling. An outer layer is lighter tan in color, resembling milk tea, while a dark brown center takes the place of boba. The inside is a gelatinous core that's pleasant in its milk tea flavor, if not accurate in texture, though the texture of the mochi itself is surprisingly intact and satisfyingly chewy. Purchased at 99 Ranch. 3.0/5.0
99ranch milktea taiwan yukilove boba milk tea mochi 3.0
Binggrae Samanco Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Sandwich: A Korean brand's take on frozen Japanese taiyaki featuring Taiwanese bubble tea, this trinity of representation incorporates milk tea ice cream alongside brown sugar "boba." Unlike the packaging would indicate, the split between ice cream and boba is not 50/50 but more like 90/10, with a thin layer of brown syrup containing popping-type boba that's neither chewy nor bursting, a texture all its own. Having experienced the Monaka Jumbo ice cream sandwiches in Japan, with its iconic crispy wa... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream 99ranch milktea binggrae samanco brown sugar boba ice cream sandwich 3.0
Trader Joe's Chocolate & Peanut Butter Joe Joe's Sandwich Cookies: I'm not sure if there's anything more American than these single-cookie serving size sandwich cookies from Trader Joe's, with alternating peanut butter and chocolate layers (essentially an Oreo with peanut butter filling, covered in a peanut butter frosting-like exterior drizzled with more chocolate). On a hot day, the waxy outer coating can melt quickly in your hand. It tastes a bit like a better quality Reese's cup, but with a cookie base (the quality of the chocolate, in particular, is ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
cookies tjs traderjoes chocolate peanut butter joe joe's sandwich 3.0
Orion Injeolmi Sweet Bean Turtle Chips: A sweet chip flavored with soybean powder and sugar. Individual pieces are multi-layered and crispy, basically the same as Aerial chips if those are familiar to you. Ridged corn chips may also remind Americans of Bugles, but they are not nearly as seasoned. Injelolmi is a Korean dessert that appears to be the same as mochi, cut into squares and dusted with a beige soybean powder that gives it a nutty flavor that isn't overly sweet. I would say this snack was much more dessert-like than s... (read more) 3.0/5.0
korean orion injeolmi sweet bean turtle chips 3.0 hmart
Crown Jolly Pong: A Korean puffed wheat cereal with kernels that look like mini corn nuts and have a nutty, caramel flavor. They remind me of the Honey Smacks / Golden Crisp cereal I had as a kid. Smells like a mix of cotton candy and coffee. Small bag has 2.5 servings and was purchased at HMart. 3.0/5.0
cereal hmart korean crown jolly pong 3.0
Mateo's Arrayan Paletas: Mateo's is a chain in Los Angeles that has a rainbow assortment of ice creams and fruit bars, or paletas, featuring tropical flavors from Central America ranging from yellow cherry, mamey, and sapote (a type of ash-colored persimmon fruit). The popular shop had a short line out the door, with two groups allowed in the store at a given time (and no samples during the pandemic). Their arrayan pop features fresh fruit from the arrayan guava, which reminded me a lot of Taiwanese guava I had wh... (read more) 3.0/5.0
losangeles tropical fruit mateos arrayan paletas 3.0