Shen Zen Tea Ginger Kombucha: There are a lot of local kombucha brewers in Seattle, so I’m getting to expand my drink reviews. This brand, Shen Zen Tea, sells product at Uwajimaya but also holds a stand at the Ballard farmers market on Sundays. The drink combines ginger and lemongrass and is lightly sweetened. It has a prominently fermented sour and tangy flavor. I liked it the more I drank it, and the bottle, while on the expensive side, at around $6, lasted for multiple servings. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks uwajimaya shenzentea ginger kombucha 3.5
Trader Joe's Organic Sparkling Green Tea: A solid alternative to caffeinated soda, this sparkling tea is enhanced by grapefruit and mint. The level of carbonation is light, and no one flavor dominates. Generally, a well balanced drink I'd be happy to have again. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks traderjoes organic sparkling green tea 3.5
Sun Tropics Thai Bird Sriracha Mochi Snack Bites: It's been interesting to see crunchy mochi snacks show up in more and more places, especially when their product placement is side by side with the chewy dessert mochi that's more familiar. I personally was not such a fan of the Trader Joe's mochi bites, which are overseasoned, but I did enjoy these sweet and spicy Thai bird sriracha flavored ones that I purchased from Ballard Market. The little nuggets are dense yet crispy, definitely get stuck in your teeth, and are dusted with an orange... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended ballardmarket suntropics thai bird sriracha mochi snack bites 3.5
Calbee Umami Seaweed JagaRico: I used to buy the original JagaRico snack in Japan all the time – it has a solid French Fry flavor and snackable form factor that made it a dependable junk food to get from convenience stores. I hadn’t seen the umami seaweed flavor in Japan but came across it at a local Daiso. The already savory flavor of the potato sticks benefits from the flecks of seaweed and make me think that nori-dusted french fries would not be a bad idea. 3.5/5.0
recommended daiso japanese calbee umami seaweed jagarico 3.5
Trader Joe's Sparkling Coconut Water with Yuzu: A surprisingly good take on coconut water, this sweetened, carbonated beverage tastes mostly of coconut but does have a refreshing citrus aftertaste. I usually don't like flavored coconut water, but I found the creamy coconut + tangy yuzu to be well balanced and easy to pair with any other snack. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks traderjoes coconut water yuzu 3.5 sparkling
Trader Joe's Lemon Baton Wafer Cookies: One of the better cookie options from TJ's, these Pirouline-like wafers are thinner and crispier, with a pale crispy coating and sweet, slightly floral lemon filling. Would purchase again (something I'd only say for about ~25% of the snacks I've tried from TJs). 3.5/5.0
recommended traderjoes lemon baton wafer cookies 3.5