Blockheads Black sesame shaved ice with red bean, rice cakes, almond jelly, and condensed milk: Finally got to try this LA-based Taiwanese shaved ice chain. The black sesame ice cream had decent flavor but the texture was not as fluffy as I knew it could be given my recent experience at Powder in San Francisco. At Blockheads, they make their rice cakes in house, which are essentially tang yuan (the mochi-like glutinous rice dumplings that often accompany red bean soup). I expected their almond jelly to be almond jello, but it was more like the harder gelatin cubes often used in Asia... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Boba Guy's chai with almond jelly: I purchased this drink at 25% sweetness, which I think I would have enjoyed more at 50%. The house-made almond jelly has a great slippery texture, but the flavor is a bit lost with the drink (on their own, they are very good). The chai is light and nicely spiced. 4.0/5.0
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Boba Guys Strawberry Tea Fresca with Almond Jelly: I've only ever had milk teas at Boba Guys up to this point, but their strawberry jasmine tea fresca was excellent, and I will definitely be back to try others. Similar to Asha tea, they use fruit puree so that it has a bit of texture. The almond jelly is soft and tofu-like, and just a tad grainy. Overall, the drink was very fresh and well made; faintly sweet. Highly recommended. 4.0/5.0
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Bolero almond wafer sticks: Flaky and light pastry encasing oversweetend almond paste filling. Good in small quantities. From Greece. 3.0/5.0
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Cadbury Daim Dairy Milk Chocolate: I'm a big fan of Daim and Heath-like candy bars generally. This chocolate bar had a generous portion of crushed Daim, which added good texture. Unfortunately, similar to the Oreo bar, the milk chocolate itself was too sweet. Best to just stick with the Daim, which normally already had chocolate. 2.5/5.0
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Califa Farms Unsweetened almond milk: This unsweetened almond milk from Califa Farms is better than most I’ve had because of its concentrated nutty flavor. The consistency is a bit thin but not surprisingly so for a non-dairy milk. Separately, I also tried the original (sweetened) flavor, which was overly sweet, so if you prefer lighter drinks like me, definitely go for the unsweetened. I used this almond milk to make chia seed puddings but also to drink on its own. 3.5/5.0
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