Nico Black Sesame Donut: This was a donut I purchased about two months ago in the Azabu-Juban neighborhood of Tokyo. The small stand, selling donuts to go, has a menu of small soybean-flour-based donuts dusted in flavored sugar. The soybean flour gives it a uniquely texture more similar steamed bread than American fried donuts. Flavored sugar is also not overly sweet but also easily identifiable as black sesame. A little bit pricy for the size, at least by Japanese standards (a little over $3 for the donut), but... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Paris Baguette pumpkin and black sesame bread: Thickly cut bread with a hard, bitter crust full of burnt flavor. Bread itself is faintly sweet and very soft, but pumpkin flavor is difficult to discern. Studded with black sesame, which doesn't actually add anything to the taste. 2.0/5.0
bread parisbaguette pumpkin black sesame 2.0
Poland Spring black cherry sparkling water: Unlike the favorably reviewed raspberry lime flavor, I found this bottle to have an unpleasantly salty aftertaste. Black cherry flavor is decent. Not one of the best. 2.5/5.0
polandspring blackcherry drinks sparklingwater 2.5 black cherry sparkling water
Poland Spring black cherry sparkling water: Unlike the favorably reviewed raspberry lime flavor, I found this bottle to have an unpleasantly salty aftertaste. Black cherry flavor is decent. Not one of the best. 2.5/5.0
polandspring blackcherry drinks sparklingwater 2.5 black cherry sparkling water 2.5/5.0
Pork Clouds Malabar black pepper pork rinds: On the salty side, but good level of crunch. Peppery flavor is not overwhelming. Overall, pretty good. 3.0/5.0
porkclouds pork porkrinds rinds malabar black pepper 3.0
Powder Black sesame Taiwanese shaved ice with mochi: During my childhood, my family would visit Taiwan every few years, spending several weeks in the scorching heat of the summer months. Once in a while, we would be treated with the best cure for a heatwave: baobing, or Taiwanese shaved ice served alongside a variety of toppings like peanut and red bean, all saturated with a sweet syrup that flavored the ice crystals. In anticipation, we would watch as a machine transformed a large block of ice into a heap of snow, spinning into a sharp rotar... (read more) 4.5/5.0
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