Purple Kow Rosie Oolong Tea with Brown Sugar Jelly: Somehow, I kept finding myself at this bubble tea shop in Berkeley, likely because of its proximity to the downtown BART station. Purple Kow serves its bubble tea in "chubby" cups (essentially stout buckets) and uses organic milk products for its milk teas. I think they're a little too proud of this fact given that the last few milk teas I've had have been overwhelmingly milky to the point that you feel like you're having sweetened milk. Even with the "micro sugar option," it was too swee... (read more) 2.0/5.0
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i-Tea Honey Brown Rice Milk Tea with Basil Seeds and Agar Boba: From Taiwan, this bubble tea chain has all the signs of an authentic Taiwanese tea shop: its menu is ridiculously long; you can customize sweetness, ice, and toppings; it's cash only; there's absolutely no place to sit and chat (you purchase your drink and enjoy it elsewhere); and while there are lines out the door, service is fast. Drinks only come in one (large) size but are very reasonably priced. I ordered their honey brown rice milk tea at 30% sweetness, and the drink was one of the b... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional drink boba itea honey brown rice milk tea basil seeds agar 4.5 bubbletea
Kung Fu Tea brown sugar ginger tea with boba: This hot beverage evolved over time, but for the worse. I really liked how the ginger flavor was prominent and unforgiving-perfect for cold winter nights. But as I progressed to the bottom of the cup, the drink became overly sweet. And the boba was terrible (far too mushy). For the tea alone, it was a 3.5, but with the boba, it comes down to a 3.0. 3.0/5.0
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Food Should Taste Good peppercorn blend brown rice crackers: After I gave the last box of brown rice crackers from FSTG a perfect 5.0, I was eager to try another flavor from the line. These peppercorn crackers are well balanced, a challenge with an ingredient as potent as peppercorns. Similar to the last I tried, the texture of the crackers was light and crunchy. However, overall I found this flavor to be less special and memorable than the red pepper chips. That isn't to say that these are bad by any means, but it's not a flavor that I see myself eve... (read more) 3.5/5.0
fstg foodshouldtastegood crackets brownrice pepper peppercorn 3.5 blend brown rice crackers
Food Should Taste Good roasted red pepper brown rice crackers: This snack had done the impossible--make brown rice taste good! A rare case where a snack cracker holds its own without any dip. In fact, to pair it with a dip would mask two characteristics that make it essentially perfect. First, the red pepper and sesame flavor is pronounced, and the cracker is already perfectly seasoned. Second, the texture of the cracker is ideal: super crispy, yet just thick enough to still be substantial. This hardly ever happens, but I am at a loss at what could make... (read more) 5.0/5.0
exceptional perfect fstg foodshouldtastegood 5.0 crackers brownrice sesame redpepper roasted red pepper brown rice