Yifang Matcha Brown Sugar Bubble Tea: I was delighted to come across the Taiwanese bubble tea shop Yifang in Shin Okubo, the Koreatown of Shinuku in Tokyo. I wish I were able to read the menu of fruit tea options, but I had to go by the pictures and decided to try their matcha latte with brown sugar, a drink that has a fixed amount of sugar (unlike some other menu items, where you can adjust how sweet you'd like it to be). I did find the drink to be sweet for my taste, but the combination of bitter matcha with sweet brown suga... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks tokyo taiwanese boba bubbletea yifang matcha brown sugar bubble tea 4.0
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
Tiger Sugar Brown sugar boba milk tea with cream mousse: Stopped by the Tiger Sugar stand on Main Street in Flushing on a Friday night and waited in line for about 15 minutes to get a cup of the famed brown sugar boba milk tea with cream mousse. The Flushing location is the first in the US from Taiwanese chain Tiger Sugar; there is an additional spot now in Sunset Park, and the latest will be opening in Chinatown this Saturday, so all major Chinese neighborhood across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens are covered. I actually didn't know too much a... (read more) 3.5/5.0
drinks boba taiwanese brownsugar tigersugar brown sugar milk tea cream mousse 3.5
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
kungfutea tea boba drinks asian ginger brownsugar 3.0 brown sugar
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
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
drinks milktea berkeley purplekow rosie oolong tea brown sugar jelly 2.0