50 Tea Longan Red Date drink with grass jelly: On my last visit to Oakland, iTea was out of ice and only offering hot beverages. Given the beautiful weather, I decided to go across the street to a new tea shop instead. Named 50 Tea, the shop is iconic Chinatown – half of the storefront is for tea and ice cream while the other half is for purchasing various goods like DVDs and small trinkets and gifts. Their walls are covered in hand-written menu additions with distinctly Asian flavors like winter melon and sour plum. I opted for thei... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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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
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Bundaberg blood orange sparkling drink: I'm attending a conference in Brisbane, and most meals are provided except breakfast. This has made me unable to try as much outside food as I would like, and it also means I've found myself purchasing non-breakfast items at 7am (I'm still jet lagged). I'm a fan of Bundaberg's ginger beer, so I was excited to see a blood orange offering in its native country. Overall, though, I found the drink to be too sweet and the blood orange flavor to be slightly generic. It reminds me of a less fizzy, ... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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Cortese ginger soft drink: This Italian mixer strangely contains no ginger. Instead, it had carrot juice and safflower. The flavor is slightly acidic, on the sweet side, and has no expected kick. It comes in a vivid red color. 2.5/5.0
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Wallaby Organic Strawberry Kefir: I've noticed that kefir is growing in popularity, with many major yogurt brands getting into the market. Perhaps a way to appeal to a generation that grew up with Gogurt? This particular brand features a smooth and creamy yogurt-based drink thicker than other kefir I've had. The strawberry flavor is not bad but reminiscent of a Yoplait-like taste. That is to say that strawberry yogurt often had a distinct flavor different from fresh strawberries, and while this product uses organic ingredie... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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