Sweetheart Cafe Taiwan Style Milk Tea with Boba: This hole-in-the-wall on Durant in Berkeley features a small counter overflowing with asian snacks and walls plastered with laminated drink menus (items listed in Chinese followed by English). The first time I stopped by shortly after it opened its doors for the day, I was informed that the boba had not yet been delivered from Oakland, where they have a sister cafe. Returning several weeks later on an impulse at around 11pm (they are open past midnight on the weekends), I opted for their T... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Taiwan Bento Soymilk: When it comes to beverages, the Taiwanese just do them better. Classics like Apple Sidra and Hey Song are much less sweet than American sodas, taste crisper, and are simply more interesting. What I'm rating today isn't a bottled or canned product, but it's representative of the same qualities. At Taiwan Bento, a shop close to the 19th street Oakland BART station that specializes in Taiwanese street food like gua bao and five-spice fried chicken, they make an excellent housemade soy milk. ... (read more) 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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La Nostra Gazzosa: A sparkling lemon beverage from Italy that is more like a concentrated, flavored seltzer than a sugary soda, which I far prefer. Though it has 28g of sugar, it's still less sweet than most bottled sodas in the US - just enough sweetness, in my opinion. The drink has a slightly savory aftertaste as seltzer sometimes does along with a refreshingly acidic lemon taste. Good level of carbonation. Altogether, a unique and worthwhile drink. 4.0/5.0
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Young Tea Roasted oolong tea with grass jelly: This small tea shop in Seattle's Chinatown / International District is just a few steps away from their impressively sized Mitsuwa Market. It takes pride in its traditional Chinese herbal teas, and it comes across clearly in their drinks. The oolong milk tea I had was just right: more tea than milk wth just a bit of sweetness at 50%. The grass jelly was one of the most memorable I've had, with a silky texture and slightly bitter flavor that complements the sweet tea. Highly recommended! 4.0/5.0
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Asha Tea Pineapple oolong tea: Another solid take on fruit tea, Asha's pineapple oolong features pureed Hawaiian pineapples that add tanginess to their robust and refreshing iced herbal tea. Both flavors are represented faithfully and unambiguously. Easy to recommend. 4.0/5.0
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