Anchor Ginger Root Beer: This vintage style root beer unfortunately falls flat, with an overly sweetened syrupy flavor that tastes very little of ginger. It reminds me of Dad's Root Beer, which I had at swimming meets at community pools growing up, not because it was good but because it was available. Purchased at Uwajimaya. 2.5/5.0
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Shen Zen Tea Ginger Kombucha: There are a lot of local kombucha brewers in Seattle, so I’m getting to expand my drink reviews. This brand, Shen Zen Tea, sells product at Uwajimaya but also holds a stand at the Ballard farmers market on Sundays. The drink combines ginger and lemongrass and is lightly sweetened. It has a prominently fermented sour and tangy flavor. I liked it the more I drank it, and the bottle, while on the expensive side, at around $6, lasted for multiple servings. 3.5/5.0
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Iggy’s Ginger honeybrew kombucha: From Bainbridge Island, this ginger honey kombucha is pleasantly spiced with orange, lemon, star anise, and cinnamon and has a bright floral honey aftertaste. It’s much milder than other kombucha I’ve had, which brings out the honey flavor even more. The ginger is faint but still refreshing. A portion of sales gets donated to fund bee research. 3.5/5.0
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Looking for Chai Milk tea with grass jelly: There’s a Taiwanese restaurant In Bellevue named Looking for Chai where everyone speaks Mandarin, photographs of Taipei 101 line the wall, and they have a handwritten menu of about 30 tea drinks written in traditional Chinese before their English translations. When I ordered a milk tea with grass jelly, I realized I had forgotten to specify the sweetness. But the tea was perfect, with an deep herbal flavor barely sweetened and slippery grass jelly that verges on medicinal but exactly as you ... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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Macfuddy Pepper Elixir: Orca Beverage is a wholesale distributor for vintage sodas, featuring the likes of Dad's Root Beer and Bubble Up. I didn't actually know about Orca Beverage until I had already purchased a few bottles of sodas from Uwajimaya, a Japanese grocery store that somehow also features a wide range of non-Asian beverages. They all had a vintage vibe, and it wasn't until I returned home that I noticed they all had Orca bottle caps. Macfuddy has a definite Dr. Pepper vibe but also manages to have a ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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O'Food Seoul Sparkling Yuzu Prebiotic Drink: I'm pretty open minded when it comes to trying new snacks, but this prebiotic drink made from fermented radish is simply not good. Its unusual ingredients include radish water kimchi (pear, green onion, ginger, and garlic), and it contains just 1% juice and 25 calories. It tastes like drinking a watery salad dressing, and the fermented ingredients totally overpower any type of yuzu flavor. Definitely avoid. Purchased from Uwajimaya. 1.0/5.0
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