Purple Kow Roasted Oolong milk tea with boba: Originally from San Francisco, Purple Kow is a bubble tea shop that also has a location in downtown Berkeley directly adjacent to Top Dog. It serves its drinks in distinctly short and stout containers that are more like buckets than cups. Many of their milk teas are made using organic milk products. I ordered my roasted oolong milk tea with soymilk and 20% sugar and ice. The drink was very mild, tasting mostly of faintly sweetened milk and less so of tea. Their boba are miniature compar... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Lorina Pomegranate Blueberry Sparkling Soda: Given its uniquely curved bottle, labelling with a black and white photograph of the Eiffel Tower, and stamp dating Lorina's establishment over 100 years ago, this bottle of fruit soda is clearly aspirational, appealing to consumers who wish they were drinking it at an outdoor cafe on the streets of Paris. It tastes very clearly of both pomegranate and blueberry, and its purple red color enhances the effect. Sweet and well carbonated. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks soda lorina pomegranate blueberry sparkling 3.5
iTea Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with Boba: While I previously have had very good experiences at iTea in San Francisco, I've found that the quality has seemed to decline over time. On my last trip, I ordered their Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with little sweetness and ice, yet the drink was still sweeter than I would expect and diluted tasting right from the start. The boba, too, was overly chewy without much character. I typically like to order new things every time I go, but if I find myself at iTea again, I will likely order one of m... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks boba milktea bubbletea itea roasted oolong milk tea 2.5
Boba Ninja Pudding Milk Tea with Boba: Right around the corner from Sweetheart Cafe on Durant (in Berkeley) is a competitor named Boba Ninja, which has barely enough standing room to accommodate a single-file line. Lining the interior is a shelf of flavor powders in small tupperware containers. The pudding milk tea is a regular black milk tea with large pieces of pudding (I added boba as well). The pudding had an inconsistent texture, as if the mix had not been fully stirred, and the boba was overly soft. Not much to say abou... (read more) 2.0/5.0
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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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Almdudler Soda: Considered the national beverage of Austria, Almdudler is a caramel colored carbonated drink that comes in a glass bottle with two dancing figures printed on the side. It doesn't taste much like anything, to be honest, with faint traces of fruit, caramel, and herbs, but none prominent enough to carry the soda towards any particular identity. Purchased at the German restaurant Suppenkuche in San Francisco. 2.5/5.0
drinks soda austrian almdudler 2.5