New Silverstar Deli Limeade: At my new favorite lunch spot near work, a small banh-mi shop called New Silverstar Deli, they make their own limeade, a traditional offering from Vietnamese shops. Generally, I try to order fresh-made drinks without ice so I can more accurate assess the flavor without any dilution. When I requested the drink iceless, I was asked whether I wanted any additional water added as the limeade is "very concentrated." I said no, and they retrieved a pre-poured cup from their fridge, filled slight... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks sanfrancisco newsilverstardeli vietnamese lime limeade 3.0
Ito En Milk Tea: A "Hawaiian Exclusive," I was able to purchase this canned milk tea from Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley. It is definitely sweet, like at 100% sweetness from a bubble tea shop that lets you adjust, but it does have black tea undertones and an herbal aftertaste. Now that I've had this drink, it will now be a baseline for how decent black milk tea is from a boba tea shop. As far as I'm concerned, if I can buy it for half the price at the local grocery store, it's not worth getting it "fresh." 3.0/5.0
drinks tokyofishmarket itoen milk tea 3.0
U Cha Barley milk tea with boba: Continuing my bubble tea taste test across Berkeley, I found myself at a popular tea shop named U Cha on Bancroft. Their expansive menu has the fruit and milk tea flavors you expect from a Taiwanese-style chain. I ordered their barley tea with boba at 20% sweetness with little ice. The flavor was familiar but watered down and over-sweetened; the boba was too chewy. With better options, this one is a pass. 2.0/5.0
drinks berkeley bubbletea ucha barley milk tea boba 2.0
Harmless Harvest Harmless Coconut Water: This is a product that appeals to all types of coconut water consumers: it's fair trade (for the socially responsible), it's organic (for the health-conscious), it has a distinctively shaped bottle (for designers), and it's kind of expensive (all of the above). Some are pink (which happens when the polyphenols naturally present are exposed to light), while some are clear. Overall, I found it to be well balanced, refreshing, and light. 4.0/5.0
organic recommended drinks coconutwater fairtrade harmlessharvest harmless coconut water 4.0
Asha Tea Mango green tea with grass jelly: Asha tea is a winner when it comes to making bubble tea that actually tastes like tea. I've found their fruit teas more successful at striking the tea-sweet-flavoring balance than their milk teas, tasting like tea flavored with a bit of fruit rather than vice versa. The mango green tea has a bit of texture from mango pulp, and herbal jelly adds a delicate herbal texture. Lightly sweetened. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks ashatea mango green tea grass jelly 4.0
Share Tea Mango green tea with lychee jelly: After attending an event in Palo Alto, I wanted to get a caffeinated beverage for my drive back to the East Bay. I found myself at Share Tea, whose Berkeley branch I had just tried several days before. This time, I opted for a fruit tea and ordered their mango green tea at 30% sweetness with lychee jelly. Even at 30%, I still found the tea to be too sweet, though it did have a nice herbal flavor that came through. I also liked the lychee jelly, which had a good amount of firmness. The m... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks sharetea mango green tea lychee jelly 2.5