Trader Joe's Sparkling Coconut Water with Yuzu: A surprisingly good take on coconut water, this sweetened, carbonated beverage tastes mostly of coconut but does have a refreshing citrus aftertaste. I usually don't like flavored coconut water, but I found the creamy coconut + tangy yuzu to be well balanced and easy to pair with any other snack. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks traderjoes coconut water yuzu 3.5 sparkling
Trader Joe's Organic Sparkling Green Tea: A solid alternative to caffeinated soda, this sparkling tea is enhanced by grapefruit and mint. The level of carbonation is light, and no one flavor dominates. Generally, a well balanced drink I'd be happy to have again. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks traderjoes organic sparkling green tea 3.5
Culture Shock Last Unicorn Blueberry Ginger Kombucha: I never really considered myself to be a kombucha person, but Washington state seems to be really into it, and being a fan of beverages more generally, I'm up for trying local treats. This bottle was purchased at Top Banana, a local produce store, and features just a few natural ingredients: blueberries, ginger, green and black teas, and sugar. It has a beautiful natural purple color unlike any beverage I've had before. The overall flavor is fruity, slightly spiced rather than spicy, and h... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks seattle cultureshock last unicorn blueberry ginger kombucha 4.0
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
drinks soda rootbeer anchor ginger root beer 2.5
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
recommended drinks uwajimaya shenzentea ginger kombucha 3.5
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
recommended drinks honey iggys ginger honeybrew kombucha 3.5