Cha Cha Matcha Matcha lemonade with mint: More mint than matcha, this chilled lemonade is refreshing but doesn’t quite hit the mark as far as green tea flavor. It has a slight bitterness that sets it apart from a normal lemonade, but it would be hard to guess it contains matcha if you were to drink it without first seeing its identifying dark green color. Purchased from the ultra trendy matcha shop Cha Cha Matcha, a cafe seemingly built for Instagram, replete with a faux living wall and lifestyle neon signage. 3.0/5.0
drinks nyc chachamatcha matcha lemonade mint 3.0
Kuang Chuan Oolong Tea: I spent some time this summer looking for the best asian grocery store to buy bottled tea in Chinatown and ended up wandering into a handful of different small shops. To be honest, I don’t recall exactly which one this drink was from, but this bottle of oolong tea was decent - slightly roasted flavor, unsweetened, and thirst quenching. It wasn’t good enough for me to seek out again, though. 3.0/5.0
drinks tea chinese kuangchuan oolong 3.0
Boba Guys Chai tea with boba: A pretty good drink from Boba Guys in Canal Street market, but too sweet even at 30% sugar. Otherwise, a nicely spiced chai. I generally find the boba to be a bit inconsistent from this location. This time, it was overly chewy. 3.0/5.0
drinks nyc bubbletea milktea bobaguys chai tea boba 3.0
Num Pang Watermelon Juice: A pure, unadulterated cup of sweet and refreshing watermelon juice. Good if you aren't willing to buy a whole watermelon just for yourself. 3.0/5.0
drinks numpang watermelon juice 3.0
Tretap Organic maple sparkling tree water: I'm conflicted about this drink because, on the one hand, it tastes shockingly accurate, with a deeply sweet maple flavor that somehow only lends 3g of sugar per serving, yet I'm not sure why anyone would want an entire 12oz can of sparkling, liquid maple syrup. If that person is you, check this drink out. If not, take comfort in knowing it would taste exactly as you would expect it to. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda vermont tretap organic maple sparkling tree water 3.0
Pokka Sapporo Mandarin orange drink: Tangy Japanese orange beverage with bits of orange segment, it reminded me of a thicker, higher quality Capri Sun with a familiar artificial orange soda flavor. Comes in a sturdy aluminum bottle which lends a slightly metallic flavor. 3.0/5.0
drinks japanese orange pokkasapporo mandarin drink 3.0