Kung Fu Tea Lychee tea with boba and lychee jelly: Purchased from the Kung Fu Tea in Edison, NJ, this tea drink was far too sweet despite specifying 25% sweetness. The boba was also disappointingly soft. The jelly, though, had a decently firm bite. It's too bad there is so much variability with drinks from this chain. 2.0/5.0
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Tomarchio Limonata Sparkling Lemon Soda: A nicely balanced acidic soda that's slightly reminiscent of Mountain Dew, but just for a second. The sizing of the can makes it feel more filling than a typical 12oz, though it's all psychological I think. 3.5/5.0
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Tomarchio Aranciata Rossa Sparkling Blood Orange Soda: This pleasantly-carbonated beverage is on the sweet side but nonetheless has a distinctive citrus flavor. I prefer it to the Pellegrino blood orange soda, as it doesn't have a metallic aftertaste. From Sicily. 3.5/5.0
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Boba Guys lavender black milk tea with grass jelly: This distinct beverage had a clean lavender flavor without tasting too floral, or like soap as poorly balanced lavender-flavored things tend to. Though I ordered the drink with 50% sweetness, I found it to be on the sweet side. (I think they might sweeten the drinks more than the NYC location, as I've had the opposite impression there.) The flavor and texture of the homemade grass jelly was excellent, but it was difficult to suck up through a normal boba straw. 3.5/5.0
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G.L. Alfieri strawberry almond milk: I'm a fan of almond milk and had never had a strawberry-flavored one before, so this sample-sized bottle from G.L. Alfieri in the Ferry Building peaked my interest. Despite the questionable pepto-pink color, the drink was unexpectedly light, with a clean creamy strawberry flavor and slight nutty finish. The sweetness was just enough to trigger strawberry milk nostalgia while still feeling like a responsible, healthy adult. 4.0/5.0
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Blue Sky Jamaican ginger ale: This drink has a more prominent ginger flavor than your typical canned ginger ale, but it's also quite sweet and familiar to those who don't want an overwhelmingly spicy soda. Decent option without high fructose corn syrup. Personally, I prefer spicier and less sweet. 3.0/5.0
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