Sweetheart Cafe Taiwan Style Milk Tea with Boba: This hole-in-the-wall on Durant in Berkeley features a small counter overflowing with asian snacks and walls plastered with laminated drink menus (items listed in Chinese followed by English). The first time I stopped by shortly after it opened its doors for the day, I was informed that the boba had not yet been delivered from Oakland, where they have a sister cafe. Returning several weeks later on an impulse at around 11pm (they are open past midnight on the weekends), I opted for their T... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Sweetheart Cafe Jasmine milk tea with boba: Sweetheart Cafe is a small bubble tea shop on Durant right on the south edge of UC Berkeley's main campus. The main draw to this inexpensive mom and pop shop is their boba, which as far as I'm concerned is unrivaled in the Bay Area for its chewiness and overall consistency. The Jasmine milk tea that I purchased alongside the boba had an identifiable Jasmine tea flavor but was more milk than tea. Would not be surprised at all if it was powder-based. 4.5 for the boba, 3.0 for the tea. Overall... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Sweetheart Cafe Avocado Slush with Boba: A creamy drink that tasted more like milk than avocado. The standout component was still the boba, which remains singular in its chewy consistency. Overall, though, I would recommend another beverage at this Berkeley favorite just a block away from Sather Gate. 2.5/5.0
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Taim pomegranate honey iced tea: Sharp, acidic flavor that also manages to be overly sweet. Out of balance. A shame, because I like most other things from Taim. 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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Tartly Ginger pear shrub: Purchased from quality but pricy SF-grocer Bi-Rite, this bottle of ginger pear shrub is from California Brand Tartly. On their site, they describe the origin of the company: “One late summer day in California, two health-conscious foodies got together for lunch.” Sorry, but can there be a more generic template to describe every artisanal/small-batch/environmentally-conscious food company based in California?! Back to the soda-it’s sweeter than other shrubs but has a satisfying ginger and app... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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