Sound Sparkling peach and ginger white tea: I bought this bottle of white tea from Perelandra Natural Food Center in Brooklyn. As a fan of both peach and ginger, as well as sparkling versions of normally-not-sparkling beverages, I was excited to try it. Unfortunately, the flavor is weak and diluted, and the carbonation doesn’t hold up for long after the bottle is opened (on the order of 5 minutes). Would not purchase again. 2.0/5.0
drinks tea sound sparkling peach ginger white 2.0 organic
Calpico White peach drink: As a kid, I used to drink Calpico when visiting family in Taiwan. A Japanese “soft drink,” Calpico has a milky-white color but is much thinner in consistency. I remember it being very sweet but probably haven’t had it in over a decade until I came across this white peach flavor. My memory ended up being pretty accurate, though, as the drink was far too sweet and tasted like liquid peach gummies. It’s hard to imagine a situation when it would be desirable to drink this. 2.0/5.0
drinks japanese calpico white peach drink 2.0
Almond Dream Pumpkin spice almond drink with cinnamon: Purchased from Whole Foods, I was hopeful about this seasonal pumpkin spice almond drink, but it became immediately obvious upon tasting that this is meant as a flavoring for coffee or other beverages, rather than something desirable to drink on its own. I tried adding it to chia seed pudding and even to oatmeal, but the flavoring just made me want to eat those things even less. Too sweet and artificial tasting. 2.0/5.0
drinks whole foods almondmilk pumpkin pumokinspice almonddream spice almond drink cinnamon 2.0
Kikkoman Banana Soy Milk: Kikkoman has a bunch of fruit-flavored soy milk juice boxes that come in similar packaging, but differently colored. I got the banana milk from 7-11 to try, but it was shockingly sweet, like drinking liquid banana runts. Would not again. 2.0/5.0
drinks japanese 711 kikkoman banana soy milk 2.0
Dydo Melon Shake: There were always tons of Dydo vending machines in Tokyo selling discounted drinks at most street corners or metro stops. Perhaps because drinking in public is considered a bit of a faux paus in Japan, lots of the vending machines sell very small bottles for quickly quenching your thirst. This small melon shake came in a stout aluminum can / bottle and is an uncarbonated combination of melon and sugary milk. It had an unmistakable cantaloupe flavor but tasted more like candy than a drink.... (read more) 2.0/5.0
drinks vendingmachines japanese dydo melon shake 2.0
Timeless Tea Beet Lemon Tea: I was hopeful to find a good bubble tea shop but ultimately found Timeless Tea, a shop close to University District, to be disappointing. The teas are on the expensive side (many over $6), though the menu is expansive. My beet lemon tea had a ton of sliced lemons in it, which filled up much of the volume of the cup, and there were so many lemon seeds that it made it difficult to drink. Flavor-wise, it wasn't any better than you would expect the combination of beet juice and lemon water to... (read more) 2.0/5.0
drinks seattle timelesstea beet lemon tea 2.0