The Laughing Cow Belcube Ham, Tomato, and Green Peppercorn Cheese: I used to get these Laughing Cow cheeses from supermarkets in Taiwan, but also very shortly in the US before they stopped selling them in the American market (in favor of those red-wax cheese wheels), so I was glad to see that they sell the cubes in Japan. This pack came with 15 cubes, 5 of 3 different flavors: ham, tomatoes a la provencale, and green peppercorns. Each cube is wrapped in foil and has a convenient system that peels off the central sides of the cube to make them easy to open... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended cheese thelaughingcow belcube ham tomato green peppercorn 4.0 japanese
Tea Era Apple Seed Green Tea: Got to visit an old favorite with old friends on my last trip to the South Bay. Tea Era is a bubble tea shop on Castro in Mountain View that always has an expansive menu of uniquely-flavored beverages. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the apple seed green tea, which is why I decided to purchase it. The least amount of sugar they could do was 50%, and I purchased the tea hot on a brisk evening (though you could also get it cold). Half sugar was the right amount, as it had a somewha... (read more) 3.5/5.0
mountainview california recommended drinks chinese teaera apple seed green tea 3.5
Hanco's Honey Green Tea with Lychee Jelly: I'm not homesick per se, but I do find myself frequently sad about the lack of good bubble tea options in NYC. I think I had 5 different bubble tea stamp cards in the bay area, and I only have one for NYC, at a bubble tea shop that closes at 8pm during the week (Mr. Wish). Given that most of my bubble tea purchases in Berkeley or SF were late night impulses, I don't get to drink much of it here. Hanco's, a Vietnamese sandwich shop close to me, has pretty bad boba from my previous experie... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks brooklyn hancos honey green tea lychee jelly 3.0
Kirin Rich Green Tea: If you can believe it, I have a months-worth of backlog for snack reviews. I purchased this bottle of green tea back when I was doing a retreat at the Recurse Center. I liked buying large bottles of green tea to drink at work for cost-effectiveness, and I found that the best selection could be found at Hong Kong Supermarket in NYC's Chinatown. I typically purchased Ito-En teas, but I decided to give this slightly less expensive bottle of green tea a try. It was decent, but more bitter th... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks matcha chinatown kirin rich green tea 3.0
Pa Tea Jasmine Green Tea with Boba: I really liked the brown sugar oolong milk tea I had from Pa Tea a few weeks ago and decided to return to try a different beverage. Unfortunately, this jasmine green tea was just ordinary. The tea had an slight floral jasmine flavor, but it tasted predominantly of milk. The boba was also quite bad, with a texture that was too soft. Given this quality, I probably would not go back again, at least not unless I just happen to be near Union Square. 2.5/5.0
drinks milktea boba patea jasmine green tea 2.5
Teas’ Tea Unsweetened lemongrass green tea: I like lemongrass in curries, but in tea it just tastes off. The green tea is good by itself, but it’s nearly impossible to isolate from the savory and slightly floral lemongrass flavor. 2.5/5.0
organic drinks teastea unsweetened lemongrass green tea 2.5