Omomo Tea Shop Matcha Cortado: Is bubble tea ever worth waiting an hour in line for? Maybe not, but when 90% of the line is made up of Asian customers in Irvine, it's probably a good sign. This popular bubble tea shop has two locations in Irvine, and this unassuming shop in the middle of a large strip mall, sandwiched between a Ralph's and CVS, unfortunately only takes in-person orders (the other location has an online ordering system). I went with my family and was able to sample four different drinks, but the one I o... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended irvine bubbletea greentea omomoteashop matcha cortado 4.0
Nanaya Aoyama Matcha (7) and Roasted Rice Tea Ice Cream: Nanaya Aoyama is a small ice cream shop near Omote-Sando in Tokyo and had been on my checklist of places to try for Tasty Snacking since before I arrived in Japan. Its menu features matcha ice cream at different levels of concentration, from 1-7, with 7 being the most potent (they claim it's the strongest in the world). On display, you see how matcha ice cream 1-7 goes from a light shamrock color to a dark forest green (though there isn't too much difference visually between #5-7). The ice... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional icecream tokyo japan greentea nanayaaoyama matcha (7) roasted rice tea ice cream 4.5
Nature's Soy Matcha Soymilk: I first discovered this brand of asian soymilk at Hong Kong Supermarket in Chinatown but have since found it available at larger chains like Fairway. Since I enjoyed Nature's Soy's black sesame soymilk, I was looking forward to trying their matcha version. The soymilk is a thicker and grainier than most store-bought soymilk, which I don't mind because it tastes fresher. The matcha flavor, though, tastes too similar to matcha-flavored biscuits or cookies to me – overly sweet and hard to dr... (read more) 3.0/5.0
fairway drinks soymilk asian matcha greentea tea naturessoy 3.0
Tohato Matcha milk caramel corn: I've seen these caramel corn snacks at Asian grocery stores over the years but have never tried them until now. They come in a smaller bag containing about 3 or 4 serving sizes (there is no English on the bag for me to tell exactly). The puffed corn pieces are irregularly shaped, kind of like a miniature version of Jaxx cheese puffs, and have a glazed sugary coating that makes them crispy yet light and airy. The matcha flavor is pretty good; it's a little more bitter than most American ma... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese greentea matcha puffs hongkongsupermarket tohato milk caramel corn 3.5
Nissin Coconut sable matcha cookies: Classic Asian sable cookies with a matcha twist. The wheat biscuits are sweetened with coconut milk and have a sugary glaze. Matcha powder seems to have been mixed in to the flour, rather than used as a coating (the cookies are not green). Contains individual serving packs of 5 crackers. Though there is quite a bit of sugar in each serving (22g), I still found the biscuits enjoyable. They taste more like matcha than most matcha-flavored snacks I've had, and the mix of coconut and matcha... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended biscuits matcha greentea cookies nissin coconut sable 3.5
Nongfu Spring Matcha milk tea: I purchased this bottled beverage from JMart in Flushing because of its uniques shape and also because there was no English translation of what it contains other than "matcha" and "tea." Although I was hopeful, the drink was super sweet and had a watery consistency for a milk tea. If I had to guess, I would think it was a matcha latte rather than a tea as I didn't taste any tea over the sweetness. The matcha flavor was not at all bitter and tasted like candy. 2.5/5.0
drinks jmart chinese asian greentea nongfuspring matcha milk tea 2.5