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
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
OO Tea Jasmine milk tea with boba: OO Tea is a Taiwanese import of the brand “Wushiland.” As far as I know, there are only two locations in the US: one in a San Gabriel strip mall in LA and another in a Ranch 99 in San Diego. I went to the latter, which was an unassuming bubble tea stand without any seating; my order was taken in Mandarin, not English. Wushiland uses organic milk for their milk teas and it shows. I ordered their jasmine milk tea and found it to be the single best version of milk tea that I’ve ever had in the ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional sandiego bubbletea milktea ootea jasmine milk tea boba 4.5 drinks
Out the Door Bubble tea: I rarely eat in the Ferry Building in SF, but on this rare occasion, I decided to try a bahn mi at Out The Door. I got a bubble tea to accompany my sandwich and am sad to report that it was terrible. The tea was super sweet, and the boba somehow managed to be both hard on the inside and mushy outside, a combination I didn’t know was possible. Worst of all, it was expensive because it’s the Ferry Building. The sandwich wasn’t too much better, by the way-they use normal French baguette instead... (read more) 1.5/5.0
avoid drinks boba bubbletea milktea outthedoor bubble tea 1.5
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