La Croix Cran-raspberry sparkling water : Generally, I think La Croix is pretty good. But this cran-raspberry flavor has a medicinal quality to it, reminding me of children’s medicine masked with candy-like flavors. Would not drink again. 2.0/5.0
drinks avoid lacroix cran-raspberry sparkling water 2.0
Sconehenge Crystallized ginger and lemon English tea scones: At the checkout at Monterey Market in Berkeley is a variety of locally-baked good positioned as impulse buys. Cookies, chocolates, and small cakes are neatly arranged, mostly near the register closest to the exit. For a tea party, I purchased these Sconehenge crystallized ginger and lemon scones, which were of surprisingly excellent quality. These packaged scones were more flavorful, moist, and light than any scone I’ve purchased directly from a bakery. One of its most distinct qualities was... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended montereymarket sconehenge crystallized ginger lemon english tea scones 4.0
Happy Lemon Mango matcha slush: Matcha and mango seemed like an unlikely pairing, but I decided to give it a try as it was marked as a Happy Lemon top pick on the menu. Because of the way the drink is made, it’s not possible to adjust the sweetness, which I was a bit worried about since I usually get my beverages at 25% sweetness when possible. While the drink was on the sweet side, it also had a delicious creaminess that mellowed out the flavor overall. A thick base of mango at the bottom ensures that there is a bit of f... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks berkeley happylemon mango matcha slush 3.5
Good Health Barbecue Kettle Chips: Good Health labeling may be surprising to find on a bag of potato chips. Despite having high levels of “healthy fat,” avocado oil has somehow helped produce chips with 30% less fat than regular. Healthier may be more accurate than healthy, but health aside, these are still quality crunchy kettle chips, with a largely sweet barbecue flavor. I can’t say I tasted anything that would have made me guess these were made from a non-standard cooking oil. If you want to feel a little better about eat... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended goodhealth barbecue kettle chips 3.5 berkeleybowl
Chex Mix Bold Party Blend: I’ve been finding myself making most grocery trips past 8pm, when Berkeley Bowl closes, which means I’m resorting to Safeway more frequently than I would like. That also means more normcore snacks and returning to foods that I haven’t purchased since before college. This bag of bold flavored Chex Mix was bought on one of those trips, combining deeply savory Worcestershire seasoning with your classic cracker mix (everything you find in normal Chex Mix). It’s salty and crunchy with a dangerous... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chexmix bold party blend 3.5
Noosa Blackberry Serrano Yogurt: A surprisingly spicy yogurt whose heat builds up quickly, this blackberry serrano yogurt is too spicy to be a sweet and too fruity to be savory. The quality of the yogurt is as good as any other Noosa flavor: creamy yet thick, with enough moisture to not need an accompanying glass of milk. It’s not a snack I plan to return to, yet I think it’s commendable for Noosa to take this risk and give us something I haven’t seen before. 3.0/5.0
spicy noosa blackberry serrano yogurt 3.0