We've All Done This...

Assam Milk Tea

Last week, my family and I stopped by Shanghai Wholesale Market Place in St. Paul (across the road from Menards in the Midway neighborhood) for the first time. I found an aisle full of drinks:

Lots of fun things to try!

I went back on Sunday with both of my boys (1 boy was gone we we first stopped by) and I grabbed a drink:

A smaller can: 10.48 oz.

The non-English side of the can.

I love things lost in translation: "If sedimentation or oil slick from the milk fat agglomeration
of the case is a product characteristics, quality without fear, please drink at ease."

Brand: Assam Milk Tea.

Origin: Siehe Village, Taiwan.

Purchase Place: Shanghai Wholesale Market Place, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: unknown.

Review: I often get a "royal milk tea" from local tea shops (like Sencha and Niko Niko Boba), so I know the flavor of that... or at least what I EXPECT. This was a lot sweeter! It almost had a lavender flavor to it. I determined that it wasn't lavender, but some other "perfumy" flavor. It was good, but not as smooth as the milk teas that I knew of. The flavor was sweet and a bit unique. It was tasty!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

p.s. I picked up some tapioca pearls at Shanghai Wholesale as well, so I made some pearls to have with my milk tea:

Nixie Zero Sugar Root Beer

I grabbed this from Fresh Thyme earlier this week, and cracked it open last night:

Brand: Nixie Zero Sugar Root Beer.

Origin: Larkspur, CA.

Purchase Place: Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market, Minneapolis, MN.

Sweetener: Organic Stevia Leaf Extract.

Review: I was curious how this would taste after glancing at the ingredients list: it had vanilla listed pretty high (which I associate with a "smooth" or "creamy" root beer), but it also had ginger listed (which I associate with a root beer with more "bite"). 

It turns out that it was a bit heavier on the "bite" side, but not by much - it had a bit of a Barq's flavor, which is known for having a bite. But the ginger wasn't too heavy, and I appreciated that. There was still a bit of the smoothness from the vanilla, but then each sip ended with a little bite. Overall, it tasted "diet" because it was a bit watery and weak, but the flavor that was there was decent. Not a bad soda - better than I thought it was going to be!

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Northern Soda Company Cherry Lime Soda

I opened this with supper last night, as the 2nd in the pack my wife picked up from Remix:

Brand: Northern Soda Company Cherry Lime Soda,

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix Popcorn and Delights, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was good! Flavorful! The cherry was a bit tart, but with plenty of sweetness to balance it out. And then there's a nice kick of lime as well. This was a classic flavor that both my wife and I loved. A REALLY good soda! 

Score: 9 out of 10.

Grinch Soda Box Display

Merry Christmas!!

Northern Soda Company Sweet Liberty Blue Raspberry Lemonade

My wife and youngest son stopped by Remix over the weekend, and they came back with a 4-pack of Northern Soda for me:

4-pack on the counter.

The first one we tried!

Brand: Northern Soda Company Sweet Liberty Blue Raspberry Lemonade.

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix Popcorn and Delights, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was (unsurprisingly) unnaturally blue. It didn't have much lemonade flavor at all, as it was mostly "blue raspberry." I thought it tasted like a melted blue raspberry Icee, and my boys said it tasted liked a melted Freezee. It tasted good, but those thoughts made it a little more depressing to drink: we WANTED it to be a Freezee or an Icee, and it wasn't. It was just soda. So I have to rank this a little lower than I'd initially rank it because it WANTS US to WANT IT to be something else. But the flavor IS good if you're interested!

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Spongebob Squarepants Bikini Bottom Cooler Pineapple Drink

I opened this with my boys earlier this week:

Brand: Spongebob Squarepants Bikini Bottom Cooler Pineapple Drink

Origin: Woburn, MA.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was decent, especially for being only 5 calories. One of my boys remarked that it was a little like Mountain Dew, and I could see that - it had the citrus hit of Mountain Dew, but then with more of a pineapple flavored kick at the end. It wasn't overly sweet, which was a concern being it's based off a cartoon. Decent, but not amazing.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Root Naturals Root Beer

I tried this with my boys tonight:

Brand: Root Naturals Root Beer.

Origin: Cincinnati, OH.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Caramelized Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a relatively strong anise flavor, and it was a BIT too anise-heavy for me. But the root beer flavor was pretty herby, deep, and tasty. There's a bit of of a fruity / berry flavor as well. It was a pretty unique root beer, and I like what they were trying. It wasn't amazing, but it was quite decent.

Score: 7 out of 10.

"Reverse" Root Beer Float

This is WILD... I might have to try this:


Direct link: youtu.be/VgGTYOmoUtY

Oreo Coca Cola

My wife saw this in the store earlier this week, and she had to grab it for me:

 

Brand: Oreo Coca Cola

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Wal-Mart, Roseville, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.

Review: The bottle says "Fizzy Cookie Flavored." And my wife had the big question: "Is this just the CREAM of the Oreo?... Is it like a creamy Coke?" I thought otherwise: "I bet it's chocolate too! I think it will be BOTH flavors of the Oreo: chocolatey and creamy."

And unfortunately, I was right.

It smelled totally normal. Just like regular Coke. But the taste was oddly chocolate. AND creamy. It was like a liquified Oreo, with carbonation. It really didn't taste anything like Coke, but the flavor of an Oreo was spot on. But that didn't make it "good." My wife thought it was disgusting, I thought it was sub-par, and my boys thought it was pretty good. I wouldn't want another one of these, so I'll rank it below average. But it you LOVE Oreos, then this flavor might be for you.

Score: 4 out of 10.