Type: Instant
Producer: Lipton
Origin: Indonesia
Brewing Parameters: 180 ml hot water, 85°C, 1 packet (recommended)
Appearance: Grey and brown powder
Rating: D+ | 68/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Same story as the last Lipton instant tea I have. Instant teas don't lend themselves well to in depth reviews, so this is going to be short.
This one differs from Teh Tarik in that it has ginger added, but other than that, it's essentially the same. After mixing the powder in, the tea was a milky brown (like you'd expect), without much of a smell. The taste, at first, is sweet and has the waxy texture of powdered creamer. After that, the tea flavor becomes very strong and bitter, similar to coffee or concentrated, overbrewed black tea. Once that is gone, you can taste the ginger, which imparts a spicy feeling in the mouth. It might just be because I'm using a small amount of water (the recommended amount), but I don't like this at all– it's way too bitter, but at the same time, tastes like watered down milk. Like Teh Tarik, I'd recommend trying this with milk and iced, which might be better, but alone and prepared the way on the package, it's not great.
Other Notes
Today's album is BOOMIVERSE by Big Boi. Interesting album– it came up on my recommended list since I listen to Killer Mike, and I was surprised at how different it is. I like Kill Jill because of how weird the combination is; vocaloid and rap could better together than I thought they would. The rest of the songs are great, too. It's a weird mix of genres, with some old-style hip hop in there, which is cool.
Since after last weekend, I've been taking it slow. Two days ago, I went to my unitmate's house with my Cal friend and we watched Titanic. Yesterday, my Cal friend came over in the morning to give me a book and we hung out for a while, and in the evening, I helped another one of my friends (from my childhood/guy friend group) pack his things into storage since he's moving. Today's his last day in town, and I'm coming back later today to help them finish up. I don't know if it's who I am, or if we've just drifted apart during high school, but I just don't feel that broken up about it. I feel like I should be nostalgic or sad or bittersweet about it. It reminds me of when my ex moved last summer. I think I'm just bad at goodbyes, and it kind of sucks.
Showing posts with label Instant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Instant. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Review: Teh Tarik - Lipton
Type: Instant
Producer: Lipton
Origin: Indonesia
Brewing Parameters: 180 ml hot water, 85°C, one packet (recommended)
Appearance: Light brown and grayish-white powder
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Although it isn't what I usually review, I still consider instant tea to be some kind of tea. This particular tea is from Singapore/Malaysia, and like the teabags from earlier reviews, came across the sea in a big box with other goodies. I usually make this tea iced and with milk; my method of preparation is adding boiling water to dissolve the powder into a paste, and then mixing it with cold milk. For purposes of this review, I'll be following the instructions, however.
Interestingly, this tea is very frothy/bubbly. A layer of bubbles formed with little mixing, covering a creamy, dark brown liquid. It smelled very sweet; if you've had milk tea with a black tea base, it smells very similar to this. I think this is essentially just that. I usually make this tea with milk because I found the flavor to taste very watered down when I make it with water, but that may be because I add too much. Without milk, I found that this tea tastes very similar to milk coffee; it has that strong, somewhat bitter flavor that's earthy. It's sweet, but it also has a light sour flavor coming from the tea base. The aftertaste is the milk, which has a waxy feeling that comes from I found powdered dairy creamers. In general, I find that instant teas don't necessarily taste the best on their own– but if you change the method of preparation, it can improve it. They're generally better for a quick sugar fix or if you're lazy and want milk tea. In the realm of instant teas, however, this is one of my favorite ones. My only problem is that it's only sold overseas, so it's more of a treat than a daily drink.
Other Notes
Today's album is Vault Vol. 2 by STRFKR. As much as I love STRFKR's new albums. like Being No One, Going Nowhere, they have definitely changed their sound. It was more acoustic and folksy and now focuses more on synths, but it still is the same pop-feeling. This album was released last night, and I think it's a nice return to the albums that actually got me interested in STRFKR in the first place.
These past few days have been incredibly busy. Thursday was fun; I took the MUNI Metro for the first time with one of my closest friends (I love her, she was on my competition civics team and we're both going to Berkeley) and we went to Golden Gate Park. We had some really good Thai food and walked around the park, near the Conservatory of Flowers and Botanical Gardens. We listened to some jazz underneath a bridge and explored the area around the De Young museum. Eventually, we found our way up a large hill that gave a good view of the park and city, and watched a few hawks and (apparently) an erotic comedy that people were acting out at the top. We talked a lot about stuff like family and our relationships with friends, and headed back to the Embarcadero where we got ice cream from the Ferry Building. The day ended with us playing games at the Musee Mechanique and exploring Pier 39 before walking home and riding BART back.
Yesterday, I had an adventure showing my friend from San Diego around San Francisco. A lot happened that day, so look at the post before this if you want an overview.
I got back very late last night, so I slept in. I was supposed to watch Spiderman: Homecoming with my friends (the first time I'd be hanging out with my guy friends this entire summer), but it didn't work out because I was too tired to wake up early and my other friend had a hair appointment. I did wake up to a number of texts and a missed call from the third friend that I told last night that I'll be sleeping in. He's one of my childhood friends, but as much as I like him, he can be kind of self-conscious; his texts today reminded me like that possessive girlfriend stereotype, which was a bit annoying. We'll reschedule it later though, and I'll be hanging out with my unitmate and my friend from earlier that's going to Cal, too, so I'm not too upset. I still have that essay to write due tomorrow evening, but once next week is over, I'll finally be able to take a break.
Producer: Lipton
Origin: Indonesia
Brewing Parameters: 180 ml hot water, 85°C, one packet (recommended)
Appearance: Light brown and grayish-white powder
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Although it isn't what I usually review, I still consider instant tea to be some kind of tea. This particular tea is from Singapore/Malaysia, and like the teabags from earlier reviews, came across the sea in a big box with other goodies. I usually make this tea iced and with milk; my method of preparation is adding boiling water to dissolve the powder into a paste, and then mixing it with cold milk. For purposes of this review, I'll be following the instructions, however.
Interestingly, this tea is very frothy/bubbly. A layer of bubbles formed with little mixing, covering a creamy, dark brown liquid. It smelled very sweet; if you've had milk tea with a black tea base, it smells very similar to this. I think this is essentially just that. I usually make this tea with milk because I found the flavor to taste very watered down when I make it with water, but that may be because I add too much. Without milk, I found that this tea tastes very similar to milk coffee; it has that strong, somewhat bitter flavor that's earthy. It's sweet, but it also has a light sour flavor coming from the tea base. The aftertaste is the milk, which has a waxy feeling that comes from I found powdered dairy creamers. In general, I find that instant teas don't necessarily taste the best on their own– but if you change the method of preparation, it can improve it. They're generally better for a quick sugar fix or if you're lazy and want milk tea. In the realm of instant teas, however, this is one of my favorite ones. My only problem is that it's only sold overseas, so it's more of a treat than a daily drink.
Other Notes
Today's album is Vault Vol. 2 by STRFKR. As much as I love STRFKR's new albums. like Being No One, Going Nowhere, they have definitely changed their sound. It was more acoustic and folksy and now focuses more on synths, but it still is the same pop-feeling. This album was released last night, and I think it's a nice return to the albums that actually got me interested in STRFKR in the first place.
These past few days have been incredibly busy. Thursday was fun; I took the MUNI Metro for the first time with one of my closest friends (I love her, she was on my competition civics team and we're both going to Berkeley) and we went to Golden Gate Park. We had some really good Thai food and walked around the park, near the Conservatory of Flowers and Botanical Gardens. We listened to some jazz underneath a bridge and explored the area around the De Young museum. Eventually, we found our way up a large hill that gave a good view of the park and city, and watched a few hawks and (apparently) an erotic comedy that people were acting out at the top. We talked a lot about stuff like family and our relationships with friends, and headed back to the Embarcadero where we got ice cream from the Ferry Building. The day ended with us playing games at the Musee Mechanique and exploring Pier 39 before walking home and riding BART back.
Yesterday, I had an adventure showing my friend from San Diego around San Francisco. A lot happened that day, so look at the post before this if you want an overview.
I got back very late last night, so I slept in. I was supposed to watch Spiderman: Homecoming with my friends (the first time I'd be hanging out with my guy friends this entire summer), but it didn't work out because I was too tired to wake up early and my other friend had a hair appointment. I did wake up to a number of texts and a missed call from the third friend that I told last night that I'll be sleeping in. He's one of my childhood friends, but as much as I like him, he can be kind of self-conscious; his texts today reminded me like that possessive girlfriend stereotype, which was a bit annoying. We'll reschedule it later though, and I'll be hanging out with my unitmate and my friend from earlier that's going to Cal, too, so I'm not too upset. I still have that essay to write due tomorrow evening, but once next week is over, I'll finally be able to take a break.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Tea Review: The Rich Milk Tea - Twinings
Brand
Twinings (Japan)
Price
$6 for 190 g
Type
Instant/Powdered
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
(Hot) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 120 ml of boiling water
(Iced) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 20 ml of boiling water, and then add 100 ml of cold water
Leaf Appearance
Very fine, light brown powder with some dark brown and sparkling specks
Rating
B- | 81/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I know a lot of people have an aversion to any instant tea, especially since its not even real tea, but I personally like it. The only reason is that during the time I spent in Philippines there wasn't any tea at all so I had to drink this stuff, which turned out to be somewhat decent (also the fact that I can be lazy in the mornings).
Anyway, I ended up buying this at a Japanese supermarket because I'm a sucker for Japanese milk teas (especially the canned/bottled ones). In fact, each time I've gone there I've bought a different brand or flavor of milk tea; I usually get Royal Milk Tea. As for this brand, I think it's one of the better instant milk teas I've had, especially since the taste is pretty close to the canned drinks. Unlike most other brands, it's not prepackaged into sticks so you can customize the strength of your flavor and reduce waste (I enjoyed the customization). The powder smells somewhat fruity and is obviously black tea; from the taste, I'm gonna guess that it's darjeeling mixed with ceylon tea, since it's very similar to the royal milk tea I make myself. It's not too bitter and not too sweet, which gives it a plus. It's hard to describe, but all I can say is that it tastes a lot like canned black milk tea.
My only problems with it is that the powder is weak-tasting, even if you follow the instructions (which leads to a really small cup), and that it isn't 'milky' enough. To add to this, it looks like the powder is also a bit hard to dissolve, which is a little weird. To fix this, I suggest just filling up a cup 3/4ths of the way with hot water, adding the powder to taste, and then pouring in some milk. Adding milk works with almost any instant milk tea, and in my opinion, makes it taste so much better. Overall, this is one of the better instant teas that I've had but the price point makes it a tough buy; try it iced and with milk!
Other Notes:
Gonna do 2 reviews today since I haven't done them in a while + this isn't even actual tea. July is coming to an end and I've ended up not doing a lot of what I've planned, so I'm going to spend today setting up work for August and writing stuff. On another note, I'm surprised at how much I could read on the back of this teas' packaging, especially since it's all in Japanese (thanks katakana skills!).
Twinings (Japan)
Price
$6 for 190 g
Type
Instant/Powdered
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
(Hot) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 120 ml of boiling water
(Iced) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 20 ml of boiling water, and then add 100 ml of cold water
Leaf Appearance
Very fine, light brown powder with some dark brown and sparkling specks
Rating
B- | 81/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I know a lot of people have an aversion to any instant tea, especially since its not even real tea, but I personally like it. The only reason is that during the time I spent in Philippines there wasn't any tea at all so I had to drink this stuff, which turned out to be somewhat decent (also the fact that I can be lazy in the mornings).
Anyway, I ended up buying this at a Japanese supermarket because I'm a sucker for Japanese milk teas (especially the canned/bottled ones). In fact, each time I've gone there I've bought a different brand or flavor of milk tea; I usually get Royal Milk Tea. As for this brand, I think it's one of the better instant milk teas I've had, especially since the taste is pretty close to the canned drinks. Unlike most other brands, it's not prepackaged into sticks so you can customize the strength of your flavor and reduce waste (I enjoyed the customization). The powder smells somewhat fruity and is obviously black tea; from the taste, I'm gonna guess that it's darjeeling mixed with ceylon tea, since it's very similar to the royal milk tea I make myself. It's not too bitter and not too sweet, which gives it a plus. It's hard to describe, but all I can say is that it tastes a lot like canned black milk tea.
My only problems with it is that the powder is weak-tasting, even if you follow the instructions (which leads to a really small cup), and that it isn't 'milky' enough. To add to this, it looks like the powder is also a bit hard to dissolve, which is a little weird. To fix this, I suggest just filling up a cup 3/4ths of the way with hot water, adding the powder to taste, and then pouring in some milk. Adding milk works with almost any instant milk tea, and in my opinion, makes it taste so much better. Overall, this is one of the better instant teas that I've had but the price point makes it a tough buy; try it iced and with milk!
Other Notes:
Gonna do 2 reviews today since I haven't done them in a while + this isn't even actual tea. July is coming to an end and I've ended up not doing a lot of what I've planned, so I'm going to spend today setting up work for August and writing stuff. On another note, I'm surprised at how much I could read on the back of this teas' packaging, especially since it's all in Japanese (thanks katakana skills!).
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