Friday, January 8, 2021

Assorted Teas Packaged As a Singapore Travel Memento

I was happy to receive an assorted tea gift set from a friend for Christmas. It's a travel-themed tea set from "The 1872 Clipper Tea Co." The packaging is rather unique, resembling the shape and form of a travel journal, complete with an elastic strap to hold the pages together. It conveniently fits a hand grip the same way you'd hold a travel guide.


Opening the box reveals 16 individually packaged assorted tea bags. There's English breakfast, earl grey, lychee, peach, mango,  passion fruit, green tea, and garden tea and the box contains two of each flavor.  The assortment of pure Ceylon tea and pure Ceylon tea blended with herbs are packed in Sri Lanka.


Among the selection of teas, I wasn't familiar with garden tea. The tea is described as a delicate tea created by mixing pure Ceylon tea leaves with natural rose petals. It's an ideal evening tea accentuated by a smooth floral sweetness.

The box is definitely reusable. It's a perfect fit for refilling with tea. 

The back cover reserves space to write notes, giving the feel of maintaining a journal. During these times where travel has been severely impacted, this is a nice, simple touch of remembering the feeling of traveling. In this case, it's a travel experience to different flavorful destinations in the form of tea.


I'll be traveling to each tea destination soon. 





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Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Kirin's White Chocolate Milk Tea


Treasures abound in supermarkets. I found this flavored milk tea in the supermarket beside my hotel during my last visit to Tokyo. I've been disappointed time and again with flavored milk tea, but decided to try this since it's made by Kirin. 

The Kirin White Chocolate Milk Tea is a perfect blend of milk tea and chocolate. The flavor was well balanced, neither too milky, too chocolate-y or bitter (because of the tea). It was a different kind of yummy beverage and I liked it. I wish Kirin would eventually export it to Singapore too...

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Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Kirin's Limited Black Tea Floral Cherry Blossom Royal Milk Tea

My good friend Uzuki-san gave me two bottles of milk tea before I left Tokyo. One was the Kirin cherry blossom milk tea and the other was the Kirin chocolate milk tea. I luckily found some bubble wrap and managed to bring it back to Singapore safely.

I'm always anxious with trying out new things, so I dilly-dallied for a week before I tried the drink. I had sampled the Kirin chocolate milk tea when I was in Tokyo and absolutely loved it. I found it at a supermarket while I was looking for some Japanese ingredients to bring back home. I didn't know about the cherry blossom variant until Uzuki-san surprised me with it at work.



Because the packaging was pink I had expectations that the drink may taste a bit like strawberry milk. I had no clue how it might taste. After taking a tentative sip I was surprised to discover that it tasted very fresh. The usual milk tea I have makes you sober. The Kirin cherry blossom milk tea gave me a refreshing buzz. I tried to prolong finishing it, but I gulped it down in no time since it tasted really good. Oishii!

How I wish Kirin will make it available in Singapore!
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Monday, April 2, 2018

Colorless Milk Tea by Suntory

I tried the colorless Suntory Milk tea a few months back when I went to Japan. I was ecstatic to find it in the convenience store at the arrival area in Narita and promptly got a bottle. Took a few photos just before I boarded the bus to Tokyo.



I was only able to sample the clear milk tea when I got back from work that evening. I was thinking at the back of my mind that maybe when I pour it in a glass it will magically turn into its usual light brown color. It didn't. Here's a video when I sampled the drink.



Anyway, maybe I expected too much from the drink, but I was a bit disappointed with how it tasted. It did taste like milk tea but there was something missing and I couldn't put my finger on what it was. I just thought that maybe something was lost when it was processed to be clear. I'm also not too comfortable with the idea that there were additional processes made to achieve its colorless state.

It was a fun experience for me though and I had other family/friends try it out too. Their assessment was the same though -- something lacking.

*Suntory Premium Morning Tea
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Kirin White Chocolate Milk Tea

Kirin White Chocolate Milk Tea is my latest discovery in Tokyo. I always make it a point to visit a supermarket/grocery/convenience store whenever I travel. This is where I usually find interesting milk tea. It's usually a hit or miss, but I always remember the better ones and come back to it when I get to visit the country again.

So far Kirin's selection of milk tea beverages have been a hit with me. I like the Premium Milk Tea the best and oftentimes have some stock in my fridge. We have the Royal Milk Tea available in the office so that's my staple milk tea drink whenever I'm at work. Yesterday I went to the supermarket near my hotel to check out if there was anything new and found the Kirin White Chocolate Milk Tea.

I've been hesitant in trying flavored milk tea because oftentimes they don't blend very well (check out the post before this). After my first sip I knew that this variety would be good. The white chocolate and milk tea blended perfectly. It wasn't distinctly chocolate nor milk tea. It was a well-balanced blend of white chocolate, milk and tea. In pasta terms it would be described as al dente.

I will definitely have the Kirin White Chocolate Milk Tea again when I visit Japan next time. I hope they'll import it in Singapore too. 
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Friday, February 9, 2018

Lipton Green Milk Tea

I always scout for new ready to drink milk tea at 7-Eleven. I got excited when I spotted the Lipton Green Milk Tea the other day. I thought it would replace my craving for Pokka's Green Tea Milk Tea which 7-Eleven used to sell years ago. I couldn't even find it in Japan now, so I've been just drinking matcha at Nana's Green Tea.


I always like to pour ready to drink milk tea in a glass with ice. That's what I did when I got home. I had a lot of difficulty opening the bottle. Even my trusty rubber band couldn't get it open. I finally wedged it open and poured half of the content into the glass. Immediately tried it and memories of Bali came pouring in my mind. A decade ago my brother bought bottles of tea to drink. The drink tasted like we drank flowers. Lipton Green Milk Tea tasted more like flowers than green tea with milk. I guess they meant by green = garden/nature/flowers. We only finished the bottle because I tricked my son to finish it hehe. 

Lipton Green Milk Tea is best for people who have a palate for flowery stuff. 
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Friday, November 17, 2017

Haagen Dazs Green Tea Crispy Sandwich

During my last visit to Japan I vowed to try different types of milk tea everyday. My plan got derailed when I chanced upon the Haagen Dazs Green Tea Crispy Sandwich at Lawson's. I just had to try it.





Back at the hotel I quickly tried out the ice cream sandwich. It was delicious, like drinking green tea frap while eating biscuits. I made a mess though since I didn't go back to the hotel immediately. I tried again the next day and ate it while the ice cream was still firm. It was a better experience.



The treat reminded me about my favorite Singapore ice cream sandwich which you can get from Orchard Road. I like the biscuit better than ice cream on bread. It's quite filling too, so if you're trying it out make some space in your tummy! 
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