I'Milky Peanut and Sesame Milk Ice Cream Stick with Boba review

小農沐白 花生芝麻牛奶珍珠雪糕

My tastebuds instantly knew they wanted this the moment I saw these! This is from a Taiwanese brand called I'Milky. This is a peanut milk and black Sesame milk ice cream bar with boba. 

actual product

The peanut milk is on top and the black sesame milk is on the bottom. The sweetened boba is only on the sesame milk side. Both the peanut milk and black sesame milk are not sweetened. I liked how less sweet it is... but if you have a sweet tooth, you might not enjoy it as much as I did (the boba is the only ingredient that is sweetened and makes the bar sweet).

 impressions

• the peanut milk has a strong Asian mild peanut taste
• the sesame milk has a strong black sesame taste (but not sweet)
• the boba is the only agent making the popsicle sweet
• the boba is very VERY sweet and unlike "real" boba, it is very soft and a bit slimy

I would recommend this if you do not have a sweet tooth but enjoy (Asian) peanut and black sesame taste. I stress Asian for peanuts because Asian peanuts have a less "peanutty" taste compared to "western" or "North American" peanuts (if you are looking for something like Kraft's/Jif's creamy peanutty taste, then you will not enjoy the peanut milk side)

That being said, I liked it because, without the sweetness, I was able to fully enjoy and explore the black sesame taste and peanut taste... I liked how the boba's gave me a nice sweet touch which paired really nicely with the black sesame.

Score: 8.8/10

Website: no website

keywords: 小農沐白 花生芝麻牛奶珍珠雪糕

I-Mei Pearl Milk Tea Ice Bar short review

The Chinese name for this product is 義美奶茶冰棒

義美 (Yimei) is a well-known Taiwanese consumer brand and a major milk processor. I have seen their popsicles (ice pops, etc) at T&T (a Taiwanese grocery store) for years.

During this pandemic, it has been very inconvenient to go out and get bubble tea so I have been looking for alternatives.

I saw these ice pops/popsicles and decided to give them a try.

impressions:

• milky side is very milky
• tapioca is very chewy (and made to a perfect chewy consistency. it is not too soft or hard, just perfect)
• the "tea" side is good milk tea quality

It certainly pays to be a major milk processor, the milky side is so good... it actually reminds me of milk ice cream in Tokyo!

So... I'm very impressed! These have definitely satisfied my milk tea (bubble tea) craving and I highly recommend them... in fact, they are so good, I might just start getting these in the future (instead of ordering bubble tea)... fingers crossed they come up with more flavours!

Score: 10/10
Website: https://eng.imeifoods.com.tw/products.html (generic product page with no additional information)

Face Q Red Pomegranate +CoQ10 mask review

packet of mask

product overview:

• amount: 30g
• Product from Taiwan
• Function: Whitening + moisturizing + re-hydrating
• Each Box comes with ten packets of mask.
• Suitable: all skin type especially dry and delicate skin

After doing some research, I discovered that FaceQ is a sister company to My Beauty Diary. 

back of packaging

Translation:

In Turkey, people consider the Pomegranate to be a fruit from heaven because it is rich in nutrients which benefit the skin. Red pomegranate and Anthocyanin are two powerful anti-oxidant ingredients. It fights against dullness and dehydration. Chamomile extracts is also added to avoid further dark pigment formulation, helping skin to restore its natural glow. After application your skin will become supple, smooth. 

Description:

FACE Q MASK SERIES Red Pomegranate +CoQ10 Mask include triple moisturizing Hyaluronic Acid: Hyaluronic acid macromolecules potent restore moisture. Hyaluronic acid stays closely with the skin, improving moisture retention even after flushing.

Small molecule hyaluronic acid penetrates the skin deeply, reaching the ultimate moist. Also includes pomegranate extract, with two antioxidants: Pomegranate polyphenols and anthocyanins. Powerful antioxidant helps improving skin dull, dry and adding chamomile to prevent pigmentation, skin look so rosy and revealing a natural bright luster. (Sasa.com)

Ingredients (from Sasa.com): 

• Pomegranate Extract: restoration and maintenance of the skin. Maintain skin‘s vitality.
• Idebenone, CoQ10: whitening effect
• White willow bark extract: conditioning with exfoliating, whitening effect
• Silver Needle Pekoe: natural antioxidants.
• Morus alba extract: whitening effect

how the mask looks like

This mask is made from 100% wood pulp and silk, these ingredients help infiltrate the nutrients into your skin and is more flexible to fit on your facial features. (I did not agree with this though)


impressions:

• has a sweet fruity smell (not exactly pomegranate but smells really nice)
• lots of essence
• mask sticks on face really well (great for multitasking)
• little air bubbles
• gives a stinging sensation to mouth area

I didn't like the material... see the bubbles?

Overall, I think this is a fair mask, as being a sister company to Beauty Diary, I find there are certain similarities (e.g. lots of essence in mask and smells really nice). But I was disappointed that it created a stinging sensation to my upper lip and lower lip area. I liked that the mask fit my features well, but it created small bubble air pockets... I liked to use the remaining essence on my arms and legs (yes, there was THAT much product left).

score: 7.8/10
website: http://www.facequeen.com.tw/ (I couldn't find this product on their website :O)

日出茶太 Chatime review

Brewed Oolong Milk Tea with Pudding

Chatime... Global Brand with Local Flavour

Recently, the talk of town is "Chatime"!
Whenever it's after dinner... "let's go Chatime"
or After a movie "let's go to Chatime"
or to talk "let's talk at Chatime"

How can I ignore such a significant place? I have learned that they have already opened 2 tearooms in Toronto and from what I heard, there will be more coming.

Upon arriving to the store, you will notice that there is a line... there is always a line, I passed by this place at least 5 times already and every time there is a line... the line moves quite quick, so don't be scared. Once you enter the shop, you will be invited by their sweet milk tea flavor scent. The atmosphere is very casual I would not recommend coming to this place if you are a party of more than 5, as there aren't a lot of seats. This place is not designed for you to stay for more than one hour, it is a drink and go place. (wait time is not too bad)

photo credits: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/chatime-toronto#HsBHP3qunw96PhFP4spueA


Their drinks are more on the pricey side (approximately $5/bubble tea), it is worth it, but still considered pricey (especially when you aren't served, you just get a take out cup, and there is  but they can be quite pricey due to the uniqueness of their drinks menu. You can click here for their updated drink's menu. Quality is also a factor in their pricing, they do put powder in their drinks but you can taste a difference between their drinks compared to other places who fully rely on powder and other chemicals. The drinks here taste much more "natural" and "real"

I find it interesting how they have unusual additives to their drinks such as: Red Bean, Coffee Jelly, Grass Jelly, Aloe Vera and Pudding.  I was interested in the pudding and coffee Jelly... I chose pudding in the end.

Another very interesting feature of this place is that you can choose how much "Sugar", "Ice" and "Topping" you would like to add to your drink. There is a range for example:

100% - normal sugar dose
70% - less sugar dose
0%  -  no sugar at all

(the same applies to their ice and topping)

I assume because it is located in downtown, they only service "take out" so you can only get your drinks in a take away/out cup.

Additional information:
if you would like to access their free WiFi, the password is their phone number

Overall, I like this place, not so much the atmosphere (it is too loud and not "comfortable" enough, since they call themselves a tearoom I would expect a more "tearoom" environment (unless of course there is a lost in translation? I'll give them the benefit of the doubt)). I like their unique drinks and quality so I guess I will be coming here again.

rating: 4.5/5

website: http://www.ichatime.com.tw/index.php

奶蓋咩 Latte Mei review

photo credits: Lum. V. from yelp.ca

After a shopping trip to Eaton Centre, a friend and I walked along Dundas looking for a place to chat. We were both attracted by the greenness of this shop, so we decided to go in. The shop is quite small and simple. After going in the shop, we discovered it was "Taiwan's No. 1 Tea". I was so excited to learn that I can try something authentically Taiwan in Toronto. However, that being said, this place isn't as busy as you would expect (no long lines). Most come for take out and hardly stay.

my friend and I decided to order Jelly Noodle White Gourd tea, since it was one of their recommended drinks. I was very curious as to what "Jelly" Noodle was. The wait time (from paying to getting our orders) was quite lengthy. 

After taking the first sip, I was a little disappointed with the "Jelly Noodle", it was nothing more than some sort of chewy tasteless... "noodle". It didn't impress me at all.

On the other hand, the drink itself, the Gourd tea was quite a surprise. It was good!! The gourd here is a winter melon. Not too sweet or too dull (?). Over the years I have almost given up on getting "melon" type teas because of the large amounts of sugar they put into it. I am glad I have FINALLY found a place that does not overdose their Winter Melon Tea!

The prices at this place is quite reasonable. For $3.99, located in the heart of downtown Toronto, this is definitely a deal, HOWEVER, keep in mind there is NO SERVICE and wait times can be pretty long.

website: http://www.lattemei.com.tw/

Green Grotto Tea Room at McNicoll - hot tea edition review

To see the review of this cafe in general please click here. 

After my good experiences at Green Grotto at McNicoll, I have became a frequent visitor of this place. At this particular visit, I was going to stay a bit longer than usual because I had some translation work to do with a friend, we both agreed that getting hot teas was a better choice on a cold Spring day, and we wanted something that was healthier. We ended up getting two pots of hot teas. What was good is that they also offered us complimentary popcorn (I guess you can tell I am a big fan of popcorn).

So for a little recap, Green Grotto is a relaxing tea room which offers a variety of drinks and some snacks. Similar to "traditional" cafes they have Asian magazines and their space is the perfect environment to sit, chat, complimentary wifi. You can just go there to chill after a long days work.

Due to bad experiences at other bubble tea places, I tend to avoid getting "hot" drinks because even with the unlimited refills they offer, the tea is not worth it, as they put so little "dry leaves/flowers" so the tea doesn't even have taste after the 3rd refill. HOWEVER, I was almost shocked and am so glad it is not the case for Green Grotto, they literally load up your teapot filter with the dry stuff... so after filling up my teapot for the 5th time, my tea still tasted as rich as the first cup. I highly recommend you getting teas which are mixed with different things rather than just one basic thing. My friend got Longan + Osmanthus and I got plain Osmanthus. I was actually quite happy with my tea till I tried my friend's, since it was much tastier and sweeter.

As you can imagine, we were there for quite a while (when you translate stuff, time literally flies). So after staying there for almost 5 hours, we were hungry! We ordered a Sesame filled pancake (at first we thought it would be like crepes or PANCAKES but turns out it was the Chinese dessert "pancake" type). It was quite tasty, and the filling was good!

If you are looking for a place to do some "simple work" (don't abuse it by staying there for 10 hours cramming for an exam ;P, just kidding), I highly recommend this place, the people there are friendly, the customers are polite and aren't distracting.

EDIT
my friend asked me about hours of this place, so I thought I would post them here (forgot to ask them about opening time... I think it is around 1PM each day):
closing time:
Sunday - Thursday: 12:00AM
Friday - Saturday: 1:00AM

Rose Oolong Tea review

For those of you who don't know, I am quite a health nut, I am always out to hunting for healthy stuff. And when it come to tea, I am obsessed.

I came across this Rose Oolong Tea, which I would highly recommend especially for girls because by itself, Rose tea can ease the pain of periods and help you lose fat.

Other goodness produced by Rose tea include (credits to HealthMad)


The reasons for the diuretic effects of the roses are they contain Vitamin C, pectin, malic and citric acids.

1. It clears toxins and heat from the body. As a result it has a cooling effect on the body.

2. It can relieve from sore throat, runny nose and blocked bronchial tubes

3, It is useful to people those prone to chest problems by fighting against infections

4. Rose tea helps to fight the infection in the digestive tract and re-establish the normal bacterial population of the intestines

5. It relieves fluid retention and hastens the elimination of wastes through kidneys

6. It is a wonderful remedy for dysentery, diarrhea and gastro enteritis

7. It is a laxative. It works as a remedy for all liver problems including sluggishness and constipation.

8. It cleanses the liver and gall bladder and promotes bile flow

Rose petal tea can be used to relieve uterine congestion causing pain and heavy periods. It is an excellent remedy for irregular periods and infertility.

9. It has an uplifting effect on the nervous system and can relieve insomnia, depression and fatigue



So, if Rose tea is good by itself, why would we need Oolong tea to pair? Well, unfortunately, Rose tea does not have a lot of taste, and it can be pretty "boring" drinking this stuff as the flavour is so "weak". So Oolong tea (which is a strong tasting tea) pairs perfectly

Oolong Tea is actually very healthy as well.

Oolong Tea benefits (credits to Tea Benefits )

1. Oolong Tea may help reduce cholesterol build-up in the bloodstream.

2. Oolong Tea may help burn fat and thus, may contribute to slimming.

3. Oolong Tea can help prevent heart ailments.

4. Oolong Tea can be used for treatment of digestive disorders.

5. Oolong Tea can promote longevity by stimulating bodily functions and strengthening the immune system.

6. Oolong Tea may promote healthier and stronger bones, protecting people from such diseases as osteoporosis.

7. Oolong Tea can also fight against tooth decay.

2 good teas in 1 and it tastes good!

Green Grotto at McNicoll review - cold drinks edition

I have always been a fan of bubble tea cafes because you can enjoy various types of drinks (which range from green teas, black teas, red teas, coffee, fruit juices, etc) and like most "traditional" cafes they usually provide magazines and a perfect environment to sit, chat, surf web (most places provide free wifi) and just relax.

I have recently been acquainted to Green Grotto which is located at McNicoll and Midland Road. Like most Green Grotto's I have been to, the place is small and cozy. But unlike most Green Grotto's I have been to (and thank goodness!) it is not packed, so it is a lovely environment to hang out with friends and chat and relax.

One thing I like about Green Grotto is that they provide complementary free popcorn, it's nice to chew on something light while you are at a bubble tea place. Usually I am a fan of popcorn chicken, but sometimes, that can be too heavy if you just want to chill-ax with some friends after a heavy meal.

Overall, I think Green Grotto's drinks are well made, at this particular visit, I ordered Fuji Apple Yogurt while my friend ordered Green Apple Yogurt (a frequent visitor of this place recommended their yogurt drinks so we decided to order that). It tasted quite good, it wasn't too sweet or sour just easy to drink.

If you are looking for a place to go for your next friend reunion or simply just a place to sit down and chat, this is the place for you!

To see the review for "hot tea drinks" at Green Grotto please click here

EDIT
my friend asked me about hours of this place, so I thought I would post them here (forgot to ask them about opening time... I think it is around 1PM each day):
closing time:
Sunday - Thursday: 12:00AM
Friday - Saturday: 1:00AM

Go For Tea Tea Room Review

Make a wish! There are stars in the sky! No, they are actually light bulbs hanging from the ceiling of Go For Tea at the Scarborough location. But seriously, it is pretty... and it is huge, it is located at the center of the cafe (with the size of this place, calling it a cafe is a bit of an understatement). The place can seem like a maze for those who are visiting the place for the first time because 1. it is dim inside (I think you get the picture... from this picture... XD) and 2. whenever you turn a corner you can expect to barge into one of their larger tables (in rooms).

Go For Tea has earned a reputation for having better choices and prices than other bubble tea places, with it's decorations and interior design, it certainly attracts a lot of bubble tea-ers (and people who just want to look for an environment to chill)

As a frequent goer to this place, I enjoy it's popcorn chicken, I think it is one of the best I have ever had.

One of my friends once said that if you want a better deal, you should pay the extra $1 to make your drink large, because their large sizes is almost double the size of their regular size drinks.

However, the downside of this place, due to its popularity, you would have to wait to get seats even on weeknights.