Friday, June 25, 2010

Assi Aloe Premium


It has been a long time since I've been able to work up the courage to try another aloe drink. I had my first one two years ago, and was under the impression that it was disgusting. I don't know why I was under that impression, however, because I tried another one recently, and it was amazing. 

Assi Aloe Premium is delicious. For those of you who do not know what aloe tastes like, it's inexplicable, so I recommend just trying it for yourself. This drink, however, was perfectly sweet and light, with chucks of aloe suspended within. One thing that I like about aloe drinks is that the aloe within does not sink to the bottom, leaving you to shake the drink constantly or suffer a pulpy, chunky, squishy doom at the end of your beverage. The aloe floats peacefully in the ever so mildly viscous liquid, never once demanding that you shake the bottle. I did, but solely out of habit and reflex memory. 

The drink is light, sweet, refreshing, and healthy, and I loved it this time around.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I've been busy

I apologize for the lack of beverage reviews lately. I've been working full time, and I'm taking two summer courses right now, so I haven't had much time for much else. There won't be a post today, as I don't have anything to write about right now, but check back friday evening for a new post.

I'll try to get back on schedule next week.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

New Belgium Fat Tire



Fat Tire is a pretty good dark beer. I tend to prefer light beers, but as far as dark beers go, this is one of my favorites. It's very mild, with a good, balanced flavor. Actually, it's a little unremarkable, which I think is a good quality in a dark beer. I've had a reasonable amount of dark beers, and I tend to like them better when they are more mild and balanced than hoppy or yeasty.

Like I said, there's just not a whole lot to say about this one. It's just a good beer.

Verdict: Recommended

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Chiao Kuo Pearl Milk Tea



I am a big fan of milk tea. This one, however, is a little bit iffy. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what "pearl" means, it signifies that the beverage contains tapioca pearls (spherical wads of jellied tapioca, often referred to as "boba") at the bottom of the container. To me, this is a bit of an acquired taste, as they really don't taste like anything and are just there to give the beverage a little bit of texture. They're kind of slimy and honestly a little weird or gross at first, but you get used to them. I have come to enjoy beverages that contain boba, and I was excited to try this one, but it was a little disappointing. The milk tea portion was pretty straightforward and tasty. Nothing too shocking in any direction on that front. The boba, however, were a lot smaller than I am accustomed to, and most of them were stuck together in a huge lump at the bottom of the can (presumably from sitting on the shelf forever). I got a reasonable share of the pearls out of the can, but about half were still left when I was finished. The rest unfortunately had to be thrown out with the can, as I was not about to suck a huge wad of tapoica wads out of their container. This is a good beverage, but I guess I just kind of had a bad experience with the boba. Maybe yours will be better.

Verdict: Hesitantly recommended



Friday, June 4, 2010

Pakola


I hate to keep having bad experiences with Indian beverages, but this is another one. Pakola is an...interesting beverage. Branded as "Ice Cream Soda," the beverage is not very clear as to what it actually is. It's very...strange, to say the least. There is a hint of cream soda taste there, but there's also an intruding, heavy taste that I can only describe as soapy. It's not very good. I couldn't finish the whole can, and it's an inexplicable fluorescent green color that only added another step to my path of being a little grossed out by this drink.

They do get a few points for designing their can with an old-school pull-tab, though.


Verdict: Not recommended

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Unidentified Tea Beverage


So I picked this up at an Asian market in Greenville, and I unfortunately have no idea what it's called. It is delicious, though. From what I can tell based on the taste and the pictures on the back of the bottle, it is a lemon mint green tea. It is quite good. It's very smooth, just the right sweetness, and tastes like natural green tea. I don't know what is wrong with American bottled tea, but it's all gross. I guess it's because they use instant tea. I don't know. But, anyway, this is a great drink. I wish that I had more to say about it, but seeing as I can't even give the name of it, it's hard to discuss.

But, if you're ever in an Asian market and see this sitting on the shelf, you should totally try one out.

Verdict: Recommended