Yamamotoyama Genmai-cha

As I sit here staring at my box of Yamamotoyama Genmai-cha tea, I find myself somewhat surprised that it has taken me as long as it has to write this review. I've had this box of tea for a fairly long time (over a year now), and for some inexplicable reason, it seems to keep ending up in the bottom of my tea box, forgotten and unloved. This is mystifying to me, however, as it is a wonderful tea, and I'm really not sure at all why I keep overlooking it. So, after making myself a cup of Yamamotoyama's Genmai-cha last night, I wanted to make a point of finally giving it the attention that it deserves.

But first, let's talk about some history. For those unfamiliar with the drink, genmaicha (or genmai-cha) is green tea combined and steeped together with grains of roasted brown rice. Years ago, genmaicha tea was created in Japan as a way for tea houses to offer a less expensive alternative to their more pure blends. Tea was a relatively expensive commodity at the time, and the rice acted as a filler to extend the shop's supply of green tea, thus reducing the price of each serving. At first, this was an effective solution for allowing the less wealthy to enjoy green tea without breaking the bank, and it was even frequently made with the lower quality and less flavorful "bancha" leaf (as opposed to the more premium "sencha" leaf) to further reduce the price. However, as time progressed, the genmaicha mixture grew more and more common, until eventually word got out about the blend's pleasant taste. Soon, tea enthusiasts began making the blend using high-quality tea leaves, and the drink became known more for its unique taste than its previously scorned social pretenses. Once the "tea for the poor" stigma that surrounded the tea began to fade, people from all wealth brackets grew to enjoy the added flavor of the roasted rice, and what had begun as a financial compromise reserved for the lower classes quickly became a widespread cultural icon. 

Yamamotoyama's Genmai-cha blend is a very good tea. The taste is very mild and soothing, and the roasted brown rice gives the tea a very earthy and robust flavor. It is difficult to describe exactly what the tea tastes like, as the flavor is very unique, but it is safe to say that the tea is very pleasant. It has a flavor so inoffensive that I doubt that anyone could actively dislike it. Trying to imagine what a rice/tea combination might taste like may be strange for some people (particularly those with more western tastes), and while I'm not really sure how to describe it in more detail, I can offer assurance in two (technically three) fairly simple words: it's good. Yamamotoyama's take on genmaicha makes it clear why the blend grew from its deeply utilitarian origins to its modern nationwide popularity, and you should definitely keep an eye out for this one.

Also, each of the bags are aluminum-sealed, which works wonders for keeping the tea fresh. Excellent work, Yamamotoyama.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Asian Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 16 bags per box

Price: $2.30

Calpico

A few months ago, I was introduced to Calpico when I decided to try the mango flavor. I ended up liking it a good bit, so I recently decided to go back to the store and give the original variety a shot. For the uninitiated, Calpico is a Japanese, milk-flavored, non-carbonated soft drink that tastes about as different from the American norm as it sounds. But this is a good sort of different; the sort of different that makes me wish that more big, American soft drink companies would start experimenting with adding more "unexpected" flavors into their beverages. 

Anyway, before I get into a rant about the tedious state of America's mainstream beverage market, let's talk about Calpico. Much like my previous experience with the mango variety, the regular Calpico has a taste that is sort of hard to describe. It definitely tastes like a milk beverage, but it is much thinner than most other drinks that have their roots in dairy. This is likely due to the usage of dry milk in the formula rather than unaltered, liquid milk. Although this does cause the drink to have a slightly dry aftertaste, I think that this was a great decision, as the resulting lightness of the liquid makes Calpico much more readily drinkable than many of its much thicker dairy-based relatives. As is accurately claimed on the front of the can, the drink is "refreshingly sweet and tangy." It is sweet without being overbearing or heavy (as many dairy-based things can often tend to be), and there is a hint of acidic bite to the flavor. Before trying Calpico, I would have simply assumed that combining acidic and milky tastes would have been a recipe for flavor disaster. But I would have been wrong, as the pairing actually works quite well. 

Now, I'm not sure that the above would remain true were the dairy to be any thicker. But that is not the case, and since it makes little sense to sit around on a beverage review blog analyzing what could have potentially been wrong with a drink, I will simply conclude by saying that as the drink stands, the balance and overall drinkability are very good. It's definitely different, and some may find it a bit too unusual for their tastes, but I like this one a lot, despite its very "sometimes drink" nature.

In other words, it is very good and you should try it.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Asian Market [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 11.3 fl. oz. [335mL]

Price: Unfortunately, I don't remember. Somewhere between $0.99 and $1.50

Sunlee Coconut Nectar

Despite my rather rocky history with coconut-centric drinks, I decided to ignore my better judgement and give this one a try anyway. I've never had a coconut nectar before, and although I'm not usually a big advocate of fruit nectars, I thought that it would only be fair to give it a chance. However, when I think of nectars, I usually think of something more thick and viscous. But Sunlee's Palms Juice Coconut Nectar is...different.

Instead of being thick and viscous like other nectars, this one is actually rather thin, which makes sense given how light natural coconut juice is. What's weird about this drink, however, has nothing to do with its viscosity. The taste is so unusual that it is really difficult to describe without utilizing comparisons. Although it does taste fairly "clean" and natural (which makes sense, given that the drink is entirely composed of coconut juice, aside from the 0.002% concentration of added preservatives), it has an almost overbearing sweetness that gives it a very heavy feel that is actually not that bad at first, but quickly becomes much too strange to consume in anything other than very small servings. The closest comparison that came to mind while I was drinking Sunlee's coconut concoction was the taste of the milk remaining after a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal. It's a strange thing to have come to mind while drinking a beverage, but Sunlee's Palms Juice is a strange beverage.

I think that this one is worth the risk if you ever come across one. I'd recommend checking your local Asian market for a bottle. Even though I didn't particularly care for it (it was too strange and sweet for me to drink much of it at all), I think that the experience is interesting and unique enough that it is worth having at least once.

Verdict: Worth a try

Purchased: Unknown Asian market [Spartanburg, SC]

Size: 12 fl. oz. [355mL]

Price: $0.99

Wonderfarm Dragon Fruit Drink

When I found this on the shelf next to the Foco Pomegranate Juice that I reviewed several days ago, I was really excited to try it. I love dragon fruit, and this was the first time that I had ever seen just a plain dragon fruit drink that wasn't mixed into some greater juice concoction. However, after tasting it, I think that it may have been better off as a part of a larger recipe, after all. A very small part.

If my disappointment with Wonderfarm's dragon fruit offering is not already clear, I will make it plain now: I don't care for this drink. I'm not entirely sure what it is about this one that is so off-putting to my palate, as the overall flavor itself is not particularly offensive, but I think that one of the primary reasons may be that it doesn't really taste like dragon fruit. You can certainly sense remnants of what was once dragon fruit in the flavor, but the added water and sugar give the liquid a syrupy taste and consistency. The aftertaste is also very heavy, and lingers in the olfactory longer than I would have liked. Honestly, it's just too sweet. I think that the added sugar was the mistake here, as it seems to have turned the quiet, ephemeral taste of the dragon fruit into something else entirely.

There is dragon fruit pulp in the bottom of the can, which is a bit of a saving grace in this otherwise unappealing beverage, but if I really want to have that sort of interaction with dragon fruit, I'll just buy a dragon fruit. The chunks of fruit are tasty, and they do distract you a bit from the strange ambiance of the surrounding fluid, but having to drink the rest of the drink to get to them just isn't worth it.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Unkown Asian Market [Spartanburg, SC]

Size: 11.1 fl. oz. [330mL]

Price: $0.99

Temple of Heaven Gunpowder Green Tea

I have actually been wanting to try this tea for a while, but I was only ever able to find it in humongous quantities in the Asian markets local to me. While the size (and price risk) was not necessarily a problem in and of itself, my tea box has been dangerously full for the past several months, and not really having a place to store yet another large container of tea persuaded me to wait until a smaller container was available. And just a few weeks ago my patience was rewarded, as I found a much smaller box of the tea at an Asian market during one of my recent visits to Spartanburg.

For those who are as unaware as I was about what "gunpowder" green tea is, it is a specific form of green tea from China's Zhejiang Province. Each leaf is rolled into a small bead before drying, which gives the tea an appearance similar to that of the black powder used in early firearms. 

Although the tea was given its English nickname purely based on the aesthetics of the rolled leaves, rolling the tea leaves actually helps to prevent damage during handling, therefore allowing the leaves to keep more of their original flavor. Feel free to visit the Wikipedia entry for more relevant information about gunpowder tea. 

As far as the flavor goes, this tea is excellent. It has a pleasant, full-bodied aroma that is very flavorful and yet somehow a bit more mild than a lot of other green teas. I like green tea a good bit, but I have had varieties in the past that have a somewhat pungent aroma that ends up being a little bit too strong for my tastes. But that is certainly not so with this one. The flavor is delicate, fresh, and subtle in ways that others often aren't, while still being a definitive example of a high quality and authentic green tea. I really like this one a lot, and I definitely suggest that tea drinkers pick up a box.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Unkown Asian Food Store [Spartanburg, SC]

Size: 250 grams

Price: $2.99

Foco Pomegranate Juice Drink

As some of you may remember, I tried a Foco Pennywort Drink for the first time last year and I didn't really like it. However, I recently came across a few other Foco products, and I decided to give the pomegranate juice a try.

Now, it's important that the drink in "Pomegranate Juice Drink" is emphasized here, because this is not pure pomegranate juice. I'm not entirely sure why, but I guess that I was expecting something more along the lines of Pom, or another such drink that is basically just freshly juiced fruit. Foco's drink, however, is more like a conventional, "family grocery store" juice with a consistency not unlike that of a Welch's grape juice. And that is not to imply that Foco's take on pomegranate juice is bad; it's just not what I expected.

However, there was still a sort of odd, underwhelming quality about the taste of the juice. Although there are only four ingredients in the drink (water, juice, sugar, citric acid) and it does taste very natural, the flavor is just sort of bland somehow. This is probably due to the fact that the juice used is only 30% pomegranate juice, but it is hard to hold that against the drink given how generally costly the pomegranate fruit is. The drink is still very responsibly sweetened and does have a pleasant and gentle taste, so it's hard to actually dislike it for any reason, but I think that my expectations going in sort of set me up for disappointment. 

But there is something to be said for being able to purchase a well-balanced pomegranate juice without having to surrender all of your worldly possessions at the register. Definitely try this one at least once. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Verdict: Worth a try

Purchased: Unknown Asian Food Store [Spartanburg, SC]

Size: 11.8 fl. oz. [350mL]

Price: $0.99

Calpico: Mango

I must admit, I was a little bit nervous when I picked this beverage up off of the shelf. I opted to try the the mango flavored version of the drink, but the original markets itself as a non-carbonated milk/yogurt beverage. I really had no idea what to expect going into this one, but the taste is one that would have likely contradicted my expectations anyway, if I had had any.

Calpico is a little bit hard to describe, as there's really not much out there that tastes like it. It's sort of one of those "have to try for yourself to see" beverages. The base of the drink tasted milky, but it also sports a robustly tangy and acidic bite to it that most creamy flavored things tend not to have. The mango flavoring was quite noticeable, but it was a bit less sweet than other mango flavored things and it did not interfere heavily with the original taste of the drink. While the drink has a relatively milky taste, it's hard to pin down exactly what the drink tastes like, as the acidity turns it into almost an entirely different drink. 

The dairy taste comes through quite clearly, but it is more like Calpico has captured the "essence" of dairy, rather than having the flavor of a full-bodied milk or dairy product. Additionally, the drink does not have the thick consistency of milk, and is only slightly more viscous than most other non-carbonated soft drinks. I am glad that this is the case, however, as I think that had the drink been much thicker, it may have just been too odd to handle in full servings. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the mango Calpico. It was different and unique, and I found it to be surprisingly light and refreshing, despite its somewhat odd combination of elements. I still haven't worked up the nerve to try the original flavor, but I am sure that it is quite good and that I really have nothing to worry about. Definitely give this one a try.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Asian Market [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 16.9 fl. oz. [500 mL]

Price: $1.99 [If memory serves...]

Ishii Japanese Green Tea IPA

I have had this beer sitting in my refrigerator for a long time (about two months now), and I am just now finally getting around to giving it a try. When I saw these sitting on the shelf at Total Wine, I ignored the high price tag and - knowing that this was one of those drinks that I just had to try, regardless of cost - quickly grabbed one off of the shelf. Given my initial excitement about the beer, I assumed that I would be drinking this one right away, but I suppose that it assumed more and more of a sort of "wait for a special occasion" status the longer that it sat in my refrigerator. However, I got tired of waiting for such a special occasion, and finally decided to just drink it last week.

The first thing that struck me as interesting about Ichii's green tea IPA was the amount of sediment that remained suspended in the glass after pouring. I have no aversion to a bit of sediment in my beer, but rarely does it remain dispersed throughout the liquid as it did in this case. The solid material did eventually settle out to the bottom of the glass, but it took quite some time to do so. This is not necessarily good or bad; I just thought that it was worth mentioning.

The taste of Ichii's green tea IPA is not unlike that of other IPAs that I have had recently. The green tea taste was certainly there, but it was fairly faint, and really didn't add a huge amount of flavor to the overall taste. It became more prominent as I drank more of the beer, as I knew what I was looking for by that point, but it was still pretty light and was largely masked by the flavors of the beer itself. Ultimately, it seems to me like what could have been a very unique and interesting flavor combination ended up being more of an underwhelming gimmick. The beer itself, though, was pretty tasty, and fell on the dry and bitter side that many IPAs usually tend towards.

Overall, I didn't think that Ichii's Japanese green tea IPA was as interesting as I had hoped that it would be. As an IPA, the beer was pretty good, although a little bit standard. However, the somewhat disappointing influence from the green tea makes me wonder if this is one to be recommended, or if it is best just to stick with other, regular IPAs that are a bit more reasonable in price.

Verdict: Worth a try


Purchased: Total Wine and More [Columbia, SC]
Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]
Price: $3.99 [Per bottle]

Lotte Chilsung Crushed Pear Beverage

On a bit of a whim, I thought that I would review something a little bit different today. I recently picked this up at an Asian market in town, and other than the two translated words on the front of the can and a website on the back with the domain suffix for South Korea, I have no idea what this is. Aside from the crushed pear, there is no indication as to what else, if anything, is in the drink. What I do know, however, is that this drink is delicious. The pear tastes very crisp and natural, although there is a slight candy twist in the aftertaste. Tiny pieces of the pear fruit from the crushing process are left suspended in the liquid, adding a very interesting texture to the beverage. It is a bit on the sweet side - almost like a thin pear nectar - but the small serving size is just satisfying enough to make the natural sweetness of the pear just right.

Overall, this is a great drink. I really enjoyed it, and I would definitely buy it again. It's an easy recommendation to make, and if you can find one, I would certainly suggest picking one up. That is, of course, assuming that you can actually find one.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Asian Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 238 mL

Price: $0.99 

Foco Pennywort Drink

There is a fair amount of what could be construed by some as "vegetable hate" in the text below, so as a disclaimer before this review, I would like to say that I absolutely love vegetables. In fact, when I cook for myself, I typically maintain a fairly strict and healthy vegetarian diet. Anyway, on to the content.

This drink has been sitting in my refrigerator for the past two months. I bought it at a local Asian market on the way home from a Vietnamese restaurant, and I have been avoiding it ever since. I always enjoy trying new beverages, and a lot of the "weird Asian drinks" tend to leave me at least pleasantly surprised, but there is still a certain sort of fear that comes with trying some of these beverages for the first time. Every so often, I let that fear get the best of me, particularly when the only information that I have at my disposal about the contents of the beverage is an image of a few leaves on the front of the can. 

I finally caved in yesterday and decided to just go for it and give this one a taste. The only ingredients in the thing are water, pennywort leaf extract, sugar, and citric acid (which is somehow used as an "acid regulator"), so I received no help from the container in trying to figure out what to expect. After struggling to force the almost unecessarily sturdy can open, I was greeted by the smell of liquified green vegetables. I'm not entirely sure why this came as such a shock, but the unexpected pungency of the aroma almost turned me off to the drink completely. I managed to hold it together long enough to take a sip, though, and quickly came to the thankful realization that this is one of those weird drinks that tastes almost nothing like it smells.

The taste of the beverage is hard to explain, really. I would unhelpfully assume that it tastes like pennywort, but seeing as I have never had pennywort, I can not attest to that. The drink is significantly sweet, and although the "vegetable juice" taste is there, it's not horribly pronounced amidst the added sugar. In terms of taste, the the closest comparison is that of a fruit/vegetable cocktail like V8 Spalsh with a little bit less emphasis on the fruit. The liquid itself, however, is rather thick and viscous, and gives the drink a heft more along the lines of a nutritional supplement rather than an every day beverage. 

Pennywort drink is not likely to be something that you will want to drink in large servings, if at all. The flavor has this sort of weird vegetable putridness that is not evident at first, but starts to become more noticeable the more that you drink. When I first started the can, I thought that I was going to like it, but after I got about four sips in I started to quickly get tired of the taste. I thought that perhaps it was just a drink that needed to be taken slowly, but even after almost an hour after opening the can, I still did not want any more of it and ultimately just ended up pouring it out.

This is a difficult one to recommend, even as an interesting rarity. Although I did like it at the beginning, it grew unappealing so quickly that I can't help but question if I actually liked it at the start, or if the incongruity between the taste and the smell was simply temporarily confusing my senses. Foco's concoction is enjoyable on some kind of a "not-quite-a-beverage" level, but as a beverage it kind of just gives me the feeling that maybe pennywort juice is one of those things that it's just okay not to drink. It's not terrible, and it certainly won't hurt you, but unless you have a strong desire to find out what pennywort tastes like, I think that this one is most likely safe to skip.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Golden Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 11.8 fl. oz. [350 mL]

Price: $1.00

Saporro

Before I begin the review proper, I would like to take a minute to talk about World Market. As I'm sure many of you have realized by now, I spend a lot of time in World Market shopping for beverages and glassware. I get a significant portion of my reviewing material from World Market, and I think that it is a wonderful and interesting company.

That being said, World Market is currently running a donation drive aimed at aiding in the relief efforts currently being enacted in Japan. I've had this beer for a while now, but I wanted to hold off on doing this review until the media hype about the natural disasters in Japan died down a bit. I did so intentionally, as awareness of these sorts of events tends to die down after the media has covered the initial impact and estimated costs. Japan is going to be suffering the effects of the damages incurred during the recent disasters for years to come, and I encourage those who are able to take advantage of the opportunity being presented by World Market, which brings me back to my original point. 

Until this coming September, World Market is donating all of its proceeds from all sales of items imported from Japan to aid in relief efforts overseas. I know that, in general, people are quick to scorn those who "need" incentive to donate to a cause, but it is a good way for a company to offer its customers a method of organically helping out through their regular spending activities. I encourage those interested in helping the cause a bit here and there to take advantage of this fairly unique opportunity, and Sapporo is a great place to start.

Sapporo is a great beer. In general, I prefer the flavor depth and strength of darker beers, but as far as light beers go, this one is probably one of my favorites. Sapporo definitely has a lighter taste, and is not entirely unlike many of the western lagers available in the U.S. However, Sapporo seems to have a cleaner, more crisp flavor than many American lagers, and leaves a much less yeasty aftertaste in its wake. Overall, it has a mild flavor, and strikes a good balance between the yeasty and hoppy sides of things, giving the beer a pleasant mouthtaste and a smooth, tasty finish.

Probably my favorite thing about Sapporo, though, is that the aftertaste does not seem to linger as long in my system as a lot of other beers of its type. Many American lagers along the same vein tend to leave me with "beer mouth" for a good while after consumption, but Sapporo does not have the same effect. As with all beers, the flavor does linger for a time, but it dissipates much more quickly than usual, particularly if enjoyed along with a meal or snack of some sort.

Although Sapporo is not necessarily anything special, it is an excellent example of its type. The flavors are pleasant and well balanced, it sits well "after the fact," and it is very easy to drink overall. This one is definitely one to try out, particularly if you have a taste for lighter beers.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: World Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]

Price: $8.99 [Six pack]

Vitamilk

I'd like to start this review off by first putting this important detail out there: I do not like soy milk. I love soy (tempeh, tofu, edamame, roasted soy beans, etc.), but I have, for some unknown reason, never liked soy milk. This drink has haunted my visits to the Asian market for the past year or so, as every market in the area seems to have some form of this beverage. Every time I have seen it I have considered trying one, but I was not able to overcome my doubts about it until this past weekend. I honestly think that the textured neck of the glass bottle is what sold me this time around.

After losing open-refrigerator staring contests with this beverage for several days, I finally worked up the stomach to give it a go. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. The substance, as expected, smells and tastes pretty much like soy milk, but it is sweetened heavily enough to mask the...oddities of the soy milk taste. It is pretty clear that the manufacturer (Green Spot Company) has added a thickening agent (possibly the coconut and palm oils listed in the ingredients) to the milk, as well, as it is a good bit thicker than most soy milks that I have had previously. In my experience, typical soy milk is closer to the consistency of water than it is to cow's milk, but the Vitamilk seemed to be even a bit thicker than standard dairy milk.

As I said, the soy milk taste was definitely still there, especially in the immediate aftertaste. It is a fairly dense beverage, so I would definitely recommend waiting until you are in the mood for a Vitamilk to begin drinking one so as to not tire of the stuff halfway through.  I don't know that I would make Vitamilk a beverage habit, and I may very well never feel the urge to buy another one. But I am glad that I tried it, and I did enjoy it all the way to the bottom of the bottle. If you have a taste for soy, it is easy to recommend that you keep an eye out for Vitamilk.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchase: Golden Market Asian Grocer [Columbia, SC]

Size: 10 fl. oz. [300mL]

Price: $1.25

Superior Ginseng Drink

I paid a visit to my local Asian market for the first time in a while this past weekend. Every time that I go, I pass by these tiny drinks in the tea aisle during my shopping and I wonder every time what the small beverage is like. Well, I can officially lay my curiosity to rest, as I have finally tried one and it is really not very good.

As far as the ginseng flavor goes, the drink is very satisfying. I love ginseng, and the flavor is very natural. However, this makes a lot of sense, as the beverage literally gets its flavor straight from a chunk of ginseng root contained within the interestingly shaped glass bottle. The ginseng is not, from what I can tell by the taste and ingredients, artificially enhanced in any way beyond the flavor dissipation from the root. 

Everything sounds great so far, right? Had the beverage stopped there, that would be correct. The reason that this drink falls short, however, is totally unrelated to ginseng. The drink, unfortunately, has been sweetened. But not with any conventional sweetener; no. That would be too...conventional. The beverage is sweetened with honey alcohol. Now, I have never experienced honey alcohol before, and I think that it is fair to say that my first exposure has turned me off to the stuff. The sweetness offered by the substance is...peculiar. It has a mild pungency to it, and leaves a horribly dry and unappetizing taste in the back of the throat. The aftertaste just does not sit well, and lingers for some time after the initial consumption. I practically had to empty my water bottle before the taste started to subside after only taking a few drinks of the already very small beverage. Although the taste of the ginseng is well-cultivated, the drink overall has a musty, bitter taste due to the odd mixture of ingredients, and I think that I would definitely have a very difficult time recommending this one to anyone other than the most die-hard of ginseng fans.

Note: This is not an alcoholic beverage. Honey alcohol contains less than 0.05% alcohol by volume and is not  actually an alcoholic ingredient.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Asian Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 4 fl. oz. [120 mL]

Price: $1.75

Assi Instant Honey Chrysanthemum Tea

A friend of mine gave me a sampling of this tea a few days ago. It is an instant tea, a kind of tea towards which I typically have aversions, but this one is interesting. It still has the mild aftertaste of an instant tea, but it is not as strong and overbearing as others of it's type. This may be due partly to the fact that instead of being packaged in powder form like most instants (or a syrup like at Starbucks...ick), the tea formula is loosely packed together into small pellets that dissolve almost immediately after pouring. The first time that I made the tea, I had a chopstick at the ready and automatically began to stir the concoction after pouring in the water, only to realize that it was mostly unnecessary. The pellets were gone almost instantaneously, although I did continue to stir just to insure even flavor distribution. 

The tea itself is pretty good. Like I said, there are weird hints here and there of the instant nature of the beverage, but they are understandable and are not terribly difficult to ignore. I have never had chrysanthemum tea before, and the strongest flavor was definitely the honey, but what I could taste of the tea I liked. However, I make those judgments with a grain of salt, as I usually try not to base my initial opinions on an artificial or instant version of the item in question. Overall, this is a great instant herbal tea, and with its low price point, it's pretty easy to recommend.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Hyuneai Oriental Market

Size: --

Price: $1.99