Estea Beverage Club - King Mandarine Calpico Green Tea
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 by Bubble Tea Reviews
8400 Alexandra Rd, Richmond BC :: Cash & Debit
Drink: King Mandarine Calpico Green Tea [rating:3.0]
For those unfamiliar with Calpico (or Calpis, as it is known in Japan), it is a sweet, slightly acidic drink derived from fermented milk products. Sometimes marketed as a "yogurt drink", it's typically sold in a concentrated syrup, or as ready-to-drink diluted carbonated or non-carbonated drinks. While it may not sound particularly appetizing to the uninitiated, it can be a delicious drink on its own, or combined with other mixers. For me, it conjures up images of childhood summers in Japan; beads of condensation dotting the ice cold glass in the sticky humid heat; the milky-pale beverage refreshingly sweet.
Here's where things get relevant: as I mentioned before, Calpico and other similar Asian "yogurt drinks" are often sold as thick syrups. The problem with reconstituting syrups and concentrates is that you have to get just the right ratios or you end up with either an insipid, watery drink, or something so cloyingly sweet that it hurts the back of your throat. In this case, there's the added King Mandarine element that has to be considered in this delicate balance.
The King Mandarine (which must have been sweetened as well) added a nice citrus flavour to the drink, but it very nearly drowned out the Calpico, which resulted in something like a rather sweet lemonade, or that McDonald's orange drink I was ashamed to admit I liked, even as a kid. It wasn't bad per se, but it's not a drink that I'm eager to order again. I think the Calpico flavour could have been more pronounced, because there was just a vague hint of it the way it was mixed together.
Extras: Coconut Jelly [rating:1.5]
I'm not a fan of tapioca pearls, so I opted for the coconut jelly. The quality of the jelly was inconsistent, with some pieces being cut far too large to fit in the oversized straws (I had to resort to stabbing them with the sharp end of my straw when my drink was finished, as there were no spoons provided) and others being merely tiny bits or what almost seemed to be "left overs". On more than one occasion, we found what could only be described as scraps or cuttings of tattered pieces that someone had unsuccesfully tried to cut apart. Not the most appetizing, and it didn't make us feel like they were making much effort in the preparation of the drinks.
Overall rating: [rating:overall]
Drink: King Mandarine Calpico Green Tea [rating:3.0]
For those unfamiliar with Calpico (or Calpis, as it is known in Japan), it is a sweet, slightly acidic drink derived from fermented milk products. Sometimes marketed as a "yogurt drink", it's typically sold in a concentrated syrup, or as ready-to-drink diluted carbonated or non-carbonated drinks. While it may not sound particularly appetizing to the uninitiated, it can be a delicious drink on its own, or combined with other mixers. For me, it conjures up images of childhood summers in Japan; beads of condensation dotting the ice cold glass in the sticky humid heat; the milky-pale beverage refreshingly sweet.
Here's where things get relevant: as I mentioned before, Calpico and other similar Asian "yogurt drinks" are often sold as thick syrups. The problem with reconstituting syrups and concentrates is that you have to get just the right ratios or you end up with either an insipid, watery drink, or something so cloyingly sweet that it hurts the back of your throat. In this case, there's the added King Mandarine element that has to be considered in this delicate balance.
The King Mandarine (which must have been sweetened as well) added a nice citrus flavour to the drink, but it very nearly drowned out the Calpico, which resulted in something like a rather sweet lemonade, or that McDonald's orange drink I was ashamed to admit I liked, even as a kid. It wasn't bad per se, but it's not a drink that I'm eager to order again. I think the Calpico flavour could have been more pronounced, because there was just a vague hint of it the way it was mixed together.
Extras: Coconut Jelly [rating:1.5]
I'm not a fan of tapioca pearls, so I opted for the coconut jelly. The quality of the jelly was inconsistent, with some pieces being cut far too large to fit in the oversized straws (I had to resort to stabbing them with the sharp end of my straw when my drink was finished, as there were no spoons provided) and others being merely tiny bits or what almost seemed to be "left overs". On more than one occasion, we found what could only be described as scraps or cuttings of tattered pieces that someone had unsuccesfully tried to cut apart. Not the most appetizing, and it didn't make us feel like they were making much effort in the preparation of the drinks.
Overall rating: [rating:overall]