The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf launches Genmaicha Iced Tea

We're probably one of the few Asian countries that doesn't drink a lot of tea. Most would go for sugary drinks like soda, juice drinks or boba. I'm happy that despite the limited demand for this healthier option, there are a few establishments that offer wide selection of tea, and great ones at that. I also love how these brands make tea less foreign to many by presenting it as iced tea. And speaking of iced tea, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Genmaicha Iced Tea is really good!

Hello, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

CBTL's Genmaicha is one of my favorite hot tea variants for years. I love its earthy taste from the roasted popped brown rice. Its nutty note made it so addictive as it beautifully blends with the refreshing flavor of green tea. The perfect marriage of two classic Japanese flavors of this drink is just one of the handful of reasons why I love Genmaicha. Aside from its great taste, it is also packed with health benefits which includes increase function of catecholamine and encourages fat loss!

Taiwan in Manila: Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea

I am a big fan of milk tea. I always lose the ability to say no whenever someone asks me if I'd like to go for a milk tea run. But lately, due to slower metabolism and fats crawling and hibernating in places such as hips, belly and other parts you wish would never turn lumpy, I try to avoid sinkers and go for healthier alternatives such as fruit teas. And thank goodness for Yi Fang!

Hello, Yi Fang.

Yi Fang is the newest addition to the ever growing brands of milk tea in Manila. But one thing that sets Yi Fang different from other players is its use of real fruits! 

BGC Just Got Darker: BLK 513 is now in Bonifacio High Street

Something dark and black has entered BGC and I love it! In case you haven't heard, BLK 513 is now in Bonifacio High Street!

Hello, BLK 513!

It has been a very long time since I visited BLK 513. If I'm not mistaken, the last time I've been to a BLK 513 branch was two years back. 

Beat the Heat: Rita's Italian Ice

With Manila’s scorching heat, it was not surprising that Rita’s was a hit when it came to Manila two years ago. I still remember the long queue just to get your frozen custard fix. I have to admit, I tried my best not to give in to the craze but eventually found myself lining up a few months later (since it opened its first branch in Greenhills) and was delighted by Rita’s Gelati or a combination of Italian ice and frozen custard. Fast forward to 2016, Rita’s is still getting a lot of attention with its wide array of flavors and combinations to choose from. And I had an opportunity to sample a bunch of Rita’s bestselling items a few Saturdays ago.

Hello, Rita’s Italian Ice!

I dropped by Rita’s U.P. Town Center branch on a sunny Saturday afternoon and was warmly greeted by its Marketing Officer Angela who treated us to a refreshing afternoon snack.

We first sampled Italian Ice in cotton candy, green apple, sugar-free dragon fruit, mango and kiwi-strawberry flavors. All are light in flavor and quite refreshing. I enjoyed kiwi-strawberry best as its slight tangy taste helped cleanse the palate. R on the other hand loved the bestselling flavor cotton candy. Well, he is pretty biased with anything cotton candy. 

A Sweet Delight: Sweetea by da.u.de

I love tea. Fine, I love coffee more but there’s something calming and sophisticated with tea that makes me want to have a little bit of tea time from time to time. da.u.de for one gave me a tough time. Every time I try to visit its Fort branch, it’s always closed (and sadly, it permanently closed a few months back). Luckily, the owner decided to do a rebranding and da.u.de is now… Sweetea.

Hello, Sweetea.

I was so excited to visit the place when Yummy featured it in its Instagram account. Since its newest baby is just in Megamall’s Mega Food Hall, I thought to myself that I could easily visit the place.

And we’re destined! While doing a few errands for work, I passed by the new food court of Megamall and spotted Sweetea near the entrance.

I decided to order Jasmine Mint with minimal sweetener (PHP120 regular | PHP130 large) since I wanted something refreshing.

Figaro Figaro Figa... Milk Tea?

I learned something the hard way last Saturday—NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE SUMMER HEAT AND MOTHER NATURE’S MOOD SWINGS. I joined this amazing race type of activity last Saturday and since the weather seems fine, I decided to skip my trip to the office to get my trusty umbrella. WRONG. Before 4PM I was red as a tomato and my shoulders look like it was victimized by a mad makeup artist obsessed with blush on. To make things worse, we got caught in Mother Nature’s wrath while on a boat in NAVOTAS. I always tell myself that I will never join EVER AGAIN but for some reason, I find myself registering… yet again. *Darn my Dora the Explorer self!* Anyway, back to the “summer heat”, did you know that Figaro now serves milk tea? Well, they do.

Wintermelon Frost with Classic Tea… my new favorite drink.