Vitasoy Soya Bean Milk

What kid from Hong Kong doesn't like Vitasoy Soy Milk? This stuff is like the asian version of nesquik. Vitasoy comes in plain, chocolate, malt, coconut, honeydew, and now mocha flavor. Note that this is different from the big boxes of Vitasoy that's sold in the US at Whole Foods. That stuff is absolutely disgusting.

• Texture: Thinner and less phlegm inducing than western soy milks like Silk and American Vitasoy. Rating: 10 out of 10.


• Flavor:
  
  
  
  • Plain: There's really no flavor to this except a light soybean flavor that's really not noticeable. As this is a kid's drink, it is loaded with sugar cane juice (not high fructose corn syrup) and has a nice creamy flavor. A classic that can do no wrong. Rating: 10 out of 10.
  
  
  • Chocolate: While there is definately a chocolate flavor, it really doesn't taste like what Western chocolate milks. It tastes more like a cocoa powder/carob mix. Rating: 7 out of 10.
  
  
  • Malt: Malt vitasoy is one of my favorite flavors. There is a very distinct and yummy malt flavor that's really hard to describe, but it leaves you wanting more and more and more... uh yeah, anybody who's tasted malty drinks like Horlick's knows what I'm talking about. Rating: 10 out of 10.
  
  
  • Coconut: I have to admit that this is one flavor that I find completely unpalatable. Coconut milk is just one thing that does not need to be made creamier. Rating: 0 out of 10.
  
  
  • Honeydew: This is a really unique (weird) flavor. Usually I don't like honeydew vitasoy, but once in a great long while I do get the urge to drink packs and packs of this stuff. It's like eating an everlasting creamy honeydew candy. This is one vitasoy flavor that leaves your mouth smelling like a fruit salad. Rating: 7 out of 10.
  
  
  • Mocha: I think this flavor is relatively new as I haven't seen this anywhere in the states yet.


• Packaging: Not much to look at. Each box is the size of a normal juice box and they come in different colors depending on the flavor so they're easy to distinguish from each other. One thing that I don't like is how easily the straw bends and gets a hole when I'm trying to get it out of the plastic wrapper. This makes it impossible to drink the rest of the soymilk once the level of liquid in the box is below where the break is in the straw. Rating: 6 out of 10.


• Availability: This is a very common drink that's available at any Asian grocery store. Rating: 8 out of 10.


• Origins: Vitasoy is currently produced in Guangdong, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. There was a sour milk incident ten years ago with milk packaged from the Guangdong plant. I'd buy the Hong Kong produced milk just to be safe. Rating: 5 out of 10.

Technorati: soymilk, vitasoy, junk food, drinks, beverages, snacks, soy

Haw Flakes

Haw flakes are a kind of candy made from dried berries of the Hawthorne flower. They come in various sizes depending on the compnay that produces them. My favorite kind look like little packets of firecrackers. They come in ten packs of cylindrical stacks wrapped with pink, green, and yellow paper. However, they're always shaped into thin round wafers. They're brownish/redish colored and taste like dry non gummy versions of fruit rollups or fruit leather. That is if fruit rollups were made from real fruit...

• Texture: They start out dry and kind of crunchy. This is really hard to explain, haw flakes aren't really crunchy like a potato chip, but more like crunchy with a bit of chew. The plastic wrapped kind of haw flakes tend to be sticky and moist, these aren't really crunchy. Warning: this snack does tend to stick to teeth. Do not eat more than one at a time. They also leave your mouth with a rough feeling. There's really no aftertaste. Rating: 5 out of 10.


• Flavor: Even though haw flakes are made by several companies, they all taste the same, though some may be sweeter. Rating: 7 out of 10.


• Packaging: Depending on the brand of haw flakes, they may be wrapped in plastic or paper. I personally think the paper kind is pretty nifty. They look like little firecrackers, they're ultra portable, and they're stackable. The plastic wrapped kind come in long rolls of discs and they have to be sealed up or put into a ziploc bag after they're opened. Rating: 10 out of 10 for the firecracker haw flakes.


• Availability: This is a very common candy and can be found at all Asian grocery stores. Rating: 8 out of 10.


• Origins: Most likely made in China or Taiwan. Though I've eaten these for more than a decade and haven't gotten sick from them, eat at your own risk. Rating: 5 out of 10.

Technorati: Sweet, Fruit, Junk food, Candy, Dried Fruit, Snacks, Haw Flakes, Chinese