Friday, January 2, 2009

Ginger Tour

Prince Neville’s Ginger Beer: Best taste! Worst carbonation! Pluses for locally made (also I think not meant to be super carbonated like soda).

Trader Joe’s Ginger Chips (exact name?): Antithesis to candied ginger chunks. Cool way to have crisp, thin ginger awesomeness.

Reed’s: Way better choice than Canada Blecchhh, but I’m not fond of tasting the honey and pineapple; however, I do like the cherry ginger brew, but that one doesn’t have enough bite.

R.W. Knudsen: Good for what’s in a can. Pluses for sweetened with juice only.

Hansen’s: Eh. Just ok. Happened upon their diet green tea ginger ale drink. Not bad.

Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale: What green tea? BTW, what ginger, too?

Baron’s Ginseng Ginger Ale: Not the strongest bite, but dependable.

Regatta Ginger Ale: Would do in a pinch.

Ginger Altoids: Hot and good.

Tom’s of Maine Ginger Toothpaste: I really liked this, but someone told me not to buy Tom’s of Maine, and I don’t even remember why.

Ting Ting Jahe ginger candy: The illustration is reason enough to chew on these.

Ginger People: This stuff is good enough, but there’s no satisfaction in making a good find.

Ginger Newman O's: Um, yum. Satisfies my ginger cookie craving without having to suffer a cracked tooth from a too snappy ginger snap. I've never been too much a fan of hard, crunchy cookies.

Bi-Rite Ginger Ice Cream: You know my favorite saying, "You can never Bi-Rong when you Bi-Rite!"

Christopher Elbow Ginger Drinking Chocolate on Hayes: Mmm, believe it or don't, I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate covered candied ginger - probably because I don't like the little too gummy, little too fibrous texture of candied ginger chunks, but ginger in a quality chocolate drink? Dang, man! ArtisANAL.

Hot Ginger Boba at Sweet Delite on Clement: If you're sick, forget that weaksauce chamomile, lemon, and honey. That hot ginger will blow the roof off your sinuses, and chewing on hot boba will make you feel like you've accomplished something.

Vernor's: Like the heat, but not the sweet. I know it has an insane following, but not enough ginger flavor for me.

Ginger Cake at Park Chow: Wow, warm ginger cake served with a generous sauce and sorbet. The cake doesn't just have ginger flavor, but some heat and spice. 5 Jan 08

Hawaiian Ginger Ade: Organic ingredients, and no corn syrup. This stuff is great, but spendy. I don't even mind that there is no carbonation. Hot, spicy, and lemon juice makes it sour which is awesome. Just the right amount of sweetness, too.

Hawaiian Ginger Mate: If you like ginger and mate, you'll like this, but I prefer the regular ginger ade. I was hoping for the caffeine boost that I usually get from colas or coffee, but nary a sparkle. It has the mate flavor without the bitterness as well.

Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew (Beer): I would say it's an amber beer (as in alcoholic) with some ginger flavor. I had high expectations, but the ginger flavor wasn't as strong as I expected. Also, I thought it would be sweeter like cider but not so. Pluses for having a very cute bottle.

Candies Chimes Peppermint Ginger Chews: I got these from my co-worker plus the cool tin. I know lots of candies come in tins these days, because that automatically makes them fancy somehow, but this one is especially pretty. It's about the size of bandage tin, but the top slides to the side instead of acting as a flap. Must think of something to store in it. But about the candy - I loved it! A ginger chew that's just the right size and texture that you're not putting too much work into chewing on the same candy for too long, and you're not afraid that it will pull the fillings right out of your teeth. I like the combination of refreshing mint, and then the heat of the ginger building up after you first pop it your mouth. Definitely a thumbs up and buy it again wherever I saw it.

Maine Root Ginger Brew: My current favorite as of August 2009. Thanks, Reiko for buying it for me. It is Fair Trade and made from organic ingredients. Even if I didn't know all that, this one is still delicious. It has the right amount of heat for me, the right amount of sweetness as in not too much, and fairly bubbly. I'll have to ask her again where she got it and stock up.

Rondelli Deli Honey Pineapple Ginger Ale: (Aug. 13, 2009) Made in house at Rondelli Deli, a brand new lunch spot in Southeast San Francisco. Super pluses for being made in small batches and probably with organic ingredients. The chef tells me he doesn't add any refined sugar. This was super refreshing on a pretty warm day. I don't like the pineapple in Reed's, but the light pineapple in this brew added a tiny hint of the tropics. I liked the light sweetness of the almost floral ginger flavor. I usually like my ginger ale to be pretty spicy, but this is a great option for those who prefer flavor over heat or are just in a light mood. I liked the many tiny bubbles as well. Also, it was served over ice in a compostable cup.

No comments:

Post a Comment