Glassware and Grass Jelly

Sometimes I'm influenced by the things I watch and read just a little too much...especially when it comes to food and food related items.  Several years ago, I'd watch HK soaps and inevitably start to crave what the characters were eating.  For example, if they were eating instant noodle, I'd want to eat one too.  If the show was based on a Chinese dessert shop selling "tang yuan" (glutinous rice balls), I'd get a craving to go to a Chinese dessert shop.  Don't get me started on food from Taiwan or bubble tea!

This is not only with food.  On one blog that I've started reading, one post highlighted the Duralex brand of glasses.  They looked nice and upon reading that they have been around since 1945 and are used in many cafes and other establishments in France, I wanted them too!  (I can be a such a sheep sometimes!)  It also helped that I was looking for some large glassware and that they are made of tempered glass, dishwasher & microwave safe, and resistant to thermal shock so hot and cold beverages can be served.

Off, I went searching for them on the internet.

And luck would have it that they were on sale for 50% at The Bay!  Of course I had to pick some up and it was just in time for me to make an iced milk tea with grass jelly.  Because the Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly at ChaTime is one of my go-to bubbletea choices, I picked up this grass jelly product at the Kuo Hua store in Markham to eat at home.  Gua Hua Trading company imports products from Taiwan and they have a retail store in Markham. 

The availability of grass jelly in Toronto was limited to the canned variety, which has a firmer jelly texture and wasn't as compatible with adding it to a drink.  However, when Chatime first came on the scene, their grass jelly was soooo smooth and had a nice hint of herbal taste to it, instantly becoming a customer favorite.  But, you can't easily find the same grass jelly anywhere.  Chatime makes their own grass jelly and I believe it's from a powdered product from Taiwan.  So far, I have not found the powdered form as I think it currently is only sold to restaurants/food services.  But, Chatime is not the only tea shop that has a nice smooth grass jelly.  (Yes, you heard me.)  Other tea shops that produce the same consistency of grass jelly include ZenQ (2 locations I'm aware of) and Share Tea (I just found out that there are now 4 locations in the GTA including one downtown!). 

But, if you can't get to any of these locations and want to have some at home, bottle grass jelly might be an option.  So, how did this retail grass jelly measure up?

It's a step up from the canned version if you're looking for softer jelly and less of an herbal flavour.  But, falls short of being an exact substitute.  First, it comes in a bottle like container and thus breaks into little pieces as you try to pour it out; unlike the big chunks that you can get at Chatime.  The texture is smooth similar to the Chatime grass jelly though, so that was good. There's also quite a bit of liquid, would be nice if there was more jelly.

 

Taste was okay, slightly sweet and a little less herbal tasting than Chatime.  Overall, it was a good substitute but you won't be able to get the same large chunks.  I'd still buy it again because it'd be easy to stock at home and the taste and texture was okay.

 

Retail was $1 per 500ml bottle on sale and I'd use 100-200ml for my drink.