Beverage Review + Ex-Job Insights (KOI)

Here is a food/job review under Drinks/Beverage category.

I worked at KOI for 3 months in 2017 before university started. Hence, I will try to be as objective as I can and not reveal any confidential information.

I basically did kitchen work (cooking pearls, brewing tea, grass jelly, macchiato cream and squeezing lime, lemon and grapefruit etc.) Although the kitchen work is physically draining, the quality of the ingredients is not compromised. Rest assured that the ingredients are made with greatest quality and quantity. The golden pearls are of a higher grade tapioca pearls and these pearls would be discarded after 1 and half hours usage period. Moreover, the brewed teas (black, oolong, green and silan black tea) would also be changed within 3 hours regardless if there are any leftovers.

In my opinion, KOI has the best pearls in terms of texture. The pearls have the optimal balance between chewiness and softness. They also have minimal stickiness as compared to other pearls. However, the sugar syrup accompanying the pearls may be a tad too sweet and it may affect the overall taste of the drink. Tip: if you do not like the sugar syrup, you could ask the staff to wash the pearls for you.

I also feel that KOI's grass jelly has a really smooth mouthfeel and an even consistency. The grass jelly is made from "scratch" with quality techniques. I would recommend drinking plain black/green/oolong tea with grass jelly as a topping. As the grass jelly is relatively sweet, I would recommend a lower sugar level %.

The macchiato cream is also made from "scratch" with a specific technique. The cream has a thick consistency and creamy mouthfeel. It really complements the plain teas. It is a shame that the macchiatos are not allowed to have toppings. This is because macchiatos are supposed to be sipped from the rim of the cup so the toppings would interfere with this experience.

The ratios of the drinks are tailored to maintain the drinks' quality (less ice, no ice and less pearls etc.) I learnt till preparing of ingredients like pearls, lime, lemon and grapefruit and the latte ratios. It was quite mentally draining as you have to remember and adjust the ratios to tailor to the consumer's needs. For part timers, you have to pass certain tests to increase your pay per hour. Full timers are also sent for evaluations and training to maintain the quality of KOI's products. This shows KOI has high standards for skills, quality and hygiene.

Here is some of my experience/opinions regarding the additional requirements of the drinks:

• If you order "less ice" for any milk tea, the volume of the drink will be compensated with more tea. Hence, it will somewhat dilute the milkiness of the drink and have a "blander" taste
• If you order "less ice" for flavoured milk tea like hazelnut milk tea, the taste will be compensated with more hazelnut flavoured syrup

The prices of the drinks are quite affordable if you take the quality in consideration.

My personal favourites:

• Cacao Berry (Dark chocolate) with/without Ice Cream
• Oolong Milk Tea 
• Yakult Black Tea 

Rating: 8/10

Price: 6/10

Worth: 8.5/10

Credits to the owners of the pictures above.

Beverage Review (KECha)

Since I have an interest in food science, I am going to start writing reviews of food products in supermarkets or retail outlets. These food reviews are purely my own opinion and perception. I am no expert so my reviews are subjective and may be biased. I will try to be as objective as possible by doing some research about the product. Everyone has different preferences and opinions so my review may be different from yours.

Anyways, I am starting off the food blog with a review on a new start-up beverage shop, KECha. KECha is a flower tea shop with fruits and milk add on. They mainly focus on Roselle, Butterfly Peas, Earl Grey, Osmanthus, Jasmine Green Tea and Oolong Tea. After which, they add on the second component. It is either milk or sugar syrup. The last component at the bottom would be fruits such as Peach, Lime and Strawberry etc.

The combination of flower tea and fruits is a great one as it is refreshing and different from other bubble tea shops. They also sell top-ups such as Brown Sugar pearls, Aiyu jelly, Aloe vera etc. What I like about their concept is the purpose of each combination. The Roselle tea series is to help with losing weight and diabetic patients. The Butterfly peas series help with vision and slowing down ageing.

I have tried their Summer Lime, Summer Peach and Earl Grey Milk Tea with Brown Sugar Pearls. The Summer series is more refreshing for hot weathers while Earl Grey Milk tea is sweet and filling. The drinks are very healthy, original and creative. The different colours of the drink comes from the natural flowers and fruits. It is not food colouring. There is an option to choose between a normal drink cup or bottle. The bottles are also moulded one by one because the standard shape is not available in the market and they can be reused for another 3-4 times. Hence, the bottle have an additional charge.

The price of these drinks are quite expensive at around $5 to $8. Therefore, this may affect the receptivity of these products as Singaporeans tend to go for cheaper drinks like KOI and Gong Cha. Although the drinks are of good quality and are quite unique, it isn't as popular as it should be. Perhaps people are more acceptable to familiar teas such as Oolong milk tea than flower teas such as Butterfly pea teas.

KECha also have developed more familiar teas to keep up with the market trends. One of it is the Brown Sugar Milk. However, the brown sugar milk fad is too saturated with other other bubble tea shops' formulations. KECha's brown sugar milk tea is pale in comparison to others. I tried it before and I feel that they could work more on the brown sugar pearls to make it softer and reduce the sweetness of the drink.

If there were more promotions and marketing on the health benefits of these KECha drinks, I feel that KECha could become more popular. Instead of conforming to the familiar tastes, KECha could focus more on their specialty fruit/flower teas and reduce the price slightly to attract more consumers.

Rating: 9/10
Price: 6/10
Worth: 8/10

Credits to the owners of the pictures above.