Where In Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – June 4, 2014

OK, so this blog went from celebrating its 6th year anniversary to being dormant for an entire month! Ummm… Sorry ah!

For whatever reason, I had super early meetings/calls/travel every single Wednesday last month, so the Tuesday nights before (the night I usually work on these blogs) was used to go bed early. I have something tomorrow morning again, but it’s been long enough! My two readers need me! 😛

Anyway, sorry for the unintentional hiatus. We back yo. Let’s do this!

Last time‘s Winnahs:
* Kakaako Kitchen (Lia)
* Rocky’s Coffee Shop (NOBODY)
* Maui Coffee Roasters (Lia)

Photo #1

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – June 4, 2014

Photo #2

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – June 4, 2014

Photo #3

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – June 4, 2014

---

SCOOPS!

* Marcus Cancervive Fundraiser Birthday Bash!
My friend Marcus Reimel is battling a rare form of melanoma cancer called Mucosal Melanoma and needs your kokua. Please consider supporting in one or both of the following ways:

1. Donate to his YouCaring online fundraiser. This is to help offset his mounting medical expenses. At last check they are close to their $20,000 goal with $16,500 with just 25 days to go.
2. Purchase tickets and attend the Marcus Cancervive Fundraiser Birthday Bash on Sunday, June 22nd from 11am-2pm (See details below).

Marcus Cancervive Fundraiser Birthday Bash!

—

* Bill Amis & Miah Ostrowski Basketball Skills Camp
Former University of Hawaii Athletics University of Hawaii Men’s Basketball stars Bill Amis & Miah Ostrowski are holding a skills training basketball camp for Hawaii’s youth from July 17th-19th at McKinley High School. Register and attend the Bill Amis & Miah Ostrowski Basketball Skills Camp today!

Bill Amis & Miah Ostrowski Basketball Skills Camp

---

My New AroundHawaii.com Article: Bubble Tea Mania!

We continue our epic bubble tea journey with 5 more milk tea establishments located in town. We found out about Dragon Tea after the wife saw her friend post a drink photo on Instagram. Since we hardly ever go to Waiks, we thought it would be some time until we got to visit and taste what Dragon Tea had to offer. Luckily, my clothing company (VH07V) got the wonderful opportunity to vend at the popular Waikiki SPAM Jam festival again, so we decided to grab a hotel at the Outrigger Waikiki for the weekend to have a mini staycation since we would be there anyway…

Bubble Tea Mania – The Hunt for Hawaii’s Best Bubble Tea – Part II

---

Weekly VH07V Updates!

* Spotted!
Super talented ukulele duo Honoka & Azita posted another crazy video to their YouTube channel on Monday, this time, covering the popular song “Wipeout”. The girls look awesome thanks in large part to their schooling at Ukulele Hale and the filming/editing magic of Shibby Stylee!

“Wipeout” by Honoka & Azita

* VH07V at Honolulu Night Market!
VH07V will be making its triumphant return to the popular Honolulu Night + Market on Saturday, June 21st! Visit our booth from 6pm-11pm for special, show only pricing and giveaways! See you there!

Visit VH07V at the June 21st Honolulu Night Market (Summertime in the Park)!

* VH07V at the 4th of July Spectacular at Schofield!
VH07V will have a booth at the 43rd Annual 4th of July Spectacular at Schofield Barracks on Friday, July 4th from 10am-6pm! Visit our booth for special, show only pricing and giveaways and stick around for games, food, rides for the keiki, a car giveaway, and entertainment by Third Eye Blind, Willie K, etc.

Visit VH07V at the 43rd Annual 4th of July Spectacular at Schofield Barracks!

* Mailing List
If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our mailing list to get the latest scoops! I promise I don’t email too often (takes planny effort you know da kine! 😛 ).

* Order Online!
Get all of the latest VH07V gear at:

SHOP.VH07V.COM

—

As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)

=============================================================

VH07V FB (“Like” VH07V!)

Facebook (Add me! 😛 )

Twitter (Follow me!)

Blog (Random stuffs)

=============================================================

Like Hawaii Self Storage on Facebook!

Like Hawaii Self Storage on Facebook!

Bubble Tea Mania – The Hunt for Hawaii’s Best Bubble Tea – Part II

Part I |  Part II  | Part III

 

We continue our epic bubble tea journey with 5 more milk tea establishments located in town.

 

Dragon Tea

We found out about this hidden gem after the wife saw her friend post a drink photo on Instagram. Since we hardly ever go to Waiks, we thought it would be some time until we got to visit and taste what Dragon Tea had to offer. Luckily, my clothing company (VH07V) got the wonderful opportunity to vend at the popular Waikiki SPAM Jam festival again, so we decided to grab a hotel at the Outrigger Waikiki for the weekend to have a mini staycation since we would be there anyway.

First stop? Dragon Tea!

Outside Dragon Tea in Waikiki

This cute little shop is tucked away on a side street (Nahua off Kuhio, behind the old International Market Place) on the ground floor of the Aqua Waikiki Pearl. Pearl? Coincidence? I think not! 😛 The staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable (16oz for $3.35 or 22oz for $4.35).

16oz Black Milk Tea with Tapioka ($3.35)

They even have a loyalty stamp card (buy 8 cups, get 1 free), offer discounts and specials online and are active on social media. What’s not to love?

Wife says: “I love the milk tea here! The creamy milk tea taste is very similar to kung fu tea. The boba is delicious – firm, but not too soft. This spot is perfect for all the Waikiki tourists – and refreshing after a hot day at the beach.”

Dragon Tea
423 Nahua St
Honolulu, HI 96815 (Street View)
(808) 921-9988
10:30am-10:30pm Daily

 

Taste Tea

Our next stop is one many of you are probably very familiar with: Taste Tea near Ala Moana. With its recognizable sign off Kapiolani Boulevard (buggah even lights up at night!), Taste Tea is tough to miss.

Taste Tea Sign

Because of its convenient location, Taste Tea is often very crowded as well, so expect to hunt for parking and stand in line to get your fix.

Line at Taste Tea

On my last visit there, I noticed that they had several new Milk Tea options like Strawberry, Honeydew, and Chocolate. Since Chocolate Milk Tea is one of my faves at Coffee or Tea? (see Part I http://www.world-wide-ed.com/2014/05/01/bubble-tea-mania-the-hunt-for-hawaiis-best-bubble-tea-part-i),  I figured I’d give it a whirl here. Of course, as luck would have it, they were out when I tried to order it.

Taste Tea was one of the first places that offered its patrons varying serving options like Sweetness Level (Unsweetened–>Light Sweet–>Half Sweet–>Less Sweet–>Regular Sweet–>Extra Sweet), Ice Level (Less Ice–>Regular Ice–>Extra Ice) and Tapioka size (Small or Big), and even lets you taste your tea (hence their name) and approve of it before serving you the full portion. Pretty good service for those who are unsure of what sweetness level is right for them.

The down side to all of these options – at least in my experience – is that they seem to run out of the more popular Big size Tapioca quite often. I’ve been there two or three times when all they had to offer was the Small size, and IMHO, the small tapioca balls just don’t do it for me.

To show the difference between the two though, I took one for the team and ordered one in each option (small and big tapioca). You’re welcome. 😉

MT = Milk Tea, ST = Small Tapioca, BT = Big Tapioca, Less=Less Sweet, Ed = Ed. Not sure who Ted is. 😉

Just like in part I, the boss, er wife has the last say, so here ya go…

Wife says: “I understand why this place is so popular: Customizable tea drinks, large variety of tea options & friendly service! This milk tea is one of my favorites! I love that you can order your drink exactly the way you want it. Drink options include everything from the amount of sugar to the size of the boba. The mini bobas are popular, but I still prefer the regular boba size (mostly because it seems like I’m swallowing the mini ones!).  I also like that you can sample the drink before they seal your cup. You can’t go wrong!”

Taste Tea
1391 Kapiolani Blvd, Suite 105
Honolulu, HI 96814 (Street View)
(808) 951-8288
Mon-Thu: 10am-10:30pm
Fri-Sat: 10am-11:30pm
Sun: 10:30am-10:30pm

 

City Cafe

City Cafe was actually a recommendation from my social media friend Nat Nishida (@nanigurl) who read the first part in this series.

 

@worldwideed Great article – can’t wait to see who makes it in Part II and III. Have you tried City Cafe’s milk tea? It’s one of my faves!

— nanigurl (@nanigurl) May 6, 2014

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

 

We’ve been to City Cafe years ago (when wife was preggers with #1), but only to eat their popular Taiwanese Shave Ice. Nat is a bit of a foodie herself so I had to jump on that recommendation real-quick-like.

Outside City Cafe

To me, the Black Milk Tea tasted almost exactly like the one from Coffee or Tea?, which is a Facebook thumbs up in my book.

Tall Black Milk Tea from City Cafe ($2.63 + $0.72 for tapioka)

Wife Says: “This cute little shop makes some surprisingly good tea drinks! The milk tea has a stronger tea flavor than others I’ve tasted, but it’s still taste great! The boba is soft, too. I can’t say that this place is my favorite milk tea shop, but it definitely tastes authentic. I’ll have to give it another try again!”

 

For the final portion in this part of the series, I’ll be featuring two shops that specialize in fresh fruit based bubble drinks (although they do carry blended milk tea options). As a result, there will be no quotes from the wife, for, as we know, no milk tea = no wife. 8)

As mentioned in Part I, City Square Shopping Center alone has three different bubble drink specialty stores. We already mentioned Shaka Shaka Tea Express in part I. Following are the other two.

City Cafe
1518-F Makaloa St
Honolulu, HI 96814 (Street View)
(808) 398-7598
Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm
Sat: 11am-6pm
Sun: Closed

 

Thang II

Thang II is the second location of the popular Thang Coffee & Bubble Tea in Chinatown off Maunakea Street. Conveniently located in City Square Shopping Center, Thang II serves up a wide variety of bubble drinks and snacks.

Quite possibly my favorite fresh fruit bubble drink on the island is their #1 choice, the Pineapple Bubble Drink.

Pineapple Bubble Drink from Thang II

I’ve also tried their Strawberry version, which is also quite delish.

Strawberry Bubble Drink from Thang II

The drinks only come in one (rather large) size, so be sure you’re thirsty before picking yours up!

Thang II
City Square Shopping Center  (TWC WiFi Here!)
1287 Kalani St
Honolulu, HI 96817 (Street View)
(808) 845-2164
Mon-Sat: 8:30am-6:30pm
Sun: 10am-3pm

 

Sweet Fantasies

Rounding out part II is a relative newcomer to the scene: Sweet Fantasies, which is literally right next to Shaka Shaka Tea Express!

Outside Sweet Fantasies

In addition to their bubble drink options, they also offer sandwiches, salads, spring rolls, shave ice, and a whole freezer’s worth of ice cream!

Ice Cream at Sweet Fantasies

But back to the business at hand. We’re here for the bubbles!

Since there was no wife present, I “cheated” on her and went for the fresh fruit, Blueberry Bubble Drink variety. It was good, but a little too sweet for my tastes.

Blueberry Bubble Drink from Sweet Fantasies ($3.99)

Sweet Fantasies
City Square Shopping Center (TWC WiFi Here!)
1199 Dillingham Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96817 (Street View)
9am-7pm Daily

Next month, we’ll be headed to the wessssiiiide of Oahu to review Tea Time, HulaShake, Hula Boba, HI Sandwich & Drink, Lyndliz and the brand spankin’ new, second Coffee or Tea? location in Pearl Kai Shopping Center. Coincidence? I think not!

Brand New Coffee or Tea? Location at Pearl Kai Shopping Center

 

 

Part I |  Part II  | Part III

 

Tarp Surfing in Hawaii – VH07V Style (Click to Play!)

 

laulau burger from kalamas in kona. mind blown. #food #laulauburger

homemade #cornedbeefhash and eggs at kona’s #pinetreecafe! #food

jigoku ramen from sanji ramen off keeaumoku street. #latepost #ramen #food #foodporn

milk black tea from dragon tea in #waikiki. #bubbletea

#bacon wrapped mochi from nagomi japanese teppan & lounge #food

Bubble Tea Mania – The Hunt for Hawaii’s Best Bubble Tea – Part I

 Part I  | Part II | Part III

The wife is out of control.

Ever since she was preggers with baby #2, she has had this fanatical craving – bordering on obsession – with the popular Taiwanese-born milk tea drink cleverly referred to as “Bubble Tea”. Pair that with the recent explosion of specialized bubble tea shops popping up around town lately, and ya got one crazed bubble gulp’n momma!

Bubble/Boba/Pearl Milk Tea, named such for the round, tapioca balls that float around at the bottom of the drink, has been around for a while now (it was invented in Taiwan the 80s). Hawaii-wise, I remember frequenting a tiny place in Wahiawa called Lindliz (original location) during our lunch breaks back in the day for a fruity version of the popular bubble drink. And one of the wife’s and my first dates was actually at Coffee or Tea? – one of the pioneers in the industry – which is as good a place as any to start this bubble tea series.

Coffee or Tea?
Conveniently located smack-dab in the middle of McCully Shopping Center, Coffee or Tea? is probably our favorite place to get Bubble Milk Tea on the island.

Outside Coffee or Tea?

They offer their milk tea in a bevy of choices including green, vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, Irish cream, malt flakes, pudding, taro, honeydew, coconut, almond, lavender, watermelon, peppermint, ginger, and my personal favorite chocolate.

Chocolate Milk Tea with Tapioka Pearls

I mean, c’mon. Chocolate Milk, Tea, AND sweet tapioka balls? How can you go wrong?

They are a little on the pricier side for their portions, but they make up for it by offering something unique. For $15, you can call ahead and place an order for a “Party Size” (gallon) of their milk tea, which is perfect for milk tea parties or 1 obsessed wife. (I keed, she goin’ keel me if she heard that.) There is a 2 day window that they say you need to drink this gallon by so finishing it by yourself is almost impossible. Individuals should upsize to the Jumbo (23 oz.) or Super Jumbo (33 oz.) instead.

Milk tea party at home

If you want tapioca balls to go with your Party Size order, you will need to call at least 24 hours in advance, but if having the milk tea sans the bubbles is fine with you, in my experience, you often can just walk right in and ask for it.

Before they got “famous”, I used to be able to set up shop and “coffice” there for the day. It was a great alternative to the overcrowded Starbucks option, especially since I don’t drink coffee. Now, they are a little more strict about patrons who do this. I completely understand why, but I do still kinda miss those days. Regardless, their milk tea is #onobu and again, one of our faves.

Happy, milk tea-fed wife, happy life.

Wife Says: “This is my absolute favorite place to grab a milk tea drink! The milk tea here is consistent, and I don’t have to worry whether the person making it will make it with the right combination of milk, tea & sugar. However, it also means that if you don’t care for the strong sugary milk tea taste, you probably won’t love it as much as I do. You can’t customize the sugar level or choose the size of the boba. But, I do like the simplicity of ordering and the taste of their milk tea. The texture of the boba is perfect & it’s always soft and chewy! Milk tea heaven!”

Coffee or Tea?
McCully Shopping Center (TWC WiFi Here!)
1960 Kapiolani Blvd #106
Honolulu, HI 96826 (Street View)
(808) 942-4357
Sun-Thu: 10am-11pm
Fri-Sat: 10am-11:30pm

—

Kung Fu Tea
New to Hawaii, but not new to the Milk Tea game is Kung Fu Tea. They are actually a rather large franchise with 16 stores in New York (where they started), and 7 more in key locations like Boston, Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, Florida and the one that just opened up last month in Honolulu off Piikoi Street.

Inside Kung Fu Tea in Honolulu

If I were to close my eyes and visualize what the Milk Teas in Taiwan taste like, I would imagine them tasting like those from Kung Fu Tea. The tea part of the drink is very strong and is somewhat reminiscent of the tea you drink at many of the local Chinese restaurants around town. If it even makes any sense, the Bubble Milk Tea from Kung Fu tastes and feels “legit”. 🙂

Bubble Tea from Kung Fu Tea

One of my pet peeves is when my bubble to tea ratio is off. Kung Fu Tea packs their tea with CHOKE bubbles so I never once had to lift my straw from the bottom of the drink to regulate that ratio.

Choke Bubbles at the bottom of Kung Fu Tea’s drinks!

Their bubbles also seemed to be more plump and firm here, just the way I like it. 😉 #twss

Kung Fu Tea
510 Piikoi St,
Honolulu, HI 96814 (Street View)
808-589-0088
Sun-Thu: 10:30am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 10:30am-11pm

Wife Says: “I was only able to visit this shop once, but from my one visit I was pleasantly surprised! The milk tea is creamy and delicious! The boba has a unique, stronger flavor than I’m used to… but I like it. It does take a little “getting used to”, but I was pretty hooked on it near the end! The boba’s texture was also a little more chewy but had a good consistency. You can also customize the milk tea according to your taste. I really wish I could have tried this place more than once to give an honest review. I need to go back again!”

—

Shaka Shaka Tea Express
One of actually three bubble drink stores at City Square Shopping Center off Dillingham, the wife prefers this one best because it “tastes kinda like Coffee or Tea?”. LOL!

Outside Shaka Shaka Tea Express at City Square Shopping Center

Like Coffee or Tea?, Shaka Shaka also offers many flavors and options, including their fresh fruit options which I particularly enjoy. Along with Thang II (which I’ll cover later in this series) in this same aforementioned shopping center, they are probably two of my favorite fresh fruit bubble drink locations around. Here’s a look at their Strawberry/Banana and Watermelon fresh fruit bubble drinks.

Strawberry/Banana Fresh Fruit Bubble Drink

Watermelon Fresh Fruit Bubble Drink

And here’s a shot of their milk tea.

Can I get some tea & bubbles with my milk?

Oh great… She’s passing the mania on…

Wife Says: “This place is near the top of my list. The milk tea is tasty and the service is always friendly & knowledgeable. They like to emphasize that they use natural ingredients. You can also customize the milk tea according to your taste and the lady (owner?) is very willing to help you make the right choice. The boba was made perfectly and was soft & chewy! I love that they offer a stamp card and encourage people to come back.”

Shaka Shaka Tea Express
City Square Shopping Center (TWC WiFi Here!)
1199 Dillingham Blvd A, Ste 107
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 377-1583
Mon-Fri: 8am-8pm
Sat-Sun: 9am-9pm

Like the various features I did for poke (Poke Paradise – Experiencing the Best Poke Around Hawaii), ramen (Hawaii Ramen Quest), shave ice (Shave Ice Ice Baby), pho (Pho Fantasy – A Tour of Hawaii’s Favorite Pho Restaurants) and açai (Açai in Hawaii), this bubble tea series is going to be fun, especially for the wife. She’s already starting to use it as an excuse to drink even more! “Don’t you have to ‘research’?”

Oh boy.

Like I said, she be one crazed bubble gulp’n momma! To be continued…

 

 Part I  | Part II | Part III

 

Tarp Surfing in Hawaii – VH07V Style (Click to Play!)

 

Where In Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 30, 2014

For those of you who don’t know (which is probably all of you because I don’t expect this to be in any of your calendars! LOL!), this World Wide Ed blog recently turned 6 years old! Crazy yeah? My very first blog here was entitled “Aloooooha!” and made its debut on the then Honolulu Advertiser on April 28, 2008. 2008! Hoooo, da old!

Anyway, no need bake me one cake or anything. Just send cash. 😛

Thanks for sticking with me for all of these years. You guys have seen me get married, have two kids, and start a clothing company all through this blog so it means a lot that you folks still read and comment from time to time. It’s not easy sometimes to keep on keepin’ on, but just knowing that you’re out there helps to motivate me to stay up late to put these things together. 🙂

Anyway, nuff wit da mush. Let’s get to da pics! 🙂

Last week‘s Winnahs:
* Ala Moana Beach (carokun)
* Hukilau Sports Bar & Grill (Isao)
* Krispy Kreme (Maui) (carokun)

Photo #1

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 30, 2014

Photo #2

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 30, 2014

Photo #3

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 30, 2014

---

SCOOPS!

* VH07V at the 2014 Waikiki SPAM Jam!
VH07V is super fortunate to again be selected as one of only just a handful of craft vendors to participate at this weekend’s epic SPAM Jam festival in Waikiki! Be sure to come and visit our booth THIS SATURDAY May 3rd from 4pm (or whenever we finish setting up) to 10pm for special, show only pricing, free stickers with every purchase, and to check out some brand new items making their debut for the first time ever at the show!

* PARKING: Waikiki block parties are fun, but the parking usually isn’t. Fortunately, the organizers of the Waikiki Spam Jam have worked out deals with many major parking structures in Waikiki for a FIVE FOR FIVE deal. Park for up to five hours for $5. See this page for participating garages: spamjamhawaii.com/parking. Now you have no excuse not to see us! 😉

Visit VH07V at the 2014 Waikiki SPAM Jam!

---

Weekly VH07V Updates!

* Spotted!
My friend Marcus has a tough road ahead of him, but is confident he can beat this return occurrence of Cancer. Here’s a fun video he worked on recently to tell his story. Please help us pray for his speedy recovery!

Marcus Cancervive Rap

* Mailing List
If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our mailing list to get the latest scoops! I promise I don’t email too often (takes planny effort you know da kine! 😛 ).

* Order Online!
Get all of the latest VH07V gear at:

SHOP.VH07V.COM

—

As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)

=============================================================

VH07V FB (“Like” VH07V!)

Facebook (Add me! 😛 )

Twitter (Follow me!)

Blog (Random stuffs)

=============================================================

Like Hawaii Self Storage on Facebook!

Like Hawaii Self Storage on Facebook!

Where In Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 23, 2014

Sorry peeps. I took one shmall kine two week break. Well, one week since last week wuz one holiday week anyway. Speaking of which, how was everyone’s Easter?

This week, I upped the difficulty level by a tiny notch. Let’s see how you guys do!

Last time‘s Winnahs:
* Ala Moana Center (Lia)
* Hawaii Theatre (Lia)
* Kahului Airport (Lia)

Photo #1

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 23, 2014

Photo #2

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 23, 2014

Photo #3

Where in Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – April 23, 2014

---

SCOOPS!

* VH07V at the 2014 Waikiki SPAM Jam!
VH07V is fortunate enough to once again be one of just a handful of craft vendors invited to participate at next weekend’s epic SPAM Jam festival in Waikiki! Be sure to come on down next Saturday May 3rd from 4pm-10pm and check out all of our latest items including those making their debut at the show!

Visit VH07V at the 2014 Waikiki SPAM Jam!

---

LATEST AROUNDHAWAII ARTICLE!

I just realized that I didn’t mention my latest AroundHawaii article on Dean’s Drive Inn in Kaneohe yet. 🙂 So without further ado, check um out!

Dean’s Drive Inn – Kaneohe’s Treasure

Dean’s Drive Inn – Kaneohe’s Treasure

---

Weekly VH07V Updates!

* Spotted!
Our Blue “Blocks” Ladies Racerback was spotted in this mini-documentary of UK Photographer Sam Wren doing a photo shoot in Europe. Really cool how our brand is getting out there!

Shooting People with Sam Wren

* Mailing List
If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our mailing list to get the latest scoops! I promise I don’t email too often (takes planny effort you know da kine! 😛 ).

* Order Online!
Get all of the latest VH07V gear at:

SHOP.VH07V.COM

—

As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)

=============================================================

VH07V FB (“Like” VH07V!)

Facebook (Add me! 😛 )

Twitter (Follow me!)

Blog (Random stuffs)

=============================================================

Like Hawaii Self Storage on Facebook!

Like Hawaii Self Storage on Facebook!