SPOT.ph Roadtest: Tokyo Tokyo’s OG Red Iced Tea Meets Your Fave Childhood Drink

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(SPOT.ph) We get it: You either have a nostalgic connection to Tokyo Tokyo's Red Iced Tea or are repulsed by it—not for its color, but for its cloying sweetness. Either way, it's our duty to let you know the Japanese fast food chain has released a new take on its signature iced tea: the Sakura Red Tea with Yakult.

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Is Tokyo Tokyo's new Sakura Red Tea with Yakult better than their OG Red Iced Tea?

Price

If you already feel like Tokyo Tokyo's Red Iced Tea is expensive for what it is—quality-wise, at least—then you probably won't like the price of the Sakura Red Tea with Yakult. The new drink costs P110 per 16-oz cup, while the regular version is a lot cheaper as it costs P65/12 oz, P70/16oz, and P75/20oz.

Note, though, that the drink is cheaper as an add-on to a meal. When we tried ordering Tokyo Tokyo's Cheesy Beef Donburi on GrabFood, there was an option to add a four-piece California Maki and a 16-ox Sakura Red Tea with Yakult for an additional P105 to the base price of the donburi of P280.

Appearance

The OG Red Iced Tea had a striking redness to it. It was closer to the vibrance of a sangria—plus it had the same staining capabilities of red food coloring and the stickiness of caramel. On the other hand, the Sakura Red Tea with Yakult pales in comparison. Literally.

The drink came in a lighter shade, almost pinkish. While it could be because of the melted ice and the denser liquid settling in the bottom of the cup, the difference in shade is definitely because of the Yakult. 

Let's go back to the basics of mixing colors, shall we? Red (from the iced tea) + cream (from the Yakult) = blush or coral.

Taste

The Red Iced Tea was known for its extreme sweetness and if you can tolerate that, then the new red iced tea would definitely be right up your alley.  It still uses the same sweet red iced tea but with the added sweetness of Yakult. Interestingly enough, the Yakult doesn't get lost in all the sweetness of the drink. If we were to guess, we'd say there are at least two containers of Yakult in each 16-oz cup.

Another new thing about this drink is that it comes with sinkers. The Sakura Red Tea with Yakult has thin red jelly strips that add chew to the sips. We don't really see the merit of it, but it doesn't subtract from the drink's appeal either.

Final Verdict

Although Tokyo Tokyo's Sakura Red Tea with Yakult was nostalgic, there is such a thing as outgrowing childhood favorites—raise your hands if you get what we mean.

Sure, we could probably handle the sweeter version of Tokyo Tokyo's Red Iced Tea if we were back in our teenage years, but our aging selves have grown to be more sensitive when it comes to sweetness. Still, if the cravings are suuuuper strong and cannot be helped, there is a workaround. It comes in the form of frozen water, a.k.a. ice.

When it arrived on our doorstep, the ice had started to melt, and this certainly helped in mellowing down the sweetness of the red drink. But really, it was not enough for our liking. The lesson here is if you're having it delivered to your house, make sure to have ice in your freezer or add it as a note to your order—and if you're (physically) buying it from their store, ask for more ice from as you order.

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See a list of Tokyo Tokyo branches. For delivery orders, visit the Tokyo Tokyo website or find Tokyo Tokyo on GrabFood or foodpanda. For more information, visit Tokyo Tokyo's Facebook page.

Links are updated regularly and as much as possible but note that products can run out of stock, discounts can expire and listed prices can change without prior notice.

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