This is the Grapefruit Mango Cream Smoothie with Kanten Jelly ($9.50, fixed ice (none), fixed sweetness) from Machi Machi. It consisted of layers of kanten jelly, mango purée, grapefruit pulp, cream, and mango slush.
Consumed shaken and chilled, the beverage was an opaque pale yellow colour with flecks of red grapefruit and jelly distributed throughout. The mango flavour came through with a rich tropical sweetness with the cream aspect giving it a thicker mouthfeel. The grapefruit pulp brought specks of acidity and freshness but was lacking in generosity, while the kanten jelly added a much-welcomed bouncy and chewy texture. The drink had an enjoyable fresh sweetness.
With this drink following a long line of drinks from other bubble tea stores that have drawn on the iconic Cantonese dessert of mango pomelo and sago, Machi Machi was either a few months late to the party or opting to release a summer limited beverage to use seasonal ingredients. Critically, this version lacked coconut milk, a key ingredient in the dessert, but compensated with the richness of the cream. Otherwise, it’s a thicker version of the one from Gong Cha with less grapefruit pulp, but without the moreish textures of the mango cubes and sago from the one from Milk Flower. It’s aptly priced between those two drinks, so it’s a decent option but not particularly exciting.
This Grapefruit Mango Cream Smoothie with Kanten Jelly was purchased from Machi Machi in Sydney, Australia in November 2022.