1. Price
Ube taho's SRP is P30, which is pretty pricey for taho even if it's ube. Last time we were at Baguio (about a month ago), the price of the ube taho was P15 for a small cup (almost the same size as this one from 7/11) and P25 for the large cup. Though, we have to give it to 7/11 because the packaging is extra tight so you can be sure that there won't be any spillage.
2. Presentation
While we do think that the packaging looks clean and is pretty easy to take around with you and eat-on-the-go, the color of the taho just seems a bit off. Like, it's TOO ube-colored, which makes sense considering the prominent ingredient in the mix according to the Ingredient List was purple yum. Went a little overboard with the food coloring (though kids might like it).
3. Consistency
Different people like different consistencies of taho but we feel like the best taho should have that melt-in-your-mouth texture but still have enough solidness to it that you still feel like you're eating something solid. Heating taho makes this easy since the temperature helps keep the soy at a perpetually soft form since it is still "cooking," whereas when it's chilled, you don't have much room for mistakes since the taho will remain at a certain consistency once you leave it on the shelf.
Sadly, the chilled taho at 7/11 feels a bit too gooey for our taste, which isn't complimented by the even gooey-er syrup. All in all it made us think about all the chemicals the taho might have to it to end up this way. It also doesn't have that ube texture to it that the ones sold in Baguio have. We feel what made the taho sold in Baguio special was that sudden burst of sweetness when you taste that small chunk of ube on your tongue while you press the taho on the ceiling of your mouth.
Final remarks and suggestions
a) While the taste of the 7/11 taho isn't half bad (though it doesn't compare to how the ube sold in Baguio tastes like), what really makes a good taho standout is the texture and consistency of the soy. Chilled taho is amazing because of how weirdly refreshing such a delicate dish could be. It doesn't have that cooked soy aftertaste that heated taho usually has, but rather, it has that sort of panna cotta like creaminess to it.
b) Another complaint we have is that you can't really mix the sago with the rest of the taho because it's really difficult to get to the bottom of the cup without making your spoon sticky. It really doesn't feel like taho without having some chewy sago with each bite.
c) Putting even a tiny bit of actual ube might not hurt. It doesn't even have to be from Good Shepherd's. We just want that little surprise of chewing on the tiny, unmixed ube bits rather than lazily slurping the boring and plain syrup the taho has now.
d) We probably won't be buying the ube taho from 7/11 again but we commend them for trying. Hopefully, they can tweak the formula a bit to improve the taste and consistency because we really, really want our chilled taho cravings satiated.