Boba Tea: Opinion Piece
By Sophie F.
February 11, 2022
I have been enjoying pearl milk tea, or boba tea, since I could eat solid food. Which is about when I was three ish years old. I remember driving to a sketchy Asian grocery store and eating Chinese donuts and fresh soy milk at the food court in the back. To reward me and my sister for good behavior, my mom would buy us a big cup of 珍珠奶茶, or “pearl milk tea”. It was my favorite family tradition.
History:
The little black “boba’s” in the milk tea is made from tapioca. These tapioca pearls had been popular in desserts with taro, shaved ice, or mochi soups in Taiwanese stores, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that people started serving the tapioca pearls in sweetened milk tea. The milk tea and tapioca combination became a super popular street food snack in Taiwan. During the 1990s, many Taiwanese people immigrated to the United States, bringing boba tea along with them. Taiwanese immigrants opened the first boba store, Fantasia Tea and Coffee, in the United States, in Cupertino, California. With a rise in cafe culture, boba stores soon popped up everywhere, especially in a diverse area such as the Silicon Valley, with a large Asian American community.
As I grew up, the commute to buy boba became ever shorter as new shops opened; Such as the teaspoon that opened up less than half a mile away from my house.
So with my fourteen years of drinking thousands of cups of boba, my knowledge has a wide range of expertise that I'm willing to share to make your boba experience the best it can be. Take it or leave it:
Cafes:
There are currently a huge variety of boba stores, from all different price points and target demographics. These are the ones I will be reviewing:
YiFang
Tea Era
ShareTea
Happy Lemon
TeaTop
iTea
Boba Guys (kinda expensive)
Teaspoon: (Castro Street, Mountain View)
Ah….. Teaspoon. Just a few blocks away from KLS. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about Teaspoon. Teaspoon has a few lesser known but authentic Taiwanese teas that I enjoy, but lately I feel that it is catering more towards the American palate. It has recently added chai, pumpkin spice, caramel, and more sweet, “coffee-shop” style flavors to its menu. However, also in the American “Bay Area” style, prices have increased by more than 25% since it first opened. I remember the drinks used to be $4.50 and $0.50 for each topping in 2015.
What I recommend:
Osmanthus oolong or osmanthus black tea, a wonderful flower with a lovely aroma that is popular in East Asian desserts. It’s also something unique that Teaspoon offers and makes pretty well, but it’s not a popular order because people aren’t very familiar with osmanthus.
However, their Dalgona Coffee is pretty bad. It’s something on their “secret menu” apparently, which I tried a few times when I felt adventurous. But it was very watery and too sugary.
Boba Guys: (Town and Country, Palo Alto)
Good tea, but expensive. Boba guys is definitely a more “fancy” boba store chain in the Bay Area due to its price points and drink quality. However, they do have some unique teas, and I think the founders understand flavor profiles pretty well. If you’re willing to pay for it, I’d say it’s worth it. They have some very unique drinks, such as a lavender tea and a sesame milk drink that are wonderful for the adventurous ones.
What I recommend:
Lavender tea
Sesame milk drink
Tea Era: (Castro Street, Mountain View)
A cheaper option for boba. Not as high quality as Boba Guys or YiFang, but it has some hidden gems that are wonderful. Some stores have Chinese menus, so I will also provide translations for the drinks below.
Highly recommend:
The 黑糖仙草壮奶 - Literally translates to “Black Sugar Grass Jelly Buff Milk,” but it’s actually really good. It’s similar to a brown sugar boba drink, but it has grass jelly instead of boba. The grass jelly and brown sugar milk pairing works perfectly . It’s also caffeine free and can come warm, so it’s a great late night drink. (see section below)
Yifang: (Castro Street, Mountain View)
Another more “upscale” tea shop that uses high quality ingredients. Yifang is definitely more traditional than Teaspoon. It serves great quality teas and drinks and stays true to its Taiwanese roots.
What I recommend:
Oolong “mudflip” tea. They serve many variations of their mudflip tea, including one with just milk that’s great for a caffeine-free late afternoon snack! However, they make a really great oolong tea. It’s very consistent, never watery, and the balance between brown sugar, milk, and oolong is spot-on. Every time. I highly recommend ordering the warm version, it keeps the brown sugar syrup fluid and the boba tender and chewy. It’s become my go-to order.
Happy Lemon: (Castro Street, Mountain View)
Happy Lemon is another successful boba chain that has a global presence as well.You can spot their stores in Australia, the UK, China, Singapore, and of course, Taiwan. They recently opened one near Castro Street as well. True to their name, Happy Lemon is known for their lemon drinks, but they also make great boba drinks and waffles. I highly recommend trying their foamed cheese topping, which is not actual cheese (see section below for more thorough explanation).
What I recommend:
Jasmine tea with egg pudding and foamed cheese
(Not boba, but) bubble waffles
Boba Topping/Vocabulary Explanations:
So, since boba is from Taiwan, many drinks and ingredients are translated (often not too well) directly into English. Many Americans shy away from these toppings or drinks because they have a weird name, but here are my favourite boba things that are HIGHLY underrated:
Grass jelly
GRASS??? Don’t worry, it’s just a weird Mandarin translation. Grass jelly might have a weird texture, taste and color, so a lot of people miss out on this great boba topping. It has a light, fresh, slightly minty/herby flavor, and does NOT taste like actual grass, instead “herb” is just translated as grass from Mandarin to English. It’s also black, which seems like an intimidating color, but hey, boba pearls are black too! If you don’t like the super chewy texture of boba, I highly recommend grass jelly.
Cheese Foam / Foamed Cheese:
CRIMINALLY underrated topping. A lot of people never order this topping because it has the word “cheese” on it, which most Americans associate with cheddar or parmesan. Cheese foam does not taste like that at all. It’s actually made from fluffed cream cheese; it’s creamy and tangy and a great addition to milk drinks. Remember, many of these toppings that seem weird are actually lost in translation from Mandarin. Plus, boba tea itself used to be called “frog eggs,” because the black pearls look like frog eggs. I’m sure none of you would find boba appetizing if it was still called “frog eggs.”
Egg Pudding:
Another topping with a weird name that probably steers people away from it, but egg pudding is another great alternative for those who don’t want to be constantly chewing the boba pearls. Egg pudding is made from egg, but it’s creamy, light, custardy,— basically don’t worry, itdoesn’t taste like scrambled eggs. If you’ve ever had egg custard, this has a similar feeling. It’s a great topping for stronger or more bitter teas as it helps cut the acidic or acrid after tastes, but it’s also a great second topping along with boba.
Red Bean:
Don’t worry, these are not the same pinto beans you get at Chipotle. These are sweet dessert beans, the same ones that red bean paste is made out of. It’s a delicious topping with a bit of a pasty texture and will make your drinking experience more of a “dessert.”
Yakult:
Sometimes translated as “Yogurt”, but Yakult is a lovely tangy, sweet cultured dairy drink. It’s a very nostalgic drink served at some boba stores as well. If you want to switch up the regular milk drink to something more tangy and refreshing, Yakult would be a good option.
Almond Pudding:
Another one of those great boba “puddings” that may seem intimidating. But almond pudding, or almond tofu, is actually a popular dessert that you can order at many Chinese restaurants, and it’s found its way into boba shops as well. It’s a great topping with a floral, nutty taste. It pairs well with drinks that have a milder flavor, but it goes well with pretty much anything.
Warm Boba:
Most people drink boba iced, or cold at least, but hear me out. Boba tea was actually originally served warm, as warm liquids keep the boba pearls chewy and bouncy. On a cold winter’s day, a cup of warm boba is actually super comforting. Since we’re in the winter season, many stores offer it as well, such as Teaspoon and YiFang.
As you know, these are just my opinions and everyone has their preferences. Feel free to keep ordering or enjoying what you like! But I do encourage you to go out there and try something new in your boba drink, whether that be a new topping, flavor, or even temperature! You might find your new favorite.
