Please don't smack me with one of those large, colorful, bubble tea straws when I say this, but I still have yet to see what's so delicious about bubble tea. Yes, it's sweet. Yes, it comes in a lot of flavors. And, yes, I enjoy large, colorful straws as much as the next person, so I don't need a sanity check.
When I first tried bubble tea, I got French Vanilla, and it was sweet, icy, and refreshing. So much so that, in that short time, my mind was racing—I couldn't wait to try sesame, melon, and all of the other appetizing flavors.
But then I hit the boba pearls: the black, sticky tapioca balls that can be found running up the straw of any given bubble tea cup. Do I chew this thing? I thought. It feels kind of hard. And, oh, it was. Hard enough that it didn't break easily or melt away, and so sticky that it cemented itself to my molar like some sort of mutant leech. I pried it off my tooth and stuck to slurping the rest down whole, but it felt truly odd sending those slime balls straight down without so much as a moment on my taste buds.
My bubble tea-loving friend told me the place I got it from was not a good place to go, and that the boba pearls probably weren't that fresh. I was thinking of trying it without boba pearls next time, but she said that good tapioca is the best part. They are supposed to be soft and succulent, not like balls of crazy glue, she insisted, and I simply have to try it again.
Do you like bubble tea? How do you drink the boba? What do you recommend next time I try it: get it without boba pearls or try a place known for having good bubble tea?
photo from megadamsPlease don't smack me with one of those large, colorful, bubble tea straws when I say this, but I still have yet to see what's so delicious about bubble tea. Yes, it's sweet. Yes, it comes in a lot of flavors. And, yes, I enjoy large, colorful straws as much as the next person, so I don't need a sanity check.
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Comments (131)
My cousin took me to a place in my mall to get me some. She got honeydew or something like that, I got strawberry. The strawberry was not that good. Like, at all. Seriously. But her's was AMAZING.
My tapioca was soft and whatnot, like how it was suppose to be, but it wasn't that tasty to me. Like, I could have done without. But, I really want some more, I will say. That honeydew really was amazing.
Bubble tea is pretentious and overrated. I don't like chewing my beverages.
Argo Tea in Chicago has bubble tea with square bubbles. That's the best I've had, but still not any better than peppermint hot chocolate or chai.
If you live on the eastcoast... in NJ, go to Babo's :)
They have reaaaally good bubble tea.
i love bubble tea!!!! its the most awesome thing! and the balls were suppose to be soft lol :)
Bubble tea is weird. The only good thing about it, is how the 'bubbles' are shaped just perfect enough to shoot out of the straw at unsuspecting people. LOL. Okay, so i only tried it once. but it worked!
balls.
I love bubble tea! Give it another chance--at a place with a better reputation!
I like my fruity bubble tea with the jelly, instead of tapoica balls. Those coco de nata are delicious with the refreshing bubble tea.
I love bubble tea. Chewing gets a bit tiring because they're so chewy though >.<
Bubble teas are like sushi. Not everyone can make good sushi. Your tapioca pearls are like sushi at a buffet. They were crap. The pearls are suppose to be soft and not overly chewy. Choose places that uses raw fruit ingredient rather than syrups. Ah, ever since a friend introduce me to the Avocado Bubble Tea and Mango Bubble Tea, they have been one of favorites ever since.
bubble tea is good.
it all depends on what flavor you get.
yeah, i think you just had bad boba. the pearls aren't suppose to have that consistency.
One of my favorites. The tapioca balls are just fun to chew on for me. If you go to a good place they should be pretty soft and and not too hard and sticky (in before "that's what she said").
my favourite is yogurt green tea and passion fruit black tea!
yeah, you def went to a bad bubble tea place your first time. The tapioca is supposed to be soft and chewy and not get stuck in your teeth.
i do enjoy bubble tea once in a while, like pineapple, watermelon, or french vanilla. the boba is supposed to be soft and chewy, but i've had some really bad ones where they were still frozen. you have to enjoy the boba for the bubble tea to be good.
love bubble tea, i personally only enjoy strawberry though. the first time I had it was visiting vegas at a place called bo buzz, and it was pretty amazing there.
I live in minnesota, and so far i've never seen a bubble tea place.
@fueledbylaura@xanga - My goodness, you're missing out! But don't hold your expectatoins too high once you try them as you might be disappointed.
I looooove bubble tea. The first time i had the pearls was with an iced shake which was really bad as they would change the consistency of the tapioca pearls rendering them hard/frozen and super chewy. This also happens when the pearls have become old which I believe you ate.
I tried again but with milk tea and boy were they fun to eat/drink :)
Enjoy your tapioca pearls with milk teas/ liquids. Fruit Jellies are much more nicer with the frozen drinks :)
We have Happy Cup and Easy Way here :)
@fueledbylaura@xanga - You've never heard of tea garden?! They have the best bubble tea in minnesota
Boba is a hit and miss for a lot of places, that's why I avoid it all together. I won't miss it in my drinks. I swear.
i like my bubble tea with coconut jelly.
you can't get it in an americanised place unless your fob friend really recommends it.
the perfect boba drink is one that's sweet but creamy (not too creamy or sugary though), with perfectly flavored tapioca balls that are soft and chewy but don't stick to your molars. they don't taste funny or have hard icky centers. you'll want to chew them and swallow them as you drink your boba, and make sure that it's a good combination with the flavor you got. YOUR boba was TERRIBLE. leave a review on yelp.com or something. you can get it warmed too, so maybe next time the boba will be better warm and chewier that way.
personally i don't like boba with any food i'm planning on drinking. that way it's just the milk tea. however, if it's just a light snack with it, it's good.
the best bubble tea is in very concentrated asian areas with lots of chinese or taiwanese stores like LA or San Francisco. you can get genuine, truly delicious boba overseas, but generally getting boba in someplace like georgia.. ehh... it's like trying to buy real mexican food in australia... they just don't make it right.
I love bubble tea :) I love the pearls, but they must be soft!!
however, it is wayyyy too overpriced...i want to try bubble tea so damn badly but idk where to find it =(