Bubble tea is one of my favorite drinks of all time. I love going to grab a drink after school with some friends before studying. In the midst of AP exam week, I wondered, where is the best place to get bubble tea?
In order to find out, I went to four bubble tea shops near campus and scored them based on these criteria:
- Quality of the tea: is it too watery or milky?
- Quality of the tapioca (the bubbles): is it chewy and not too big or small?
- Quality of the packaging: was there care put into it?
Tea Lab – Sunrise
Strawberry matcha latte
Tea Lab’s strawberry matcha latte is smooth and silky. The flavor leans a little more towards strawberry, unfortunately for matcha lovers. The drink isn’t too sweet even at full sugar level, and the flavor doesn’t taste artificial or watery. There are little chunks of strawberry and tapioca, and the tapioca is wonderfully soft and chewy. The presentation is super adorable, and I can tell they worked hard to make sure their presentation and interior matched. I’ve had better matcha lattes elsewhere, but this is a very solid and cute place. (Photo/Yechang Liu)
9/10
Sovereign: Poke, Boba, Asian Kitchen – Plantation
Taro milk tea
Sovereign is a popular place to get food or boba because it’s just a seven minute drive from campus. Their boba is creamy and not artificial-tasting, and they have many unique fruit teas such as the Dragonfruit Peach Butterfly. The milk teas have a pleasant, mild flavor which might be underwhelming for some. They have less ice than most boba places, meaning you get more drink per dollar. The tapioca is less soft but very chewy and slightly smaller than typical tapioca. Although the flavor of the tea is good, it’s got an almost thicker taste that I don’t enjoy as much. Also, they don’t have a super wide range of flavors. (Photo/Yechang Liu)
7/10
PoKeMan – Plantation
Tiger stripes milk tea
My first thought when I tasted this drink was “milky.” The flavor is more “milk” than “tea,” and it’s a little watery, which I dislike. When the syrup mixed more with the drink, it gained a subtle, sweet caramel flavor. The tapioca has a firmer center than I like, and I can tell there wasn’t a lot of care put into the drink because both the cup and the lid were generic and not customized to the brand at all. (Photo/Yechang Liu)
5/10
Komma Tea – Sunrise
Brown sugar milk
The flavor of this brown sugar milk tea is super strong and high quality. There’s no hint of wateriness, but at full sugar level, it’s too sweet. The brown sugar tastes a little burnt, so you can tell they’re making it from scratch and not just putting in premade syrup or using caramel syrup. The tapioca is firmer on the inside and not overly chewy. Both the cup and the lid have Komma Tea specialty packaging, meaning a lot of work was put into the presentation. This is the only place in a mall so it is a little more difficult to enjoy your drink in peace. Again, I’ve had better boba elsewhere and I liked Tea Lab more with its cozier environment, but this is a great option. (Photo/Yechang Liu)
8/10
