Abide Monarch black sesame and matcha bubble tea with boba: In the 9 years I spent in Cambridge, we never had a dependable bubble tea shop. The short-lived bubble tea shop in Kendall was just ok, but since it was close to lab, I’d sometimes find myself there for quick meetings. Upon returning to Cambridge for mystery hunt, I visited a pop up boba shop at the Middlesex lounge with a diverse menu of tea and fruit drinks incorporating ingredients like peppercorn and cloves and with names like Binary and The Monarch. I ordered the latter, a hot milk tea ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Asha Tea House Peach Black Tea: I had a great drink at Asha Tea House in San Francisco, so I was excited to try another at their Berkeley location. I ordered their peach black tea with boba – I had tried to order their boba last time, but it was sold out. I found the boba to be a bit too soft for my taste, but it had a nice neutral flavor otherwise. The drink itself was refreshing and well balanced, but it wasn't as distinctive as the strawberry black tea I previously purchased. Still, I would come back to try another. 3.0/5.0
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Asha Tea House strawberry black tea with grass jelly: A small tea shop with locations in Berkeley and Sam Francisco, Asha offers several milk and fruit tea options. I was thoroughly impressed with the strawberry tea I ordered, which contained real crushed strawberries. The strawberry seeds added great texture, and the grass jelly complemented the herbal black tea. While the strawberry "purée" was on the sweet side, the rest of the drink appeared to be unsweetened. Highly recommended. 4.5/5.0
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Belly Good Cafe & Crepes Black Milk Tea with Boba: To accompany the crepe I purchased at Belly Good Cafe, I purchased a cup of black milk tea with boba. It was probably the single worst bubble tea I've had in my life. The tea had zero herbal flavor and tasted of watered-down sugar water with a bit of dairy. The boba was also complete mush, with no give and a slimy exterior. I hate wasting food, so I did force myself to drink the entire thing, but I will be scarred from drinking bubble tea again in the near future. 0.5/5.0
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Boba Guys black milk tea with boba: An import from the Bay Area, Boba Guys recently opened shop on Clinton St. In NYC. The shop features teas made with organic ingredients and mostly housemade toppings. I usually assess bubble tea shops with a classic black milk tea with boba, and I requested mine with 25% sugar. The boba was excellent-in the top 5% I've had. Still firm but chewy, with a fairly neutral flavor. The milk tea had a nice balance between creamy and herbal, but I think I would get 50% sweetness next time. 4.0/5.0
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Boba Guys lavender black milk tea with grass jelly: This distinct beverage had a clean lavender flavor without tasting too floral, or like soap as poorly balanced lavender-flavored things tend to. Though I ordered the drink with 50% sweetness, I found it to be on the sweet side. (I think they might sweeten the drinks more than the NYC location, as I've had the opposite impression there.) The flavor and texture of the homemade grass jelly was excellent, but it was difficult to suck up through a normal boba straw. 3.5/5.0
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