Tou Lan Tea Strawberry Latte with Boba: I had some bad experiences with several bubble tea shops when I first came to Japan (ones I didn't bother to review), but there was a highly rated spot not too far from the university that I decided to check out. They feature a handful of classic herbal teas along with a wider menu of fruit teas, smoothies, as well as a whole section of banana lattes (I'm not sure why!). The strawberry latte was excellent, like a milder and less sweet version of strawberry ice cream (I had it at their "les... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks tokyo toulantea strawberry latte boba 4.0
Wanpo Tea Shop Oolong milk tea with boba: I've had bubble tea in Japan at a handful of shops, and most have been very disappointing, with watered-down powdered tea and overly soft boba. When I saw that there was a Taiwanese chain of bubble tea shops near Ueno station whose wall is lined with loose-leaf tea canisters, I thought they might be different. Luckily, my suspicions were confirmed, and I was actually able to communicate with the shop in Mandarin, a big win for me as I normally feel pretty useless with the little Japanese I... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended bubbletea japan wanpoteashop oolong milk tea boba 4.0
Happy Ice Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar: This is the famed, verging notorious, Taiwanese brown sugar boba iced tea bar, containing tapioca balls, that have been sold out everywhere. The person who was able to purchase it did not reveal its source but did say that there were multiple boxes available at this unnamed shop in the city of Los Angeles. The bar is a true work of science, with the tapioca balls retaining its iconic stretchy and chewy consistency despite being embedded in a frozen ice cream bar that tastes exactly like br... (read more) 4.5/5.0
recommended icecream taiwanese boba milktea happyice brown sugar ice cream bar 4.5
Tiger Sugar Brown sugar boba milk tea with cream mousse: Stopped by the Tiger Sugar stand on Main Street in Flushing on a Friday night and waited in line for about 15 minutes to get a cup of the famed brown sugar boba milk tea with cream mousse. The Flushing location is the first in the US from Taiwanese chain Tiger Sugar; there is an additional spot now in Sunset Park, and the latest will be opening in Chinatown this Saturday, so all major Chinese neighborhood across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens are covered. I actually didn't know too much a... (read more) 3.5/5.0
drinks boba taiwanese brownsugar tigersugar brown sugar milk tea cream mousse 3.5
Moge Tee Cheese Rose Oolong Tea with Boba: I passed by Moge Tee on Christmas evening and was surprised to find a bubble tea shop open at 10pm. They were out of their normal milk teas, so I got one of these cheese-foam options, which seems to be growing in popularity at bubble tea shops more generally. The rose oolong tea, at a quarter sweetness, had a pleasantly floral flavor that still tasted strongly of oolong tea, and the boba had a quality springiness without being overly soft. I think the cheese flavor didn't work consuming t... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended boba bubbletea manhattan nyc mogetee cheese rose oolong tea 3.5
Bar pa tea Roasted oolong milk tea with boba: Located near Soho, Bar Pa Tea bubble tea shop is a sister shop to Pa Tea, another shop I reviewed earlier this summer. The chronology of my reviews is off, though - I actually went to Bar Pa first, not knowing they were related. This milk tea was alright and just average, like bubble tea you can get from any ok tea shop in California. The boba was actually below average, though, as it was too soft. I did however sample their oolong soft serve and thought t was surprisingly good, which is why... (read more) 2.5/5.0
bubbletea drinks nyc barpatea roasted oolong milk tea boba 2.5