Sharetea Hokkaido black milk tea with boba: I stopped by this branch of Sharetea to scout out tea shops in downtown Berkeley; this one is located right on the edge of campus. Coming in around lunchtime meant there was a sizeable line of college students, and it took about 10 minutes total from getting in line to retrieving my drink. Their menu has several variants of classic black milk tea, including Hokkaido black tea, which supposedly has a roasted brown sugar flavor. Though I ordered it at 30% sweetness, it was more sweet than I wo... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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iTea Lychee Green Tea: A rare miss at my go-to boba shop, I found the lychee green tea at iTea to have an overly sweet artificial flavor and very little herbal taste. The boba was also too soft, though the lychee jelly that comes with the drink had a nice bite and satisfying fruit flavor. I've generally found that the more traditional tea drinks are better than their fruit teas. 2.5/5.0
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iTea Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with Boba: While I previously have had very good experiences at iTea in San Francisco, I've found that the quality has seemed to decline over time. On my last trip, I ordered their Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with little sweetness and ice, yet the drink was still sweeter than I would expect and diluted tasting right from the start. The boba, too, was overly chewy without much character. I typically like to order new things every time I go, but if I find myself at iTea again, I will likely order one of m... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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Sweetheart Cafe Avocado Slush with Boba: A creamy drink that tasted more like milk than avocado. The standout component was still the boba, which remains singular in its chewy consistency. Overall, though, I would recommend another beverage at this Berkeley favorite just a block away from Sather Gate. 2.5/5.0
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TeaOne Buckwheat Purple Yam Milk Tea with Boba: Located on Telegraph on the edge of Berkeley's campus is TeaOne, yet another bubble tea shop in Berkeley. I decided to try their Buckwheat Purple Yam milk tea because it's a flavor I haven't seen elsewhere. Unfortunately, it is a flavor that probably shouldn't exist elsewhere because it has a starchy, grainy texture almost reminiscent of sesame breakfast porridge you get in powder packs at Asian grocery stores. The boba was also overly soft, with little discernible taste. 2.5/5.0
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Icha Tea Chrysanthemum pu’er tea with boba: Icha Tea in Toronto bears a strong resemblance to Asha Tea in Berkeley; it brews all its tea in house and has a special tea bar for sampling an assortment of hot teas. It takes it one step further by offering house made pastries like black sesame tofu cheesecake. I didn’t get any desserts this time around but purchased an iced chrysanthemum pu’er milk tea with boba. They brewed the tea in front of me before mixing it with chilled milk, a process which took over five minutes. Somehow, though,... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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