U-Cha Bomber Man milk tea with boba: After having a surprisingly good ginger milk tea last time I visited U-Cha in Berkeley, I decided to try one of their signature drinks, the Bomber Man milk tea. Unfortunately, the drink has nothing to do with our favorite Hudson Soft video game hero. Instead, the drink is essentially milk without tea. But even at 25% sweetness, the drink was overwhelmingly sweet as the honey boba has a caramel-like gooey outer layer. I wouldn't be surprised if even at 0% sugar, the drink would still be t... (read more) 2.0/5.0
avoid drinks milktea bubbletea ucha bomber man milk tea boba 2.0
Ucha Tea Ginger Milk Tea with Boba: Back when I first moved to Berkeley, UCha was one of the first bubble tea shops I tried given its high reviews online. I didn't find their barley milk tea to be very compelling though, so I never went back. Recently, on my way home from Pegasus Books, I had a sudden craving for milk tea and decided to give it another try since it's just a block away. Their ginger milk tea, which I ordered at 25% sweetness, was surprisingly good and spicier than most ginger teas I've had from boba tea shop... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended milktea bubbletea uchatea ginger milk tea boba 3.5
Uchi Cafe Strawberry milk with tapioca and pulp: Japanese convenience stores had a wide variety of coffee beverages to chose from; one surprising offering is their packaged tea and milk drinks containing tapioca, often available in the same refrigerated section as the coffee. They come with an expandable bubble tea straw and contain boba-like spheres more akin to popping boba than chewy fresh boba. The snap of the popping boba, though, was more satisfying than I expected. Kind of like a cross between kefir, with a slightly tangy / sour ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
lawson drinks japanese uchicafe strawberry milk tapioca pulp 3.0
Victoria's Kitchen coconut flavored almond water: Natural drink that had a clear coconut flavor. Hint of nuttiness. A bit too sweet-difficult to drink in its entirety. 3.0/5.0
almond coconut milk drinks victorias victoriaskitchen flavored water 3.0
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
Wanpo Tea Shop Black Rice & Taro with Coconut Milk: This is my second time getting a drink from this Taiwanese bubble tea shop, this time at their Shibuya location. Both times, the employees seemed to identify that I was Chinese and spoke to me in Mandarin, but I could barely cobble enough Chinese together to say that I didn't want the drink to be too sweet. This particular drink is almost like eating a dessert rather than a drink, containing more solid ingredients than liquid and reminding me of eating Taiwanese shaved ice, with its mix of... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks wanpoteashop black rice taro coconut milk 2.5