House Kombucha Ginger Fire Ginger and Green Tea with Hot Peppers: The first time I had kombucha six years ago, I found it so disgusting that I hadn't touched it since. But I do like ginger a lot, and this brand of House Kombucha was offered for free at work, so I decided to keep an open mind and give it a try. I expected it to have a very spicy flavor given the flames on the packaging, but it was much more mild (even if the heat built up a bit over time). Despite the lack of ginger heat, I was pleasantly surprised with the overall flavor, which was sligh... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks sf housekombucha ginger fire green tea hot peppers 3.5
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
Bubble Tea Sharetime Matcha milk tea with boba: This compact bubble tea shop on Shattuck in Berkeley, CA is best suited for ordering bubble tea to-go. Its proximity to my apartment, as well as its consistently good quality boba and drinks, have made it my go-to bubble tea cafe, particularly when it comes to milk tea (for fruit teas, Asha still wins). As far as Berkeley goes, the milk teas at Sharetime are better than UCha, Purple Kow, and Sweetheart Cafe, mostly because they aren't too sweet and taste more like tea than milk. On my last... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended bubbletea berkeley bubbleteasharetime matcha milk tea boba 3.5
Cha House Oolong milk tea with boba: This charming Taiwanese cafe on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, NC has a variety of snacks but specializes in bubble tea, with a mix of classic milk teas and fruit teas. I purchased their oolong milk tea at 0% sweetness since the boba are already steeped in brown sugar. The boba had a pretty good texture, though it was a tad soft for my taste. The oolong tea had a refreshing herbal flavor yet was also creamy and rich from the frothed milk. Overall, a solid and very traditional milk tea. 3.5/5.0
recommended bubbletea chahouse oolong milk tea boba 3.5 chapelhill
Dominique Ansel Bakery Blooming Matcha Latte: To celebrate their 7th birthday, the Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho recreated several desserts normally exclusively available at their other locations around the world, including Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo. This blooming matcha latte from Japan consists of a marshmallow whose petals unfurl when placed into the hot beverage. At the center of the sakura marshmallow is what seemed to be a sugar cube, acting as the pistil. The beverage itself has a rich but slightly bitter flavor distinct... (read more) 3.5/5.0
drinks nyc dab latte marshmallow dominiqueansel greentea tea dominiqueanselbakery blooming matcha 3.5 recommended
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