My Bubble Tea Handbook
Slightly sweet, bite-sized, balls with an al dente texture, paired with a sweet and rich milk tea. Although it might not sound too appealing, boba is absolutely life-changing.
If you’ve never had boba, aka bubble tea before, this is your sign to go out and try it! It is traditionally a Taiwanese tea-based drink but nowadays, it’s pretty much an umbrella term– encompassing anything from avocado smoothies to coffees with jelly! While bubble tea shops aren’t as common here as compared to more Asian populated cities like Los Angeles, Naperville/ the Aurora area has a couple great options.
- Light ice
If you’re opting for something tea-based, which has a milker texture as compared to a smoothie, the drink will typically be served with ice. Lots of it. Requesting light ice an extra step that I once found intimidating, but it’s 100% worth it (plus, you’re getting more drink for your money $$$!). However, I wouldn’t recommend going any further than light ice: although I’ve never tried it, I’m assuming that milk tea without ice would be a bit unpleasant. Plus, is it really worth the judgment from whoever’s taking your order?
- Half Sugar
This is pretty self explanatory, but for those of us that don’t have the palate of a six year old, or those dieting, I’d suggest cutting the sugar by at least 25%– although boba might not be the best of drinks if you’re on a diet. Especially if you add toppings like tapioca, which is already coated in sugar syrup, there isn’t much of a need for extra sugar. Depending on the shop you go to, they might have a guide for the sweetness level, whether it be descriptions or in percentages. Of course, whether or not they can change the sweetness is based on the drink, as smoothies or drinks sweetened with honey usually have the same sweetness levels.
- Choose the right flavor
Although the classic milk tea might be the most traditional, don’t feel obligated to try it your first time! Trying a milk tea when you don’t actually enjoy the taste of tea could ruin it for you. If you’re new to boba, I’d suggest a smoothie with a topping.
There are typically three different categories: fruit teas, milk teas, and smoothies. However, there are variations within each category. For example, typical milk tea is made with black tea and milk, but flavors can be added, like taro or red bean. I’m not even going to attempt to list every drink out there– each shop has different drinks, and they usually have a specialty!
- Don’t be shy with the toppings!
After picking your flavor or “base,” it’ll be much easier to pick your toppings! This might be a little controversial, but I’d argue that drinks with jellies and other toppings should still fall under a “boba” category. In fact, peach tea with rainbow jelly is one of my favorite combinations! Plus, jellies might be a little more palatable for someone who’s never tried boba. A good “transitionary topping,” until you’re ready for some real tapioca pearls (slurping up solids can be intimidating at first!).
I’ve never tried cheese foam or any puddings before, but I’ve heard conflicting opinions on it. You can basically add however many toppings you’d like, but be warned that they’re usually around 50 cents per topping. Aloe vera and lychee jelly are some of my favorite toppings!
Although it sounds a bit strange, aloe is refreshing and has a succulent texture. In fact, aloe vera is even a drink on its own! Plus, it’s lower in calories and is loaded with antioxidants and vitamins.
Regardless of whether or not you’ve had boba, here are a couple of my favorite orders (all of which with light ice and half sugar, if allowed)
Tiger sugar milk tea with tapioca from Vannie’s House
Try it if:
- You’re looking for something classy but that still hits the mark
- The texture of tapioca
- You have a sweet tooth
- You like to eat with your eyes (this drink is gorgeous)
Peach tea with rainbow or lychee jelly from Pisces
Try it if:
- You want something light and refreshing
- You prefer fruity drinks
Plum lemon tea from Spades
Try it if:
- You want to switch things up
- You enjoy sweet-sour drinks (it’s a bit tangy)
Flaming brown sugar milk tea with tapioca from ViVi’s
Try it if:
- You enjoy Tiger sugar milk tea– this drink takes it to the next level
- You like creme brulee 😛
I have tried boba twice I think and I’ve been let down both times. the first time I got a milk tea and just did not like the tea at all but I liked the boba texture. The next time I got a smoothie with boba and it was very good but I felt like there was way too much boba that it was just overwhelming and ruined the drink for me. I can see how some people love having a lot of boba in every sip but I am not one of those people. This blog has persuaded me to try boba again!
Darn, I wish I had read this before we went to Pisces last week. In all seriousness, I’m probably one of the biggest boba haters (as you already know) but I’m mostly just uneducated and inexperienced. As a self proclaimed eater (everyone is an eater or a drinker, I don’t make the rules), I’m naturally averse to boba. But in theory, I should actually like it quite a bit. I love love loveee these brown sugar boba bars from H-Mart/Costco (thanks Tiffany :)) And unlike coffee or tea, boba has an edible component with the tapioca balls. Still, my trysts have yet to impress me. Either it’s too bitter, too milk-like, too chewy, or too bland. The closest I ever came to liking boba was this pink sakura blend (full!!! sugar) and though it was good, it just tasted a lot like strawberry milk. I wanna like it, I really do, but I just don’t think it’s for me.
Hi Faith! I think boba is something I get once in a while, usually initiated by my sister or my friends. I’ve been consuming it over a long period of my life, though, as I would always order strawberry tea or avocado smoothies with tapioca balls in it. I usually always get fruity/floral flavors (strawberry, mango, rose) or chai/matcha lattes with brown sugar boba only, so I think I’ll try rainbow jelly or popping tapioca pearls instead later on in the future. I also really enjoy aloe vera drinks, so I’ll try that as well. I’ll also be sure to take your recommendations in consideration too!
Hey Faith! Thanks for this very informative guide to all things bubble tea. I have to say, every day I become more and more convinced that my behaviors aren’t anything special, because I do almost everything that you’ve mentioned here! I always request light ice (I went with no ice once, it just didn’t hit the spot), and depending on my mood I either go 75 or 50% sweetness. What’s more, once I went to Spades Tealife and the one order that caught my eye was the plum tea! I tried to get it with 75% sugar though, but the manager firmly informed me that I couldn’t adjust the sweetness on that drink. But overall, yes, I completely agree, a refreshing fruit tea with lychee jelly hits the spot almost every time, and to this day cheese foam still confounds me.
Hi Faith! After reading your blog, I really wish I found it before I went to Vivi’s the other day. Since it was our first time at Vivi’s (none of my friends went there before either), I had no idea what to get and decided to trust their “most-popular drinks” menu. I ended up getting their tiramisu milk tea with less ice, crystal boba (tapioca lowkey makes my head hurt because it’s too chewy sometimes T-T), and whipped cream on top at 25% sugar. It’s probably just me since the tiramisu milk tea was one of their most popular, but I found the combination of coffee, cocoa powder, and tea to be super wacky and a probably wouldn’t get it again kind of drink? Now I wish I got the Flaming brown sugar milk tea since I like tiger sugar! I haven’t tried many different milk teas but here are some of my go-to’s! If I’m at Pisces, I’ll get the taro milk tea with lychee jelly at either 25% or unsweetened (I promise you I’m not crazy) depending on my mood. If I’m at Vannie’s I’ll get their pretty butterfly pea tea with crystal boba also unsweetened since Vannie’s runs on the sweeter side. A lot of people have been telling me to try the cheese foam or add mochi to my bubble tea so I think I’ll try those out next time! Thanks for the guide to boba!