Are you a bubble tea addict? Do you hate it? Is it so-so?

As you might already know from my boba post from last week, I am an avid fan of bubble tea and boba. But this isn’t just about my passion for bubble tea. Regardless of how you might feel about bubble tea and boba, you’ve come to the right place for bubble tea recommendations. Today, I will be sharing my absolute favorite bubble tea shop in the Chicagoland area: Hello Jasmine!

If you’ve ever talked to me about boba, you know this hidden gem is my #1 by far! Chicago bubble tea doesn’t get much better than Hello Jasmine’s, even though it’s definitely not as known as Chatime, Kungfu Tea, and Joy Yee’s. And reasons to visit Hello Jasmine doesn’t just stop at the tea: I love the place because of its authenticity found in both its drinks and its food.

The Tea (and Boba) – 9/10

If you could one order one milk tea, definitely go for Hello Jasmine’s brown sugar boba milk tea. First off, the milk tea itself is absolutely perfect! It is a perfect compromise between black tea and milk! I love the fact that the tea isn’t overpowered by the milk, but also doesn’t overpower the milk and water down the drinks.

The boba is also the best I’ve had in the Chicagoland area and one of the top bobas in the US (although it would be unfair to compare boba in the US to the obviously superior ones in Taiwan, Hello Jasmine isn’t too shabby for Taiwan standards either!). It is sweetened to just the perfect amount and has the best compromise between soft and chewiness. They also make the boba fresh, so it’s nice and warm when you get your drink.

It can be a little too much on the sweet side if you order 100% sugar (but this is true for nearly every bubble tea shop in the US: YOU SHOULD NEVER GET 100% BECAUSE IT’S ALWAYS TOO SWEET) , so I would suggest ordering either 50% or 80% sugar and light ice to get the best balance between sweetness and tea. If it’s still too sweet for your tastes, the regular milk tea with boba is also an alternative.

The only drawback of this drink is the hefty cost at $5.75 a cup, which is a little more than most milk teas in Chinatown. However, given the high quality of the brown sugar boba milk tea, this money is definitely 100% worth it.

The Location – 7/10

There are actually 2 locations in Chicago, although I’ve only been to the Chinatown area one. The Chinatown location is both good and bad, but the benefits definitely outweigh the cons.

The store is not actually in New Chinatown or Old Chinatown, but it is only a short 5-minute walk away. It’s in its own small plaza and has its own parking lot, so you won’t need to pay to park in the Chinatown lot. Don’t be tricked by the free parking though, since Meet Fresh (home to the best Taiwanese desserts found in the US!) is next door, parking on late nights is horrendous at Meet Fresh’s peak hours.

The big pro though, you can easily get the quality bubble teas and drinks from Hello Jasmine, but still be in the convenient proximity of dim sum, dumplings, and other restaurants. You can also easily get Meet Fresh’s delicious desserts to finish off your Chinatown meal. It’s a win-win!

Taiwanese Food – 9/10

Not ready for a meal? Maybe you’re only a little bit hungry? You’ve come to the right place!

No worries, you don’t need to make the visit to Chinatown if you just want a quick snack or meal. Hello Jasmine doesn’t just serve drinks, they also serve rare Taiwanese snacks and street food that you won’t find anywhere else in Chicago, to compliment their bubble teas.

Their Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken (鹽酥雞) is one of a kind. I totally recommend 11/10, it’s super authentic and the taste is a perfect mirror of those I had in Taiwan. If you’re also into stinky or grilled tofu, Taiwanese-style sausages, Taiwanese-style Chicken Steaks, or other common Taiwanese streetfood, they also have them here. There’s no need to fly back to Taiwan, to taste their night markets. You can get both their bubble tea and the food here!

If you’re extra hungry and in the mood for a more filling meal, but don’t want to walk around to find food in Chinatown after getting your boba fix, Hello Jasmine also has small meals. They offer different variations of pork and chicken over rice (my favorite is the Braised Pork-滷肉飯!)  in both small and large sizes, depending on how big your appetite is. You can also get little side dishes like scallion pancakes and cold noodles to go with the bento if you’re still hungry.

You’re Missing Out!

If you love bubble tea, you won’t want to miss this gem. If you think bubble tea is okay, I’m completely confident that you will find a newfound love for bubble tea after visiting Hello Jasmine. If you hate it, maybe it’s because you’ve had bad luck with bubble tea and gone to the wrong places (If you went Naperville’s Joy Yee’s, I don’t blame you. Their drinks are good by themselves, but boba is absolutely tasteless and trash! Save your tastebuds and money for Hello Jasmine!). Or maybe you just want to try Taiwanese food? Go for it, especially the popcorn chicken (It’s so good!). You won’t find more authentic Taiwanese streetfood anywhere else in Chicago. Who knows, after going to Hello Jasmine, you might just end up loving bubble tea and Taiwanese street food as much as I do.

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How much boba is too much?

Is this even a valid question?

In my mind, you can never have too much boba!

As a Taiwanese American, my boba addiction was fate. Ever since I was in 5th grade, I’ve had a fascination with these little black tapioca balls. The only thing holding me back from constantly getting boba was the hefty cost ($4-$7 a cup of milk tea with pearls!), and also the lack of quality boba in Naperville (Dear Joy Yee’s, I wish you would stop overcooking your boba. I need my boba fix ASAP!).

As boba continues to become a millennial staple, many stores have been becoming more creative and adding it into various foods, some more bizarre than others. As an avid boba lover, here is a non-exhaustive list consisting of some of my favorite boba foods as well as some of the craziest ones I’ve heard of.

Boba + Breakfast Foods

This past summer on my Taiwan trip, I tried boba souffle pancakes. These are hands down the best pancakes I’ve ever had. Not only were they super fluffy, but they were also topped with an enormous mound of black gooey goodness. A sugary breakfast for sure, but the chewy tapioca complimented the fluffy bubble tea flavored pancakes and creamiest glaze perfectly. I will definitely go back to Belle Epoque for more pancakes.

I’ve also seen some pictures of boba toast, waffles, and even croissants. Although I haven’t had all of these boba breakfast foods, based on my boba pancake experience, boba made with enough syrup actually serves as a unique jam-like substitute. Boba pastries work perfectly if you’re looking for a breakfast treat!

Boba Pizza

This dish is one that I haven’t tried, but I’m actually very curious to try it and figure out how it works. Boba on pizza is such an odd combo: the boba looks kinda like olives, but are sweet rather than savory. I’m not sure how’d the pearls would taste after being in the oven for so long since the struggle with boba with is getting the perfect compromise between softness, firmness, and chewiness. The core must be soft throughout, but the pearls themselves can’t be falling apart. The best boba is also chewy but not too chewy and hard to consume. I really wonder how the intense heat affects the pearls: too much heat could possibly dry them out and make them hard as a rock.

Bubble Tea Popsicles

My favorite kind of popsicles ever! I found some I-MEI Pearl milk tea ice bars at Fresh International Market. Two-thirds of the popsicle is milk tea flavored and a third is milk flavored. There are also little pieces of “boba” in the milk tea flavored part! While the boba might not be the actual pearls, and more like a jelly, this is a better alternative than actually using pearls in the popsicles. Tapioca pearls tend to stiffen up once you set them out for too long, or put them in the fridge. The center hardens and eating them is no longer the fun squishy journey, but an annoying chore. With these popsicles, there are no boba struggles: your biggest worry is properly savoring this delicious treat!

To fans of brown sugar bubble tea, rejoice and continue reading! Your time has come!

Recently, on the Facebook group Subtle Asian Traits, brown sugar boba popsicles have become the rave. I’m dying to try them out, but they manufactured in Taiwan are ever-so elusive, only available in rare Asian grocery stores. Please, H-Mart or Fresh International, find these beauties and put them on sale, I’m begging you! Made with fresh milk, caramelized brown sugar, and real boba, these are the dream!

Bubble Tea, Boba, and…Hotpot?

Okay, to be fair, I was really grossed out at the thought of boba in hotpot at first. Hotpot typically is for meat, veggies, noodles, and fishcakes: it’s a meal and not sweet at all. Boba just didn’t seem to go at all. Digging deeper, I’d want to try some of the boba hotpots, depending on how it’s served. In some places, you actually don’t put boba with the typical hotpot items, which I thought you did. This hotpot is not a meal, but a dessert. Along with boba, these hotpots have things like taro and sweet potato balls, mochi, red bean, basically any of the toppings you can typically find typical Taiwanese desserts. And as long as you put a sweet hotpot soup base, possibly even milk tea, instead of something like tomato or veggie, the tapioca fits right into the sweet dish.

Side Note: there are also some bubble tea hotpot places that actually put boba with the typical hotpot foods, like a meal. All I can say is, try at your own risk. But as much as I love my boba, I’m not going to be sacrificing my precious hotpot meals for it.

The Story of the Bubble Tea Hotpot:

As you now realize, boba is not only just for milk tea. It is also extremely versatile and an applicable topping in all sorts of foods: from pizza to pancakes, to popsicles and even hotpot! The possibilities are endless! Don’t just limit yourself to adding tapioca in drinks, go out of your comfort zone and try the foods. Who knows, you might even end up liking the hotpot boba, but only if you give it a chance.

What boba foods are you going to try next?

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