I’m Victoria, and I love bubble tea!
It’s actually a legitimate problem. Problem, as in, at any given moment I think I may have more bubble tea in my veins than blood created by my bone marrow. I’ve always liked bubble tea, but somehow during quarantine the ‘like’ turned into a potentially bad-for-my-health obsession. The medium drinks I used to order turned into large drinks and once a month turned into once a week, which turned into… well… this.
I decided that in the approximately one month that I have left before I go back to college, I am going to try as many bubble tea places in NYC as I possibly can. In this case, “as many new bubble tea places in NYC as I possibly can” is twenty. Twenty bubble tea shops in one month.
Zoo Wee Mama.
But, of course, doing it alone is no fun, so for this expedition I’ll also be joined by my sisters and cousins and some guests along the way! We are on a mission to find the best boba places in the city AND help anyone who reads this decide on their next boba destination.
Something I realized as I looked at different reviews for bubble tea places in the past is that you really don’t know if you’ll like a drink unless you try it. Everyone has their own taste, so it’s hard to figure out whether a drink someone claims is a ‘MUST-HAVE’ is one that you’ll actually like. In an effort to help you all decide which of us shares tastebuds most similar to yours, we’ve listed some information about our individual boba preferences so that you can figure out which one of our recommendations (if any) to listen to!
Victoria:
Favorite Classic Drink: Green Milk Tea
Favorite Topping: Boba
Favorite Chain: Kung Fu Tea
Sugar Preference: 30% or no sugar
Milk Tea or Fruit Tea? Milk Tea
Daphne:
Favorite Classic Drink: Thai Tea
Favorite Topping: Grass Jelly
Favorite Chain: Coco
Sugar Preference: 30-50% sugar
Milk Tea or Fruit Tea? Milk Tea
Elizabeth:
Favorite Classic Drink: Mango Green Tea
Favorite Topping: Grass Jelly
Favorite Chain: Gong Cha
Sugar Preference: No sugar
Milk Tea or Fruit Tea? Fruit Tea
Sammy:
Favorite Classic Drink: Passionfruit Green Tea
Favorite Topping: Grass Jelly
Favorite Chain: Coco
Sugar Preference: No sugar
Milk Tea or Fruit Tea? Depends on the mood, usually fruit tea
Jacqueline:
Favorite Classic Drink: Taro Milk Tea
Favorite Topping: Boba
Favorite Chain: Gong Cha
Sugar Preference: 30% or no sugar
Milk Tea or Fruit Tea? Milk Tea
Dennis:
Favorite Classic Drink: Passionfruit Green Tea with Grass Jelly
Favorite Topping: Grass Jelly
Favorite Chain: Kung Fu Tea
Sugar Preference: No sugar
Milk Tea or Fruit Tea? Fruit Tea
Below I’ve pasted a graphic of our schedule for this event. For each bubble tea place, I’ll let you know what we got, a quick little review, and then I’m literally going to copy and paste our immediate, unedited, thoughts that we had right after we finished our drinks (you’ll be able to tell just how immediate and unedited they are).
Let's get into it!
1. Debutea
Address: 217 Thompson Street
Website: debutea.com
Drinks: Bobo Milk Tea ($5.95), Taro Bobo Tea ($5.95), Coco Mango ($6.75), Signature Jasmine Green Fruit Tea ($6.95)
Debutea prides itself on using fresh fruits, teas, and ingredients (no powder)... and it shows. From the real taro to the house-made coconut jelly to the fresh fruits in their fruit tea, all of the drinks had a certain high-end taste and look to them. I found that even though most of us found our drinks to be on the mediocre side, none of them were actually, truly, bad, and none of them
tasted artificial. One thing they do advertise is their cheese foam, and unfortunately none of us tried it, so we definitely want to go back and give it a shot!
They have a nice outdoor space right now for people to sit and enjoy their drinks. I felt so bougie taking the picture of my drinks right in front of their Debutea sign while the people next to me watched. And then I paused as if I was waiting for people to come meet me before visibly checking my phone, putting my drinks back in the bag, and carrying them out as if all of them were for me. And all the while I assumed the people next to me were waching as if I were the main character. ALL THAT FOR THIS PICTURE. PLEASE ENJOY.
The Drinks
Victoria: Taro Bobo Tea (4/5)
“Their taro drink was made with fresh taro! It was better than Gong Cha's fresh taro, but probably not as good as I'Milky's. Nevertheless, it was good and thick and not too sweet. I liked that they put a lot of taro paste in the drink because I was able to drink a little, add more milk, and then mix it all up again so it was like I got DOUBLE the drink for the price of a small. The taro was a little hard to mix though. I wanted more taro-flavored milk and less entire taro pieces being sucked up my straw, but in the end it all worked out. The boba was also pretty good. I liked that it fought BACK and had some flavor.”
Daphne: Bobo Milk Tea (3/5)
“Average Joe. I could’ve gotten it anywhere. However, HOWEVER, it wasn’t like the bad places where it’s just straight milk and brown sugar; it was actual tea which was yum yum dee lish. The boba itself was a good texture and the GRASS JELLY WAS MAGNIFIQUE. The cup/bottle was fancy BUT my reusable metal straw kept squeaking and scraping against the lid and it sounded disGOSTANNG. But overall pretty good.”
Elizabeth: Signature Jasmine Green Fruit Tea (4/5)
“It was a pretty good drink, but I feel like it was similar to other fruit teas I’ve had before. It wasn’t too special. Also I do not like the caps that have a pre-made hole for the straw. The hole is always too small for my reusable straw (but this is kinda a me problem, not really their fault).”
Dennis: Coco Mango (5/5)
“Taste great. Right amount of sugar. Yummy.”
(Let it be known he literally inhaled this drink in less than 5 minutes and said it was very good, but it should be noted that he had also just finished exercising and was very hungry. Do with that information what you will.)
(I [Victoria] did have a sip before he drank it and I will say it was very refreshing! They make the coconut jelly themselves, and you can definitely tell how fresh it is. Would recommend if you want to pretend you’re on an island somewhere.)
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a place that uses fresh ingredients, is instagrammable, and is said to have great cheese foam, Debutea might be the place for you!
Average Rating: 3.75/5
Recommendations: Taro Bobo Tea, Coco Mango
All of us would come back!
2. Pa Tea
Address: 224 East 14th Street
Website: pateanyc.com
Drinks: Rose Milk Tea with Mini Bubbles (no sugar, $7.00), Brown Sugar Oolong Milk Tea with Mini Bubbles (less sugar, $7.25), Mango Ice Cream Swirl with Grass Jelly ($7.75), Passionfruit Green Tea with Boba (no sugar, $7.00)
**WE GOT THE STUBBY SIZE! The smaller sizes are cheaper!
There are a couple things I just immediately loved about this store.
First, the selection. There are so many drinks to choose from, including all of the classic drinks you’d expect to find at every bubble tea place you go to, plus extras, like the Hazelnut and Lychee Green Milk Teas. Their most unique drinks are definitely the ones with ice cream at the bottom, which my cousin tried so more on that later!
Second, the STUBBY. The Stubby is their largest size, a 26 oz, that comes in a wide but stout cup. It is adorable and fun and the perfect way to consume a lot of bubble tea without feeling like you’re consuming a lot of bubble tea.
Finally, they offer both a student and birthday 5% off discount. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but guys… boba places rarely ever give discounts, and in this house we are obsessed with discounts. Giving me a discount will likely entice me to buy absolutely anything even if I don’t need it, so yeah. 5% discount is a Game. Changer.
The Drinks
Victoria: Brown Sugar Oolong Milk Tea with Mini Bubbles (3/5)
“The drink tasted basically like oolong milk tea. I couldn't really taste the brown sugar part of it and even when I got the drink it didn't have that signature brown sugar DRIP you know? So I couldn't really tell if they had forgotten the brown sugar part of it or if it just wasn't taste-able in the drink. BUT for some reason mini bubbles just hit different, and this is one of the only stores in the city I've seen that have mini bubbles. I love the stubby size and I'd probably come back to this store just to get more mini boba and try some of their other flavors.”
Daphne: Mango Ice Cream Swirl with Grass Jelly (3/5)
“Disappointed they didn’t have Thai but this was good. The mango tasted a lil artificial but after I mixed it with the ice cream it was better. The ice cream was too sweet and made everything too sweet, but it was still good though I liked. I also liked the stubster. Grass jelly was good but it’s hard to mess up grass jelly. Stubby cup was so fun love that. Ok.”
Elizabeth: Rose Milk Tea with Mini Bubbles (3/5)
“I think I ordered the wrong thing…I should’ve gotten sugar in it. I really like the mini boba though. The cups are also kinda cool.”
Sammy: Passionfruit Green Tea with Boba (4/5)
“Good boba but weird containers (kinda liked it kinda didn’t) - also when I went there once this crazy guy came in with only underwear.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for variety in teas and toppings, Pa Tea might be the place for you!
Average Rating: 3/5
Recommendations: Nothing specific--try your go-to drink when you come here!
All of us would come back!
3. Lazy Sundaes
Address: 265 Canal Street
Website: lazysundaes.com
Drinks: London Fog with Boba (regular sugar, $5.25), Rose Matcha Latte with Boba ($6.00), Matcha Latte with Boba (25% sugar, $5.25), Lychee Green with Coconut Jelly (no sugar, $5.25), Strawberry Matcha Latte with Boba ($5.50)
I was genuinely so sad when COVID knocked out Boba Guys from the city. They had such good matcha and their boba was always just the right texture. However! Lazy Sundaes has taken over every single Boba Guys location in the city, and they have come to play. Putting aside the eerily similar branding and vibe that Lazy Sundaes has to Boba Guys, I really enjoyed the minimalistic and clean menu they had.
Their drink selection was limited, but definitely unique. Most of us opted for a matcha drink, and I loved how many different matcha choices there were. They not only had regular matcha, but also strawberry, rose, and white chocolate. I’d describe the non-matcha items as tending toward more fruity and floral flavors. Drinks like Blackberry Sage Oolong and Green Plum Jasmine Punch definitely caught my eye.
In the end, we had the most success with the matcha drinks! Boba Guys was well known for their matcha, and Lazy Sundaes could very well be too. My cousin also loved her London Fog drink. Unfortunately, we had less success with the fruity drink, but it could definitely be attributed to the fact that we didn’t add sugar into that drink.
(Not to re-open closed wounds, but it is weird that Lazy Sundaes’ branding looks similar to Boba Guys’ right? And their menu feels similar? And they took over all their locations? This literally could not concern me less, but it’s weird, right?)
The Drinks
Victoria: Rose Matcha Latte with Boba (4/5)
“This was GOOD. It had a strong rose flavor with a very nice matcha foundation. I was skeptical that the flavors would mix well, but I really really liked it!! The only downside would probably be the sweetness. It wasn't adjustable, so I found that it was a little too sweet for me. BUT you can just add more milk into that bad boy and BAM. DOUBLE THE DRINK. And we're all about making boba last as long as possible in this house. I'm a fan of mixing different flavors with matcha and was super happy with how the rose turned out. The bubbles were also nice and firm when you drink them fresh. They get a little hard after just a couple hours in the refrigerator which is not ideal, but, I mean, next time I'll just drink make sure to drink it within the first couple hours.”
Daphne: London Fog with Boba (4/5)
“So it was very sweet but i think that’s my fault because i said regular sugar. I haven’t had a drink at this place so i didn’d know how their sugar was so yikers maybe it’don me. Anyways so it was very easy to finish it all. The earl grey tea was muah chefs kiss. Bobas were kinda hard but they were still chewy ish and I kinda liked it that way. It tasted like a very good boba that I saved in the fridge overnight anyways yes. The cup was a plus too because normally I have to stab with a knife first before putting the straw in but this was the type of cap where I could just put my straw in.”
Elizabeth: Matcha Latte with Boba (4/5)
“I liked it. The boba was nice and chewy and the tea had a good flavor.”
Dennis: Lychee Green with Coconut Jelly (1/5)
“It tasted like ice water with coconut jelly. It was very bland. I will not order it again.”
(A number of us tried this drink and actively gagged. Would not recommend.)
Jacqueline: Strawberry Matcha Latte (4/5)
“The store looked clean, the ordering was easy. There arent a ton of options on the menu, so you assume that they’re all probably really good. It reminded me a lot of Boba Guys. The decor and the logo were all similar. The drinks were too! I got the Strawberry Matcha, a drink I would get when I went to Boba Guys. This one is less sweet and both the Matcha and Strawberry flavors are less intense than at boba guys. I wish the matcha flavor were more intense, but I still like it a lot. The bubbles were a perfect texture, and I like that they offer oat milk. I would come back and try a non-milk based drink!”
Conclusion
If you’re looking to replace the Boba Guys-shaped hole in your heart, try some flavored matcha drinks, or eat some bingsoo, Lazy Sundaes may be the place for you!
Average Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendations: The matcha drinks!
Most of us would come back!
4. Teazzi
Address: 47 West 14th Street
Website: teazzi.com
Drinks: House Special Milk Tea with Boba (30% sugar, $6.50), Honey Amber Oolong Milk Tea with Boba (30% sugar, $6:25), Strawberry Four Seasons Milk Tea with Boba (30% sugar, $6.75), Passionfruit Orange Tea with Grass Jelly (50% sugar, $6.75)
Y’all…. this store was so sleek. It was kinda unexpected and out of place in the big hodgepodge of stores around union square. They definitely gave off a good first impression, not just with the store but also with their drink selection.
If I were to describe their vibe, I could sum it up in one word: oat. It isn’t even that they use oat milk; they just have oats as an option for a topping. And it isn’t even like they have oats in their drinks a lot or have an oats series… I CAN’T DESCRIBE IT, but their drinks are just… OAT-Y. I think oats is a built-in topping for just two of their drinks, and, to quote Dr. Doofenschmirtz, if I had a nickel for every time a store had oats in their drink, I’d have two nickels, which is not a lot, but it’s weird that it appears twice.
After all that, you’d think I’d be able to say that the oats were the star of the house special, but I honestly think the boba was the star of this shop. As I like to say, the boba fought BACK, which I loved, and each one tasted like it had been steeped in honey. I’m a sucker for when boba actually has taste and isn’t just a ball of starch. The actual tea was decent enough, but the tea was the supporting actor to the boba, you know? Like, it’s fine if Jess is in the episode of New Girl-- I won’t complain-- but I’m really there to watch Nick. You get it.
Prices were definitely a bit high, but all of our drinks came in a large size which I was happy about (there are stores that sell a medium for the same price).
The Drinks
Victoria: Honey Amber Oolong Milk Tea with Boba (4/5)
“I'D COME BACK HERE JUST FOR THE BOBA. The boba itself was sweet kinda like kung fu's but a little harder and chewier. AND it was paired with a pretty good milk tea. I could actually taste the honey and I think I could taste the 'amber' too?? Even though I literally could not tell you what 'amber' is, I definitely tasted it!! (and of course I also tasted the oolong and she was delicious) The store was also super pretty, but I didn't like that the drinks were given in paper cups. I like being able to see the color and toppings in my drink.”
Daphne: Passionfruit Orange Tea with Grass Jelly (5/5)
“GORG DELISH. DRANK THE WHOLE THING. SO GOOD. NOT TOO BITTER NOT TOO SWEET. jelly a little broken up BUT GREAT TEXTURE GORGEOUS DRINK QUENCH QUENCH REVENGE. Didn’t like the cup though (hot drink cup for cold drink)”
Elizabeth: House Special Milk Tea with Boba (3/5)
“It was pretty average milk tea with slightly above average boba. I was told there were oats in it, but I did not taste any oats. Maybe they disintegrated before I drank the tea. Very sad because I was expecting a weird oat crunch and then I just got tea.”
Sammy: Strawberry Four Seasons Milk Tea with Boba (4/5)
“Great boba so qq. The tea was a little oaty which was kinda funky kinda good. The store was so fancy.”
Jacqueline: Honey Amber Oolong Milk Tea with Brown Sugar Boba (5/5)
“So good! The tea was really tasty, and had a nice earthy, nutty flavor. It was the perfect level of sweetness. The bubbles were incredible. They were cooked perfectly and the more you chewed, the more flavor they released. You could taste the rich brown sugar flavor that seemed to have a hint of good quality maple syrup. I can’t wait to go back and try more drinks!”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for firm and chewy boba, good (oat-y) drinks, or a pretty shop in Union Square, Teazzi might be the place for you!
Average Rating: 4/5
Recommendations: Passionfruit Orange Tea, Honey Amber
All of us would come back!
5. Jooy Tea Shoppe
Address: 653 9th Avenue
Drinks: Signature Fruit Tea with Grass Jelly ($6.95), Omo Thai with Boba (30% sugar, $6.25), Mango Pomelo (30% sugar, $7.00), Lychee Dragonfruit (30% sugar, $7.00)
You’d think that with a name like “jooy,” you’d be able to feel, well, “joy” after finishing their drink. Maybe you are immediately overcome by post-boba bliss, and “joy” isn’t an accurate enough description for you feel; a slow, lethargic, “jooy” is a more correct way to encapsulate the whole experience.
Unfortunately, Jooy fell a little flat for me. I went in with high expectations because of the 5 star yelp review, but, besides the sleek shop that had instagrammable light-up signs and the multiple seating options they had (with wifi!), I was a little underwhelmed. (Though, if this place were closer to a subway station, I could definitely see myself coming here to study, grab a drink with a friend, or pretend to read as I wait for my own personal meet-cute.)
Don’t get me wrong, the Mango Pomelo that I ordered was good. I’d even say it was great. But my family members ordered other things and were less than impressed. Daphne, a Thai Tea connoisseur, didn’t like her tea. Elizabeth thought their signature fruit tea was better than average, but just alright. All in all, only one of our drinks was worth recommending, and our final rating will reflect that (basically… if you come here just get the Mango Pomelo what are you waiting for).
The biggest thing about this place is that the prices literally hurt me. Every time I read “$7.00” on the menu, I received one Julius Caesar stab to my body. Sure, the drinks come in a large size, but guys… this boba price inflation has gotta stop or I will no longer be able to fund my addiction. Jooy is a place I’d like to come back to, but not sure if I actually would.
The Drinks
Victoria: Mango Pomelo (4/5)
“It was like a mango yogurt smoothie with little sago balls. You know that sweet soup you get as dessert at some Asian restaurants? That has little tapioca balls and taro pieces? It tasted kinda like that but mango flavored. SO. GOOD. I kinda wished the drink were a little more punchy. The mango flavor is definitely there and good enough, but I wanted just a little bit more from it. I wouldn't really classify it as a bubble tea drink, but I would get it again.”
Daphne: Omo Thai with Boba (2/5)
“Not the best, not very good Thai, subpar.”
Elizabeth: Signature Fruit Tea with Grass Jelly (3/5)
“This fruit tea was pretty good. A little tangy. My straw got stuck in a lemon slice so maybe that was it.”
Sammy: Lychee Dragonfruit (3/5)
“Ngl I completely forgot about this drink unmemorable NEXT”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a boba place with seating, are willing to spend a little extra, or find happiness in taking photos of your drinks, Jooy Tea Shoppe may be the place for you!
Average Rating: 2.5/5
Recommendation: Mango Pomelo
Half of us would come back.
6. Mi Tea
Address: 101 MacDougal Street
Website: miteaus.com
Drinks: Mango Slush with Cheese Foam and Boba (50% sugar, $6.95), Peach Oolong with Cheese Foam and Boba (30% sugar, $5.25), Coconut Milk with Mango Pudding (30% sugar, $6.00), Bubble Milk Tea (30% sugar, $5.25), Hong Kong Milk Tea with Boba (30% sugar, $5.25)
You know when a friend tells you, “Oh, you’re going to LOVE this, I just know it!” and hypes something up so much that you get really excited about it and you feel yourself physically wanting to love it? That’s how I felt walking into Mi Tea, with fellow yelpers being the aforementioned ‘friends’ in my analogy. My desire to love this store was only elevated when I realized how nice the person working the counter was (he brought your drinks directly out to you and was super patient with questions).
Service and aesthetics aside, the drinks were super inconsistent. We’re all (the four of us that got boba) in agreement that the boba was not great (they were too soft and flavorless). As for the teas themselves, the regular bubble milk tea was too watery and the peach oolong tasted like flavored skim milk. The mango pudding in the coconut milk with mango pudding made the drink a little above average, but in the end the drink was exactly what it was: milk with pudding.
The two drinks that stood out the most were the Hong Kong milk tea and the mango slush with cheese foam. As other reviews have said, the HK milk tea here is really exceptional (However the boba that the person at the counter recommended to go with it was not exceptional. Did I mention the boba was bad?).
As Keith Habersberger said as he judged Eugene’s “Bube” donuts in Without a Recipe, “The tapioca balls had no place in this.” And he was right. (Okay, I’m really milking this, and this may be harsh and may be partly influenced by the fact that I had to walk 10 minutes from the Bleecker Street station in the rain to get to this shop, but I stand by what I said and you guys get the point.)
The Drinks
Victoria: Hong Kong Milk Tea with Boba (3.5/5)
“The HK tea itself was the stand out. I decided to get it based on reviews and was happy with my decision! It's nice n strong but not bitter. Tea is just one half of what I'm expecting to be good when I get bubble tea though. The other half is the BUBBLES. And the bubbles were disappointing. They were way too soft and tasteless which is just so unfortunate because a good strong boba would have been perfect with this good strong HK milk tea !! Missed opportunities.”
Daphne: Coconut Milk with Mango Pudding (3/5)
“Pretty good. Nothing super special. It was just milk and mango jelly. Samantha ordered for me so that’s not my fault. The mango jelly was really yum so that’s good. Average but good.”
Elizabeth: Mango Slush with Cheese Foam and Boba (4/5)
“The drink was so pretty. Very aesthetically pleasing. The cheese foam was good. I wish the mango slush was slushier; maybe if I had the drink right away it would have been better.”
Sammy: Peach Oolong with Cheese Foam and Boba (2/5)
“Kinda tasted like skim milk that a peach bathed in. Boba is not very qq.”
Raina: Bubble Milk Tea (2/5)
“Too watery”
Conclusion
If you’re craving Hong Kong Milk Tea, are a sucker for good service, or are in the area and desperate for boba, Mi Tea may be the place for you!
Average Rating: 3/5
Recommendations: Mango Slush with Cheese Foam and Hong Kong Milk Tea
Most of us would not come back.
7. FIFTYlan
Address: 32 Union Square East
Website: fiftylanusa.com
Drinks: Peach Green Tea with Golden Bubbles (25% sugar, $6.00), Mango Green Tea with Konjac Jelly (0% sugar, $6.00), Golden Bubble Milk Tea (50% sugar, $6.20), Green Milk Tea with Golden Bubbles (25% sugar, $6.20), Green Tea Latte with Golden Bubbles (25% sugar, $6.70)
Each drink may not have been the best in its class, but all of them were pretty damn good, and consistency is nothing to scoff at! We got a good variety of drinks between the six of us and we wouldn’t actively not recommend any of them, which is more than I can say for other places we’ve been to. Again, there weren’t necessarily any stand-outs, but I don’t think you can go wrong with getting your favorite drink here- both the milk teas and fruit teas were yum.
Their boba is EXTREMELY hard and chewy. Most of us love hard and chewy boba, so we loved their boba, but if you’re more of a soft boba type person you may not love the boba here, especially since they put A LOT of it in there. The boba to tea ratio here is a little off, I gotta say. There’s way too much boba for the amount of tea they give us. I’m not really the type to complain about too much boba, but when you finish a drink and there’s still stacks on stacks of boba at the bottom of the cup, you get a little :-/ you know?
The Drinks
Victoria: Green Milk Tea with Golden Bubbles (3.5/5)
“Okay so this drink started at a 4, but somehow the more I drank it, the less I liked it. The tea was very very milky, and the more you drink, the more you realize just how milky it is. It was like milk with a very vague green tea flavor but mostly milk. BUT this drink's saving grace was the golden bubbles, which were EXCELLENT. They fought back (maybe a little too much at times? I nom nom-ed for a very long time before swallowing) and had flavor to them. BUT OKAY SO remember Teazzi? I said that I could taste 'amber' in the drink even though I have no idea what 'amber' is?? THESE BUBBLES HAD THAT MAGIC 'amber' IN THEM. I SWEAR. They do have to work on their tea to boba ratio though because yowzers there was so much boba and I had to keep chewing and chewing.”
Daphne: Golden Bubble Milk Tea (4/5)
“TEA SO GOOD LIKE ACTUALLY SO DELICIOUS BUT THE REASON IT’S NOT A 5 IS BECAUSE OF 2 REASONS: NUMBER 1 IS THAT I GOT 50 PERCENT SUGAR BUT IT WAS STILL SUPER SWEET. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I GOT REGULAR SUGAR? I WOULD’VE DIED. NUMBER 2 IS THAT THERE WAS TOO MUCH BOBA. I FINISHED ALL THE TEA AND HALF OF THE CUP WAS FILLED WITH BOBA. BOBA WAS PRETTY GOOD BUT IT FOUGHT BACK A LITTLE TOO MUCH FOR MY LIKING. BUT THE TEA WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS AND GORG AND I COULD DRINK A JUG OF IT.”
Elizabeth: Green Tea Latte with Boba (4/5)
“It was pretty yum. There was slightly too much boba, but the boba was nice and chewy. The drink had a good green tea flavor.”
Jacqueline: Peach Green Tea with Golden Bubbles (4/5)
“Tea was just okay. It tasted like it could have been from Coco or Gong Cha, which I feel like is the baseline for good bubble tea. I was expecting better from a well known Taiwan chain! What makes this drink more memorable was the bubbles. They had a good texture and they put plenty.”
Sammy: Peach Green Tea with Golden Bubbles (5/5)
“Love the boba so qq love the tea so tart”
Dennis: Mango Green Tea with Konjac Jelly (4/5)
“The tea was above average. The jelly was interesting. Not sure if I can compare it to anything I had before. It was tasty, mostly not too sweet. That’s the way I like it, ahaha!!!”
Conclusion
If you want good, consistent, drinks, with delicious firm bubbles, FIFTYLAN may be the place for you!
Average Rating: 4/5
Recommendations: Peach Green Tea, Golden Bubble Milk Tea
All of us would come back
8. Tea and Milk
Address: 75 9th Avenue (Lower Level of Chelsea Market)
Drinks: Strawberry Matcha Latte with Boba (25% sugar, $6.60), Peach Matcha Latte with Boba (25% sugar, $6.60), Signature Taro Root Milk Tea with Boba (50% sugar, $6.60)
It’s honestly a good thing this place is all the way at Chelsea Market because if it were any more convenient, I would be coming here a whole lot.
The boba here is next. level. They fought back just the right amount and were individually sweetened in sugar or honey or something (kind of like Kung Fu). I literally looked forward to eating the boba during each sip which is not always the case, folks!!
Essentially, the boba was the main character and they knew it. Next.
We got the Strawberry Matcha Latte, Peach Matcha Latte, and Signature Taro Milk Tea. Of the two matchas, we'd recommend the strawberry. The peach was different and not bad by any means, but I think what we've learned here is that strawberry just goes better with matcha (and their puree was really fresh! I'm not sure if they were, but the peaches tasted like they came from a can). Minus one star because the matcha is a little weak on its own-- the fruits and boba are really the things that make the drinks excellent.
The signature taro was unlike any taro I’ve had before (even compared to the other real taro teas I’ve had). It's hard to explain exactly how it tastes, but it was really yummy.
Not to sound like a broken record saying that I taste things when I have no idea what they actually taste like, but I swear this drink said it was taro “root” and I totally believe this drink’s flavor comes from the root. Like… whatever that means. I would definitely recommend people try it at least once so they can see if they found a new favorite!
I wish they had a more extensive menu! I can see myself coming here, trying everything, and wishing there were more options. Otherwise, definitely definitely give this place a try!
The Drinks
Victoria: Strawberry Matcha Latte with Boba (4/5)
“this boba cleared my acne. it was that good. I loved that I could taste the strawberry seeds in the puree you could definitely tell it was fresh. the matcha wasn't the greatest I've had, but the strawbb puree and boba saved it and then some.”
Daphne: Strawberry Matcha Latte with Boba (4/5)
“This drink was absolutely spectacular! 🥳 The mix between sweet strawberry puree and bitter matcha made the perfect combination! 👂🏻Hashtag: feeling like Remy from ratatoullie! 🐀🧀🍓The boba was positively chewy and fought back just the right way! 🤪However, I will still rate it a 4 because the texture of the strawberry seeds was mildly unpleasant and the matcha tea was not that tasty on its own (before mixing it with the strawberry puree).🥺 Looking forward to future drinks here! 🍹👏🥰”
Sammy: Peach Matcha Latte with Boba (2/5)
“Wish I got the strawberry instead. Peach was too chunky not tasty”
Elizabeth: Signature Taro Root Milk Tea with Boba (4/5)
“The boba here was so good!! And the taro was nice and creamy.”
Conclusion
If you’re in the Chelsea Market area, are searching for high quality boba, or want a fresh taro drink, Tea and Milk may be the place for you!
Overall Ranking: 4/5
Recommendations: Strawberry Matcha Latte, Signature Taro Root Milk Tea
All of us would come back.
9. Ho Ho Te
Address: 805 8th Avenue
Website: N/A
Drinks: Pink Flush with Lychee Jelly (no sugar, $7.00), Coconut Green Milk Tea with Boba (light sugar, $5.69), Ruby Black with Boba (light sugar, $5.29), Taro Milk Green Tea with Boba (light sugar, $5.69), Ho Ho Fruity with Grass Jelly ($7.00), Black Milk Tea with Boba and Grass Jelly (light sugar, $6.00)
Let’s start with the good.
This place is gorgeous. The doors completely open up so that there’s no separation between the inside and outside, and everything feels clean and minimal. I know the drinks themselves are really what matters, but it doesn’t hurt that their logo is also nice and pleasing to look at (it’s like a painting you can look at between drinks/some kind of minimalist death star tattoo? JUST LOOK FOR YOURSELF).
Also, the popcorn chicken. The popcorn chicken was very good. I have nothing further to say about that.
Now for the drinks themselves: it was kinda a grab bag. I’d say in general the milk teas suffered; you could tell that they were flavored with powder, and it just didn’t taste fresh. Also, and I can’t overstate it enough, the boba was weaker than my friend Riley (and at one point my friend Riley was so weak that whenever she tied up her hair, she had to pause halfway to let her arms take a break). They were just too soft, and that’s one of the biggest turn-offs for me at any boba shop.
The fruit teas fared better among the drinks we got, but none of them were really excellent.
The Drinks
Victoria: Coconut Green Milk Tea with Boba (2/5)
“It was edible but underwhelming. The boba was too soft, the tea was powdery, and the coconut flavor came from coconut milk I think. The popcorn chicken was real good though.”
Daphne: Black Milk Tea with Boba and Grass Jelly (4/5)
“great bobs texture but it was just average nothing special yuh. pretty tasty tho. i would definitely come back for a like palate cleanser maybe”
Elizabeth: Ho Ho Fruity with Grass Jelly (3/5)
“It was a classic tasting fruit tea. There were little seeds in it tho that I liked, made it a little crunchy. Would drink again.”
Jacqueline: Taro Green Milk Tea (2/5)
“Nothing about this drink was good. It was all just “okay”. It’s what I might expect from a gas station boba place, if such a place existed. The tea and taro flavor tasted very artificial, and the bubbles were soft and chewy - they didn’t have any fight back. It was very disappointing given how pretty the cup looked.”
Dennis: Pink Flush with Lychee Jelly (4/5)
“I like it very much. It reminded me of the sour dry plum that I used to have in Taiwan, except this is a boba drink. I would not mind if it were a little bit less sweet. I would definitely go back there again.”
Tony: Ruby Black with Boba (5/5)
“Tasted like it had tamarind in it. Was different and a little tart and flavorful.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a 3-in-1 popcorn chicken, soft serve, and bubble tea triple threat, Ho Ho Te may be the place for you!
Overall Ranking: 3/5
Recommendation: Pink Flush
Most of us would come back.
10. Miss Du’s Tea Shop
Address: 33 Pell Street
Website: https://www.missdutea.com/
Drinks: Lemon Mango Green Tea with Mini Sago ($5.75), Mango Sago ($8.25), Super Fruit Tea with Mini Sago ($7.95), Fresh Black Grape with Jelly ($7.75), Fresh Pineapple with Jelly ($7.50)
Great ambiance and fresh-tasting teas, no question about it. I highly doubt any syrups are being used here, and when they say “hand-hit” lemon tea, they mean hand-hit. I was scrolling on my phone, waiting for my teas, and I could hear literal banging behind the counter. It’s no joke! And all of that, the freshness of their fruit and how they’ve made that their focus, should definitely be applauded.
HOWEVER, these drinks were way too expensive. And listen, I’m no stranger to expensive bubble tea, as I’ve stopped at some pretty steep stores during this boba tour already, but I don’t know if I’ve ever paid more than $8 for a regular fruit tea. That is absolutely insane. Over $7 is already pushing it a little bit for me, but eight. dollars. folks. It was so expensive that when I was waiting for my teas, I genuinely could not stop thinking about how expensive it was.
Below I’ve attached a screenshot of some texts I sent my family about this shop.
The killer here was that toppings were $1 each. An entire dollar. For each topping. If your jaw did not drop just now, you must be Jeff Bezos. The standard is $0.50 per topping, or maybe even $0.75 if it’s a special one, but it’s an unspoken rule that $1 per topping is never reached. It’s just not right guys.
[The other thing that somewhat annoyed me was that they didn’t have any boba left when I got there. I arrived around 1.5 hours before closing. Boba shops should have boba and I rest my case.]
The Drinks
Victoria: Lemon Mango Green Tea with Mini Sago (2.5/5)
“It's hard to rate this so low when I could literally hear them slamming lemons for their fresh "hand hit" teas while I waited for our drinks, but this was very mediocre. I couldn't taste any mango; the lemon was too overpowering. And the price was way too high, even for a medium.”
Daphne: Super Fruit Tea (3/5)
“good kinda I dont know not really special. not bad at all but not memorable. EXPENSIVE AND FOR WHAT? ok thats all lol”
Elizabeth: Mango Sago (3/5)
“This drink was pretty good, but probably not worth the price. I liked the incorporation of sago though!”
Sammy: Fresh Black Grape (4/5)
“So grape so yummy. The amount of grape skin tho was a little ehhhh.”
Dennis: Fresh Pineapple (5/5)
“Pineapple is one of my two favorite fruits. The drink was smooth, it was tasty. The pineapple was fresh. It left me wanting to drink more. I would definitely order it again.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a place that specializes in fruit teas and are willing to pay extra, Miss Du’s Tea Shop may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 3.25/5
Recommendation: Fresh Black Grape, Fresh Pineapple
Most of us would come back.
11. I’Milky
Address: 992 6th Avenue
Website: imilkyusa.com
Drinks: Coconut Taro Milk with Boba (fixed sugar, $8.00 for large), Taro Milk with Boba (fixed sugar, $7.75 for large), Orange Green Tea with Grass Jelly (30% sugar, $7.75 for large), Puffy Mango with Boba (80% sugar, $8.70)
This boba tour is supposed to be for spots we haven’t been before, but, full disclosure: I’Milky is one of our original favorites. Every drink we try PIM (post-I’Milky) is at somewhat of a disadvantage because every drink we have is unconsciously compared to the Coconut Taro Milk at I’Milky. WE CAN’T HELP IT.
The taro milk here is so good, guys. They use fresh taro, making it taste like the soups you get for dessert at some Chinese restaurants. When you add boba, it makes the drink taste even more like those soups. SO. GOOD.
The taro milk is so good that it’s hard to get anything else when we come here, but we’ve also tried a variety of their fruit teas (which always include fresh fruit), as well as their fruit milks (which aren’t as good as the previous drinks I’ve mentioned but are still memorable).
I’Milky isn’t perfect, though. The taro milk is very delicious, but I’d argue that it’s barely a drink; it’s definitely more of a dessert (which is not necessarily a bad thing)! The boba themselves taste great because they have flavor (and as we know by now, I don’t like flavorless balls of starch!), but they are on the softer side. So if you like firm boba (like we usually do), that’s also something to keep in mind. Additionally, their prices are steep. For the drink you’re getting, we think it’s worth it on a once-in-awhile basis, but as I’ve been saying for this entire post, over $7 for one drink hurts. Over $8 is a punch to the genitals.
(I’Milky, if you’re reading this, please make a fresh taro milk tea. I would buy that so fast and I know y’all would make it so delicious)
The Drinks
Victoria: Coconut Taro Milk with Boba (4.5/5)
“It’s just so good. It’s got lil taro bits that you can nom on and so thicque and so yummy. The boba is pretty good, but there is not enough of it!! How are you gonna serve boba and not give us enough boba. But anyway the drink itself makes up for it.”
Daphne: Taro Milk with Boba (3/5)
“taro fresh and gorg. WHERE’S THE BOBA??? I SLURPED THE YUM YUM DRINK AND NOT EVEN HALF WAY THROUGH THE DRINK THE BOBS ARE JUST GONE.”
Elizabeth: Coconut Taro Milk with Boba (5/5)
“The drink tastes like a dessert soup but it’s a drink. Love that. Bubbles were qq. Bonus: the guy serving us was super nice!”
Sammy: Coconut Taro Milk with Boba (4/5)
“I milky you milky she milky. Christiana pointed this out but the tea almost had a pudding/smoothie consistency. But it still tasted so good”
Christiana: Taro Milk with Boba (3/5)
“SO THICK AND THE TARO SEDIMENT WAS CHUNKY. Made me s l i g h t l y uncomfy. Taste 10/10 tho, phenomenal boba texture 👌🏼”
Dennis: Orange Green Tea with Grass Jelly (4/5)
“I love the taste of orange throughout the entire drink. The herbal jelly was slightly softer than what I like. There was some but minimal sugar I believe. I could have tried it with no sugar and would still be satisfied with it.”
Tony: Puffy Mango with Boba (4/5)
“Nice and smooth taste but was missing something ?”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for fresh taro drinks, fresh fruit teas, or great customer service, I’Milky may be the place for you!
Overall Ranking: 4/5
Recommendation: Coconut Taro Milk
All of us would come back.
12. The Alley
Address: 68 Cooper Square
Website: https://www.the-alley.us/
Drinks: Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk Creme Brulee ($5.95), Passionfruit Green Tea ($5.45), (not pictured:) Matcha Peach Oolong Latte with Boba (30% sugar, $5.95), Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($5.45)
I’ve heard a lot about this shop, but I’d never been myself until now. I entered this establishment fully expecting to be let down by yet another merely instagrammable boba shop. I’ve seen their brown sugar bobas around the internet, and I can’t lie: I wanted one. But after looking at the reviews, I kept my expectations low.
Maybe keeping my expectations low is the secret to winning me over because let me tell you. The Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk Creme Brulee drink I got? EXCEPTIONAL. It didn’t have fresh ube or anything (which is usually a big draw for me); but I was actually fine with that. The drink was just ube milk with that signature smoky brown sugar taste added on top of it. The creme brulee topping they add to it tastes a bit like pudding, but more melt-in-your-mouth-y. I didn’t know I wanted creme brulee in my drinks, didn’t know that was the secret to tying drinks together, but that topping was so tasty.
I don’t know if I dare say it, but I think this was some of the best boba I’ve had. Individually sweet and gloriously firm: the ingredients of boba success.
It also doesn’t hurt that I almost cried when I saw that my drink had a “5” immediately following the dollar sign. I don’t remember the last time I paid less than $6 for a drink. It’s gotten to the point where if I don’t pay at least $6 I start to think that there must be something wrong with the drink. But The Alley has just proven that that’s not the case! Drinks can be less than $6 and still be good!
The Drinks
Victoria: Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk Creme Brulee (4.5/5)
“DAMN SON. I DIDN’T THINK THIS WAS GOING TO BE GOOD BUT THEN IT WAS AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THE BOBA WAS SO GOOD. THEY WERE SO SWEET AND CHEWY AND FOUGHT BACK. THE DRINK WAS CREAMY, AND UBE TASTES SO GOOD WITH BROWN SUGAR. I DON’T KNOW WHAT CREME BRULEE TOPPING IS IN BOBA TEAS, BUT IT WAS SO GOOD IN THIS DRINK AND WENT SO WELL WITH EVERYTHING ELSE. I JUST WANTED MORE BOBA.”
Daphne: Matcha Peach Oolong Latte with Boba (4/5)
“SO GORG DRINK WAS SO GOOD HOWEVER. IT WAS NOT A 5 FOR 2 REASONS: NUMBER 1 I GOT 50% SUGAR AND IT WAS PERFECT. BUT IF I HAD GOTTEN 100% SUGAR I WOULD’VE DIED. NUMBER 2 THE BOBA WAS GORG BUT IT WAS SCARCE. VERY LITTLE BOBA. I WAS YEARNING FOR THE CHEW BUT I GOT NOTHING. BUT THE DRINK WAS ABSOLUTELY GORG I COULD DRINK A WHOLE JUG OF IT.”
Elizabeth: Passionfruit Green Tea (4/5)
“Good drink with good boba. Nice and refreshing. Dunno why this is a top 5 drink tho.”
Sammy: Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk (5/5)
“So good classic unbeatable boba.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for high quality brown sugar milks, photogenic drinks, or strong boba, The Alley may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Recommendation: Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk, Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk Creme Brulee
All of us would come back.
13. Xing Fu Tang
Address: 40-52 Main Street, Flushing, NY
Website: https://xingfutang.com/
Drinks: Brown Sugar Boba Milk ($5.97), Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea ($4.59), Mango Smoothie with Bunny Panna Cotta ($6.43), Red Bean Smoothie with Coconut Jelly ($6.43)
I think when you come here, you’re partly paying for the spectacle-- the dough rolling and boba wok in the window-- and, unfortunately, only my mom was able to see the spectacle in person (before bringing drinks home to us).
We had super high expectations of this store because we’d heard so many things about it, but it was a little disappointing as a whole. The boba was soft in a weird way. When you bit into them, they just kinda sliced cleanly in half, and I was really missing the Chew. But they were very tasty, and you could taste the brown sugar that had seeped into them. We drank these maybe 4-5 hours after they were made, so we could definitely see them being a lot better right after they’re made.
The tea wasn’t particularly special, but it was definitely better than a lot of other milk teas I’ve had in the past. Definitely not made with powder. I was expecting the tea to have some of that brown sugar taste that the boba had, but I think the only brown sugar flavoring in the drink came from the boba.
The Drinks
Victoria: Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea (3.5/5)
“The boba was pretty good, but I imagine it would have been better if we had it immediately after they cooked it in that beautiful wok. They were a little strange because when you bite into them, they kinda just tear in half. The chew factor isn’t there. The tea was also good, tasted a little richer than usual, but not really anything special. Sad.”
Daphne: Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea (3/5)
“It was good I just expected a lot more. Idk I thought it was gonna be like boba supreme but it was kinda average/good. yes.”
Elizabeth: Brown Sugar Boba Milk (3/5)
“We definitely shoulda drank it earlier. Also I should stop ordering brown sugar things. I don’t like them. Boba was pretty good though!”
Sammy: Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea (3/5)
“Pretty good but the boba wasn’t qq enough for my liking. Wish I could’ve seen the store love the live show”
Jacqueline: Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea (3.5/5)
“I think I would have liked this drink better if we had drank it right after it was made. 4 hours later, and the bubbles were a weird texture. The tea was tasty. I would go back just for the experience of watching them make the bubbles in the front, and to try the bubbles fresh.”
Dennis: Mango Smoothie with Bunny Panna Cotta (4/5)
“I like the packaging. I love the taste of the mango. I would prefer it to be less sweet. I only had a little bit of the panna cotta but the jelly on it was probably the reason for the sweetness.”
Tony: Red Bean Smoothie with Coconut Jelly (5/5)
“Unusual to have red beans and white cubes in a drink. Nice creamy rich flavor.”
Brandon: Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea (3.5/5)
“I thought this drink was fine. Bubbles weren’t the best texture but not sure if that was because the drink sat for so long before we drank it.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for Benihana but for boba, high quality brown sugar drinks, or pretty decent prices, Xing Fu Tang may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Brown Sugar Boba Milk/Milk Tea (gotta get it at least once), Red Bean Smoothie with Coconut Jelly
All of us would come back.
14. Honestea
Address: 173 Hester Street
Website: N/A
Drinks: Mango Yakult ($6.95), Fresh Red Dragonfruit ($9.50)
HELLO. CAN YOU HEAR ME? I KNOW IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO HEAR ME OVER THE SOUND OF ALL THE COINS I DROPPED ON THIS BOBA.
If you’ve read all of the other reviews, you’ll know that in the past I’ve described spending money on overpriced boba as “physically hurting me” and “a sucker punch to the genitals.” I didn’t know it could get worse. Maybe I’d describe spending money here as the feeling I get when a popsicle stick is stuck down my throat and I almost gag and throw up.
Because yeah, the Fresh Red Dragonfruit drink (with cheese foam) was a whopping $9.50. If my sister had added a topping, it would have been $10.50, and wow that number is so offensive that I almost feel like censoring it (but I won’t so that the full weight of ‘what could have been’ hits you with full force). And maybe it would have been slightly better if the drink had been one of the best fruit drinks we had ever had, but it wasn’t. It had a pretty muted taste. I’m not sure if there was anything added to it, but it just tasted like blended dragonfruit.
The Mango Yakult was really good, though! It was exactly as advertised: yakult with mango, but the real mango pieces they added were a nice touch, and the crystal boba that came with it went really well with the drink. They tasted like jelly in a spherical shape. But, again, the price. The drink came in a cute yakult-shaped cup, but the downfall of that cup was that we got less actual drink. I took a few sips and then realized I was already half done. The price, $7.00, is definitely for the cup and less for the drink.
The store itself is either very nice or sticks out like a sore thumb (or both). The building is a bright turquoise color, very unmissable. Essentially, the storefront has the kind of confidence I wish I had. It’s definitely an Instagram-worthy boba shop, with the fancy cups, cute store, and those insane drinks that they only make 50 of each day that are $12.50 each (...insane), but once you go through all that fluff, the drinks themselves are sub-par.
The Drinks
Victoria: Mango Yakult (4/5)
“The drink is not bad, crystal boba is pretty good with it, was made with fresh mango, and the cup is so cool. BUT it's too expensive, a little too sweet, and even though the cup was cool, it made it so I didn't get as much drink and I wanted more drink that's all peace and out.”
Elizabeth: Fresh Red Dragonfruit (2/5)
“It would have been a 3, but this drink was SO EXPENSIVE. I really wanted to like it more because they were literally measuring dragonfruit. It was just okay.”
Conclusion
If you want a high quality bubble tea photo or are looking for a more exclusive bubble tea experience, Honestea may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 3/5
Recommendation: Mango Yakult
One of us would come back.
15. Dragon Tea
Address: 106 Greenwich Street
Website: dragonteanyc.com
Drinks: Traffic Light Drink with Taro Balls ($5.50), Taro Ball Milk Tea ($5.50), Passionfruit Jasmine Green Tea with 3 Toppings ($5.75)
I took a train all the way down here to get this boba after being enticed by the great reviews and the taro ball lure. ...And I am very pleased to say that I loved the taro balls! You could actually taste the taro that was in them, and they had a firm and chewy consistency that I usually look for in boba. The drinks themselves were really beautiful- I loved the general aesthetic of the store, and the prices cannot be beat, especially in the current boba environment when every drink seems to be at least $6.
My taro ball milk tea was tasty; their milk tea has a bit of a roasted flavor to it that made it unique, and you already KNOW I love those taro balls, but unfortunately, the other drinks were not as great as I hoped they’d be. My dad got the passionfruit jasmine green tea, and one of the toppings in it is some kind of strange crunchy seed thing? When you bite into it, you can really hear the crunch in your ear. My dad said that it got to the point where he didn’t want to eat them and had to stop drinking every time he tasted one.
And now… the traffic light drink. This is one of their bestsellers, probably because it looks so pretty (I mean… look at her. It makes sense), but the taste, guys.
Let me paint you a picture. My mother is someone who will eat or drink pretty much anything and see the best in it. She’s eaten all of my failed baking attempts, my rock hard cakes and burnt cookies, and she’s been able to twist it to find the parts of it that she loves.
She could not drink this drink.
My sister dubbed it as one of the worst bubble tea drinks she’s ever had. It was so so bitter, and the flavors just did not go well together at all. We ended up having to throw it out after each of us took one sip. So… do with that what you will (but we hope you won’t get it).
The Drinks
Victoria: Taro Ball Milk Tea (4/5)
“Overall a pretty dang solid drink. The taro balls were so yummy, were a good texture, and you could actually taste the taro. The tea wasn’t special, but it wasn’t a bad milk tea either. It had a slightly roasted taste to it which I quite enjoyed. Was nice on the palette.
Elizabeth: Traffic Light Drink with Taro Balls (1/5)
“THIS IS THE WORST BOBA I’VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. I LITERALLY CANNOT DRINK MORE THAN 1 SIP. THE DRINK IS SO PRETTY BUT AS BITTER AS BITTER MELON. WHY IS IT STILL ON THE MENU??? The taro balls were meh.”
Dennis: Passionfruit Jasmine Green Tea with 3 Toppings (3.5/5)
“Overall it was a good drink. The taste was good. The sugar level was to my liking. I had some issues with one of the toppings. It was a crunchy/hard thing that I had to bite into. To me it was essentially the seeds of some fruit. I think I could do without it. It disrupted my enjoyment of the drink, because I had to stop drinking every time I got a piece of it in my mouth.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking to try taro balls or are craving boba in the lower Manhattan area, Dragon Tea may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 3/5
Recommendation: Taro Ball Milk Tea
Most of us would not come back.
16. Chun Yang Tea
Address: 26B Elizabeth Street
Website: N/A
Drinks: Wintermelon Tea with Grass Jelly ($6.25), Brown Sugar Pearl with Fresh Milk ($6.00), Oolong Latte with Pudding ($6.25), Honey Osmanthus Lemon Tea with Boba ($6.75), Hojicha Latte ($6.00), Matcha Latte with Grass Jelly ($7.50), Pineapple Oolong Tea with Grass Jelly ($7.25)
I don’t really know where to begin with this place because almost all of our drinks were just a little off the mark or way off the mark. The teas tasted watery. I’m not sure if it’s because we got 30% sugar on most of the drinks, but they were all just somewhat flat.
The boba was a decent texture and flavor, but the other toppings were not great. The grass jelly texture was off (kinda dissolved in your mouth rather than have a ‘bounce’ to it), and the pudding was just a big block that you take chunks out of by stabbing your straw into it. Usually pudding is already in a heap at the bottom of the drink just waiting to be sucked up.
This place just caused a lot of confusion in my family. I don’t know how else to describe it, so I’ll just let our immediate thoughts below explain themselves. But, just as a sneak peek of what’s to come: my cousin described the oolong latte as tasting like “meat sauteed in milk” and the hojicha latte’s flavor “lingered on the tongue and in your stomach.”
Do with that what you will.
The Drinks
Victoria: Hojicha Latte (2/5)
“Drink is weird. It tastes like a matcha latte that sat out in the sun for a few hours. It also like… lingers on the tongue and in my stomach. I feel like the drink has coated my stomach lining and is taking my protective stomach juices to war and I can only hope my stomach enzymes are strong enough to win. I have no idea if I will be able to digest her.”
Daphne: Oolong Latte with Pudding (2.5/5)
“very much not good. tea is either burnt or just a little too bitter bc of 30% sugar but there’s still sugar. tea kinda tastes like meat sauteed in milk??? pudding is one brick that the straw takes chunks out of??? pudding is the only thing tasty abt the drink????”
Elizabeth: Honey Osmanthus Lemon Tea with Boba (2.5/5)
“At first it tasted weird, but as I drank more of it, it started to taste ok. The bobs were decent enough. I feel like since I was drinking the tea with food maybe it made the drink taste a little better.”
Dennis: Pineapple Oolong Tea with Grass Jelly (4/5)
“I like the fruit tea. It was very tasty. To me, the herbal jelly was a perfect addition. I like the way it complemented the oolong tea. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits. When I saw the description I was so looking forward to having some real chunks of fruit in my tea. However I was disappointed at the paucity of pineapple and I was yearning for more. I would have loved it more if I could have more pineapple.”
Tony: Matcha Latte with Grass Jelly (4/5)
“The matcha was a bit thin. But the jelly was very good with good flavor”
Jacqueline: Wintermelon Tea with Grass Jelly (1/5)
“I love winter melon tea, but have yet to find a place in NYC that even comes close to the winter melon tea in Taiwan. This place is no exception. The tea was way too sweet and I didn’t get a winter melon flavor. It just tasted like sweet tea 😔. What made this drink even worse was the grass jelly - the texture was off, like it didn’t taste like a jelly. It melted in my mouth and didnt have bounce. Overall I’m disappointed. But the person who took our order was nice, and they gave us a reusable bag.”
Brandon: Brown Sugar Pearl with Fresh Milk (3/5)
“Chinatown is a such a notable landmark in our city’s history—an area that has become a melting pot of so many different Asian cultures in its own way. The different sights, the smells wafting through the air, and the narrow (and at times claustrophobic) streets all acutely synthesize a neighborhood that has everything from fresh seafood to the most delectable dim sum one can find. On this rainy day, however, our target becomes clear: bubble tea. Walking into the small shop that is “Chun Yang”, we are immediately greeted by a tall menu that advertises a small yet carefully selected and finely tuned selection meant to appeal to the international palette and even reflecting the modern-day Chinatown: the Japanese hojicha, the Chinese red bean latte, all mixed with the originally Taiwanese drink. My flavor of choice wasn’t displayed here, despite being such a bubble tea staple, but a glance at the menu alleviated my worries.
The brown sugar pearl with fresh milk—unable to be changed in sugar *or* ice, interestingly enough—a drink that for some is synonymous even with bubble tea itself. Malleable in its nature, the brown sugar can be enjoyed alongside a savory meal or stand on its own as a sweet dessert. Served in a chic reusable shopping bag (no doubt a way to stand above the competitors while also gaining free advertising from its patrons), the brown sugar pearl with fresh milk sloshed enticingly and almost hypnotically during the ride home. The weather delayed even the gratification of drinking, as umbrellas and rain coats needed to be hung up before the sweet aroma of the drink could be enjoyed. The rush to get to the brown sugar was frenetic and frantic, and stabbing the straw through the top revealed a drink that was poured to the very brim as milk [spurted] everywhere. As the sweet and sugary milk went up the straw and danced upon my taste buds, it became immediately clear that
milk good, bubbles mushy, too warm, overall okay”
Conclusion
If you want to throw the dice on boba roulette, Chun Yang Tea may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 2.5/5
Recommendation: Pineapple Oolong Tea
Most of us would not come back.
17. Wanpo Tea Shop
Address: 37 East 8th Street
Website: wanpotea.us
Drinks: Black Tea Latte with Boba (25% sugar, $5.65), Grapefruit Green Tea with Grass Jelly (no sugar, $6.90), Red Bean Jelly Milk Tea (25% sugar, $6.50), Wanpo Milk Tea with Boba (25% sugar, $5.65)
Okay. Bear with me here. Asymptotes. Do you guys know what they are? I am hankering back to Calculus AB. Essentially, they’re one of the tools you can use when describing the behavior of a curve. The distance between the asymptote and the curve gets closer and closer to zero as the x and y coordinates of the curve approach infinity (took this from Google).
Alright, if you’re still with me, imagine that the asymptote is where Wanpo Tea Shop wants to be, but the curve is our experience as customers. The drinks we have inch close to where Wanpo wants us to be, but we never quite get there.
If you weren’t following my sad attempt to get back into the school mindset, basically what I’m saying is that in general these were pretty mediocre. Most of them weren’t bad, per se, (except for the black tea latte. She was straight up bad. Not even fitting into my asymptote analogy. Don’t get her) but they weren’t really great either? We finished them because they tasted fine, but it’s the type of drink that I’d probably get if I were just desperately craving boba and there were no other options around.
The Drinks
Victoria: Red Bean Jelly Milk Tea (4/5)
“Like… it wasn’t bad. But it also wasn’t talented, brilliant, incredible, showstopping, spectacular, never be the same, totally unique. It was literally milk tea with red bean and jelly. It wasn’t even red bean jelly. It was red bean + jelly. They should really be more specific here. I think this was their signature??? But I did not understand. It was fine. The end.”
Daphne: Black Tea Latte with Boba (1/5)
“meat sauteed in milk everything is bad. gave to my father.”
Elizabeth: Wanpo Milk Tea with Boba (3/5)
“It was just milk tea with boba. Not great, not bad. Boba was good”
Dennis: Grapefruit Green Tea with Grass Jelly (4/5)
“I like grapefruit. It is usually a sour fruit. That is the way I like it. I got the drink for 0% sugar, even though the recommended level was 50%. I would not have liked the drink if I added 50% of sugar. The sweetness of herbal Jelly was just the right touch for this drink as it does for many of my other drinks. Having said that I think it is not my absolute favorite.”
18. Truedan
Address: 208 Grand Street
Drinks: Lemon Earl Grey with Boba (30% sugar, $6.00), Brown Sugar Bubble with Milk and Cream (50% sugar, $6.25), Passionfruit Jasmine Green Tea with Grass Jelly (70% sugar, $6.00), Fresh Milk with Taro and Grass Jelly ($6.75- ….I think. I lost the receipt y’all I am sorry)
GUYS. When I first tasted my drink, my face exactly mimicked the second frame in the kombucha woman meme. The last few boba stops have been a bit disappointing, so I’m so relieved we got back on track here.
The star here is the tea. Or, in this case, also known as the liquid gold. The fresh taro milk was, as its name suggests, fresh, and my cousin was very happy to report that the passionfruit tea did not, in fact, taste like “meat sauteed in milk,” which is what she’s been describing bad teas as.
I loved the texture of their boba-- not too soft and not too hard-- but I did think they tasted a little bland on their own and could have benefitted from some soaking in the sun sugar.
I’m going to say what we’re all thinking but are too guilty to say: I love when stores only have one size because then I don’t have to feel bad for getting a large. When do I ever want a medium boba? The answer is I don’t. More boba is better than less boba, and I appreciate Truedan for helping me continue my addiction. The large cups are also a good size, and with the prices sitting between $5 and $6, it was pretty normal for today’s boba environment, if not a bit on the high side, but for the drinks we got I was definitely satisfied.
[Also, I just want to note that this place made my drinks so insanely fast. Like, maybe less than five minutes.]
The Drinks
Victoria: Brown Sugar Bubble with Milk and Cream (4/5)
“Good brown sugar, good boba texture (not enough flavor for me but the texture made up for it), but it was just a little too milky?? I felt like I was drinking heavy cream and then gargling with like,,,a drop of brown sugar. All in all, though, excited to go back.”
Daphne: Passionfruit Jasmine Green Tea with Grass Jelly (5/5)
“SO GOOD SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE LAST FEW DRINKS OMG. TEA WAS NOT BURNT AT ALL. TEA WAS NOT MEAT SAUTEED IN MILK. TEA WAS FLAVORFUL AND DELICIOUS. A LITTLE TOO SWEET BUT THATS BC I GOT 70 SUGAR CAUSE I DIDN’T TRUST THAT IT WOULD BE BITTER. ALSO BT DUBS I WENT TO THE TAIWAN LOCATION AND IT WAS RLLY GOOD THERE TOO SO RECOMMEND RECOMMEND RECOMMEND.”
Elizabeth: Lemon Earl Grey with Boba (3/5)
“It tasted like iced tea lemonade. Nothing special, but still good.”
Dennis: Fresh Milk with Taro (4.5/5)
“I love having actual taro when I order taro drinks. This one was very interesting because it was both chunky and slushy. I do not remember how much extra sugar was added, probably none. However the sweetness of the taro was very satisfying, maybe a little bit too much for me. As usual, I love the complement that the herbal jelly added to the drink.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for firm boba, fast service, or an all around great drink, Truedan may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Recommendations: Passionfruit Jasmine Green Tea, Fresh Milk with Taro
All of us would come back.
19. Teado Tea Shop
Address: 145D Hester Street
Website: N/A
Drinks: Lychee Green Tea with Boba (50% sugar, $4.60), Coconut Green Tea with Boba (50% sugar, $5.10), Rose Milk Tea with Boba (50% sugar, $4.85), Jasmine Milk Tea with Boba (50% sugar, $4.60), Passionfruit Green Tea with Boba (50% sugar, $4.60)
The tea at this shop was good and made with so much care, and the boba rivalled the best of them, but, somehow, this shop has made the drinks not the main character in this review.
The main thing you need to know about this shop is that they have the best customer service I have ever seen. They care about the customer experience, and they truly want your drink to be the best it possibly can be. Other Yelp reviewers mentioned that they allow you to try your drink before they give it to you so that you can adjust the drink to your liking. For some reason, I just did not believe them. Like, I really thought they were lying or maybe they only do it sometimes and the day I went would be the day they wouldn’t do it.
I could not be more wrong. When the person working the counter said they’d let me try my drinks, I thought they were going to ask which drink was mine and have me only try my own. Nope. They let me try every single drink I bought. And when I asked them to make the tea flavor in the Jasmine Milk Tea stronger, they DID. It was literal magic. I’m still floored. I have not had a bubble tea experience quite like the one Teado gave me. The shop itself was cozy, with fitting music playing in the background, and even though there was a line forming outside behind me, the SINGULAR PERSON working the counter took their time stirring, shaking, and creating. I loved it, and I am excited to actually bring other people there next time instead of hogging this experience to myself.
The Drinks
Victoria: Rose Milk Tea with Boba (4/5)
“Really nice rose flavor. The boba was a little hard because we didn’t drink it right away and I’m sad because I feel like it would have been really good fresh. Boba still pretty good though. But small. I also think this review is just biased because I’m obsessed with the customer service. I got to try every single drink before they gave it to us. I love.”
Daphne: Lychee Green Tea with Boba (4/5)
“good tea very good tea bobs were a lil not the best but i think that’s because they were fridged for awhile bc i slept.”
Elizabeth: Coconut Green Tea with Boba (3.5/5)
“Tasted pretty good. Bobs were good. Honestly though the drink wasn’t memorable. Like today (1 day later) I couldn’t remember what I got or how the drink tasted.”
Jacqueline: Jasmine Milk Tea with Boba (4/5)
“I loved the taste of the Jasmine Milk Tea here, and I heard it’s because Victoria asked them to make it stronger. Hearing from Victoria about how she could sample all of the teas before ordering, I am so impressed with their customer service. Also, it’s a genius idea to allow samples! The bubbles tasted a little old, but that’s probably because we didn’t have our bubble tea until a few hours after it was made. I can’t wait to come back and sample all the teas!”
Dennis: Passionfruit Green Tea with Grass Jelly (4/5)
“The drink was pretty good. It did not have any added sugar which was exactly the way I liked it. I thought my herbal jelly was a bit soft and mushy. That was the only negative point in this drink.”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a tea experience that feels like a hug, excellent customer service, or a huge menu, Teado Tea Shop may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 3.75/5
Recommendation: Rose Milk Tea
All of us would go back.
20. YanYan Tea
Address: 135-03A Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, NY
Website: N/A
Drinks: Xiaofang and Taro Milk Tea (70% sugar, $6.00), Xiaofang Milk Tea (70% sugar, $6.50), Coconut Sugar Milk Tea with Boba (50% sugar, $4.00), Peach Green Tea with Coconut Jelly (No sugar, $6.25), Pineapple Green Tea with Grass Jelly (No sugar, $5.75)
WE CAN’T BELIEVE HOW GOOD THIS PLACE WAS. This is our last bubble tea stop of the tour, and we were hoping to go out with a bang, and this place DELIVERED. In the sea of Main Street boba shops, we’re so glad we chose a good one.
This store churns out both spherical AND rectangular boba. RECTANGULAR. BOBA. Listen, boba is hard to make, especially when people don’t cook it long enough and the center is hecking hard, and it’s like you’re biting into soft plastic. It’s a science. You gotta get it right.
But YanYan is out here living in 3050 and has completely taken away the need for them to get it right in their creation: the rectangular boba. It’s literally the perfect combination of the classic boba and grass jelly, which are our two favorite toppings. Maybe it was the fact that we’ve been having so much boba lately, and we were in dire need of something new, but being able to try something different, and at the same time very boba-adjacent, was so refreshing.
To be clear, though, we also tried their spherical boba, and it was also pretty excellent and complemented my coconut milk tea really well. I just wish there was a little bit more coconut flavor in the tea. My dad got the pineapple green tea and appreciated the real pineapple chunks they put in it, but they also included things like orange and lime slices that significantly decreased the amount of actual tea he got, which he was not as impressed by.
Overall though, we’re really excited to go back here!
The Drinks
Victoria: Coconut Sugar Milk Tea with Boba (4.5/5)
“WHOA GOOD. The coconut flavor was subtle but very tasty. I wish I got the square boba, but their sphere boba was a good texture, very bouncy. Wanted a little more sugar in the bobs, but the milk tea was so good I forgot all about the boba sugar problem.”
Daphne: Xiaofang Milk Tea (4.5/5)
“TEA SO YUM. BOBS WERE SQUARE??? NO HARD CENTER BOB? BOBxGRAss? SO GOOD? stomach ache after? period cramp?”
Elizabeth: Peach Green Tea with Coconut Jelly (4.5/5)
“This one was so pretty and the jelly was really good. There were actual pieces of peach in it too! Also I really liked the SQUARE boba/grass jelly that I tried and didn’t get. Extra half point for being different.”
Dennis: Pineapple Green Tea (3.5/5)
“This one was a dilemma for me. I love the drink for the amount of pineapple chunks it contained. At the same time this drink has several other things added including two slices of orange, two wedges of lime etc. The amount of liquid was significantly lessened than I am used to. I feel like I am still trying to enjoy the drink and all of sudden it was finished and all I could do was scoop up the pineapple chunks. I think I would like it more if there is more drink in my drink.”
Jacqueline: Xiaofang and Taro Milk Tea (4.5/5)
“I loved this drink! The fresh taro was delicious! I love that they didn’t use powder. You can definitely taste the difference. The square bubbles were so good too. Their texture was somewhere between your normal boba and grass jelly! I *loved* them! I will definitely come back and get the same drink in an extra large 😍”
Conclusion
If you’re looking for something different (rectangular boba!) and find yourself in the Flushing area, YanYan may be the place for you!
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Recommendation: Xiaofang and Taro Milk Tea, Xiaofang Milk Tea, Coconut Sugar Milk Tea, Peach Green Tea
All of us would come back.
RESULTS
NOTE: Only Elizabeth and I (Victoria) went to all 20 shops. Daphne went to 18/20 shops, Dennis went to 13/20 shops, Sammy went to 10/20 shops, and Jacqueline went to 8/20 shops.
TOP THREE:
Victoria: YanYan Tea, I’Milky, The Alley
Daphne: Truedan, Teazzi, Tea and Milk
Elizabeth: YanYan Tea, I’Milky, The Alley
Dennis: Debutea, Miss Du's Tea Shop, Truedan
Sammy: I’Milky, Teazzi, The Alley
Jacqueline: YanYan Tea, Teazzi, Teado Tea Shop
LEAST FAVORITE:
Victoria: Chun Yang Tea
Daphne: Wanpo Tea Shop
Elizabeth: Dragon Tea
Dennis: Lazy Sundaes
Sammy: Xing Fu Tang
Jacqueline: Chun Yang Tea
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Victoria: Teazzi, Tea and Milk
Daphne: YanYan Tea, FIFTYlan
Elizabeth: Lazy Sundaes, Jooy Tea Shoppe
Dennis: I'Milky, FIFTYlan
Sammy: FIFTYlan, Tea and Milk
Jacqueline: FIFTYlan, Lazy Sundaes
I’ve also been posting various versions of these reviews on Yelp! Check them out here: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=TMGy2L5vN6vOjcF83VJTkQ
And with that, I’m off to college! There’s always more boba to try, and I’m still awaiting that one shop that’ll shock us all to our bones with a blazing 5/5 review. But, until then, in the words of my father,
Peace and out.
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