7 Leaves Cafe - Green Thai Tea with Boba

Starting off this list is the Green Thai Tea from 7 Leaves Cafe. Known for its coffee and tea, I decided to try out their newest drink, the Green Thai Tea. The tea has a very floral taste and has a different flavor from normal Thai Tea. This specific drink might not fit everyone’s taste, but they have other choices on their menu such as Jasmine Milk Tea or Iced Coffee. The boba was pretty fresh as it was sweet and chewy. Overall, 7 Leaves Cafe has some enjoyable and basic selections for tea and coffee.

Kung Fu Tea - Kung Fu Black Milk Tea with Boba

The next drink is the Black Milk Tea with Boba from Kung Fu Tea. At first glance, it seems like any normal boba milk tea drink. However, when I drank it, I thought there was a weird aftertaste. When reading Yelp reviews, I saw some comments mentioning how these drinks were made from powder and when drinking, I could see some powdered residue on the side of the cup. That is not to say that the tea is necessarily bad, it is just not authentic tea. It was sweet and the boba was nice and chewy. I can not say the same for their fruit teas as I have never tried them, but for me, Kung Fu Tea would not be where I reach first when I want boba. Overall, Kung Fu Tea is good if you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, but there are definitely better boba places to go to in the Bay Area.

Ume Tea - Peach Oolong Black Tea with Lychee Jelly (right)

This drink is the Peach Oolong Black Tea with Lychee Jelly from Ume Tea. This is the first drink in this list that does not include milk, which means the tea speaks for itself. The oolong tea was sweet but I could still taste the bitterness of it, which gave it a really nice contrast. There was also a subtle peach flavor, thus making it a very basic but refreshing drink. I went during their happy hour and by following their Instagram, I got a free topping of my choice. The lychee jelly was very sweet, which paired very nicely with the slightly bitter tea. The store itself is very cute, and overall is a pretty good place for when you are craving boba.

Sunright Tea - Strawberry Green Tea with Lychee Jelly (right)

One of the current hotspots for boba in the Bay Area is Sunright Tea. There is usually always a line when we go, so I decided to order online ahead of time and pick it up later. The Strawberry Green Tea had strawberry chunks in it, giving it a fruity and sweet taste. The tea still had some bitterness to it and it mixed really well with the fruit. I usually order fruit tea with black tea since it is sweeter, but changing it up and adding some bitterness is really refreshing. Sunright Tea has a very extensive selection in their menu, so it is very worth visiting the store once to try their drinks. Overall, the selection of drinks varying from fruit tea to milk tea is definitely worth trying for any boba lover.

TP Tea - TieGuanYin Tea with Boba

The last drink is the TieGuanYin Tea with Boba from TP Tea. TP Tea stands for “Taiwan Professional Tea” and their menu is full of traditional Taiwanese based teas, like the tea I ordered. I meant to order a milk tea, but without the milk, the tea still had a strong taste. It is more bitter than milk tea made with syrup, but it tasted more authentic and the bitterness works well with the sweet boba. Overall, this boba store would be perfect for people looking for a more authentic and strong flavor of tea.

(Photo Source: Emily Wei)