To start, I am not someone with a strong opinion, especially on food and drinks. Everything just kinda blends together, so it’s really hard to impress me. If it’s cold and refreshing then it’s probably a decent boba drink. Why am I ranking drink places if I don’t have strong opinions, you ask? Well, I don’t know honestly. My housemate gave me the idea and promptly ranked everything on the spot, so I was like why not. Besides, I’m also curious as to how this goes.
Disclaimer: I am only ranking places that I have tried which is, fortunately, a whole lot. Yes, I say boba and not bubble tea, sue me. This list is completely in my opinion, so there may not be a whole lot of critical thinking when it comes to why I like one more than the other. It’s truly just a feeling. In the words of Eugene Lee Yang from the Try Guys, “I’m right, you’re wrong. Shut up.”
- TP TEA
Yes, I can hear the gasp from your lips. I love passing by this place because I can always smell the sweet boba that’s cooking behind the scenes. It just draws you in. It is a bit pricey in my opinion, but I definitely like this place more than the rest and would probably recommend it to a friend who has never visited here before.
2. Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea
I don’t really like fruit teas as much as milk teas, but when I want something citrusy and refreshing this is a pretty good go-to spot. The Yakult drinks are pretty nice to drink (or the winter melon drinks, you can’t go wrong with winter melon). Also, the SnackPass “order with friends” option makes it a total steal when you have a dedicated friend group who love boba.
3. Feng Cha Teahouse
Feng Cha just holds a special place in my heart because I went here a lot as a freshman. They have all your regular tea drinks plus a slew of “special drinks” if you’re feeling a little adventurous. Plus, I love that I can sit here with a friend to talk or do some studying as I drink.
4. Plentea
(This whole ranking thing is getting harder as I type.) The cool thing about this place is that you can buy a glass bottle from them and if you bring it back you can get 10% off your next order. I really appreciate their message and their sustainable efforts here, so a major shout out to them.
5. Tibear
I have been here exactly once. I remember it being really cute from the cup to the drink and even the place itself. The drink I got was decent (let’s get this straight, everything tastes decent to me), but it’s starting to get a little pricey. It was also rather sweet. I do wish this was closer to where I lived so I can try it more often, but alas here you are at 5th place.
6. U-Cha
I haven’t come here that many times, but from what I remember it was decent drinks at decent prices. Plus, they have a lot of drinks you can order from. Feel free to try them all.
7. Happy Lemon
As the name implies, lemon drinks are their specialty. But, they also have a really cool salted cheese series with all the teas and milk teas that you should totally try.
8. Purple Kow
9. Sharetea
10. Raretea
I am grouping the three above me here because I typically put them at the same level but, they do have some subtle differences in my heart. With Purple Kow, the drink itself feels pretty overwhelming and large, so maybe it’s the best bang for your buck here. Then we have Sharetea and Raretea. I mean come on. They are practically the same thing. Both are not super high quality, but also not terrible either. (Sharetea is only higher here because I have had it back home.)
11. Sweetheart
12. Boba Ninja
For the last two here, I probably don’t need to give a lot of explanations. They don’t exactly scream iconic boba place, but with their cheap prices, large assortments of drinks, and bomb popcorn chicken, they are plenty fine to me.
So there it is, my completed list. Feel free to dispute me through a strongly worded email or fight me in person. I will let you win. But right here in this blog post, I’m right, you’re wrong. So, shut up.