Growing up in Southern California, I’ve had my fair share of distinctive boba drinks over the years, so much so that my latest blood tests have revealed a spike in glucose intake.
Obviously this is all subjective (most things around the area of taste are), so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
Here’s my list!
I haven’t listed every single boba place I’ve been to over the years. Some were simply forgettable. These are the ones that have stood out to me over the years either because they were a) really good b) really bad, or c) hold nostalgic memories tied to their brand name.
S Tier: 7 Leaves will always be my favorite boba place, because of a combination of tastea and cost and the fact that you cannot get a good Mung Bean drink anywhere else. Half and Half is equally as delicious, although it is much farther from me than I otherwise would like.
A Tier: Tastea is delicious, and I like the fact that their boba is green. My favorite drink there is Peach Me Sweetie. Cha for Tea was one of the first boba places I ever went to in Southern California. Cococane is good even though it’s not really a boba place. Tea Station has always been particularly good quality every time I have gone.
B Tier: Drinks in the B tier are good, but wouldn’t be my first choice of places to go to. Almond Haus is particularly cheap, so I like their Coconut Thai tea there. Roasting Water is good, but I could care less about their decorative bottles, which I always end up throwing away anyway.
C Tier: These drink places aren’t really that good or consistent in quality. Tapex holds a special value in my heart only because I went there so many times (it was located conveniently on the UCSD campus). Similarly, Bobatime was located so close to Rise Kohyang Middle School that I took students and adults there frequently. I like Lollicup’s mini boba.
D Tier: These places are trash. Sharetea is gross. Boocha sucks. And tebotebo smells like fish sauce every time I’ve been there. Ding Tea is so overrated, and I hate the fact that all their locations don’t use the same stamp cards.
F Tier: These places should be out of business. Bobaloca was one of the first boba places I ever went to in my life. I’m sure it’s one of the reasons why I hated boba in high school and didn’t go to many places after that (it was a huge turnoff). Likewise, Crave is trash, even when given to me for free by my nephew who works there. I think I’d rather drink dirt.
That being said, what are your favorite boba places?
