6 Flavors of Boba Tea you Need to Try
6 Flavors of Boba Tea You Need To Try
Boba has taken over the food and drink market for good reason! I recently worked as a barista in a Boba establishment and it changed my life! Before I had worked there, I knew little to nothing about Boba and its origin. I didn’t know there was several different flavors, toppings and types of tea to choose from. It made me a Boba fan for life! You can imagine my mind when I had to learn all the recipes, which are delicious. Here in LA, there are a string of Boba shops that expands throughout the whole city.
You are bound to try Boba if you ever visit or live in the LA area. More recently we had a wave of oriental influence take over LA with its unique blends of flavor and heavily inspired cultural richness. This has brought some of the most tasty food and beverages to this area that we didn’t know we needed. Korean BBQ along with other tasty foods have made its way into our hearts along with the experience that is a pleasure. The next time you visit your favorite restaurant, ask to see if they serve some Boba!
Taro
This flavor of Boba tea is amazing! It is a pastel purple color and it may even be a darker purple depending on the establishment. This flavor comes from a sweet potato that is commonly eaten in the Philippines and other Asian countries. It does have a unique after taste that actually is pleasant.
If you do enjoy a sweet drink, taro is that! It can be very sweet with a unique flavor that only can be described as milky, to me. I’ve tried taro in a drink and ice cream flavor and it is delicious! I would say add some Boba or some coconut jelly as a topping and watch your taste buds go wild.
Thai Tea
This one is consider basic to expert tea drinkers because of its commonality. However, if you go to the right Boba shop this can be a recreated experience altogether. Thai tea has some hint of a spice but for the most part its quite creamy. It is made from Ceylon tea, milk and sugar; Half n half, soy and other alternatives can be provided.
The color of Thai tea is also a sight to see. The pumpkin orange hue is an experience all on its own. If you ever get it in a latte form the bright red/orange color gives you a spooky Halloween vibe. When I first started working at the Boba shop thai tea was my go-to and still occasionally is. You must try it in ice cream form as well, it hits differently as a midnight snack.
Signature/ Classic Milk Tea
This Boba tea is great for beginners who is over Thai tea. This tea is a black tea base with your choice of milk, non dairy creamer or another alternative. They add sugar usually and thats your Boba tea. At the establishment I worked at, it was our number one seller. People from all over would come to get that tea and they would also do different variations of it. My favorite thing to do is replace the sugar with honey.
This made me feel better about the amount of calories I was consuming but it also made it taste better. The tea we used had caffeine so if you aren’t a fan just ask for a decaf option. This drink also pairscwith alot of toppings that you can choose from. I would recommend coffee jelly, coconut jelly or lychee jelly.
Matcha Milk Tea
This one is in my top 3! This flavor is so satisfying to your soul. Indeed in LA matcha has become all the rage. If I had to guess its because of the health benefits and the variations you can do with it. I loved drinking my matcha with honey and golden Boba balls. This would get me every time! One customer of ours would order matcha but with a green tea base and half the sugar. It was good! I also felt like the way she ordered it was a healthier alternative to adding full sugar and just using hot water.
Matcha gives me green tea powder vibes. I first tried a similar drink at Starbucks with their green tea Frappuccino. This is still a classic to me! It always taste like fruity pebbles to me, I did start drinking it as a kid. If you are in a fog about what to try, go for the trusty matcha. It never lets you down!
Jasmine Milk Tea
This Boba tea is a refreshing one! Its base is a green tea that taste floral and buttery at the same time. This one is made with milk or milk alternatives and sugar. I love this drink when I want to feel healthy and get my benefits of drinking green tea. Some green teas can be quite bitter so it does make a difference to have sugar and milk.
I would recommend drinking this one ice cold with some fruit toppings. It gives it that extra boost of flavor and offsets the bitterness of the tea. I love the floral under tone of the tea and most fruit toppings actually enhance that instead of hiding it.
Tiger Boba Latte
I saved the best one for last! This Boba tea is filled with loads of sweetness, Boba and milk! This would be my go-to every time I had a sweet tooth or just craved a milk type drink. It is made typically with whole milk, Boba and a sucrose syrup that is a brown sugar syrup. This syrup is way more thicker than your average syrup and sweeter. If you are not careful, you can be on a sugar high for hours or find yourself not drinking the whole thing.
It does vary how its made because everyone does it differently. Some Boba shops add sea cream on top, which is a whipped topping made with heavy cream and sea salt. This is a good alternative to offset the sweetness of the syrup. Adding the whipped topping does add more dairy to the mix soooooo….. be ware!
