Boba. I’m sure you’ve heard the word before. To give a dictionary definition, boba is “a cold, frothy drink made with a tea base shaken with flavors, sweeteners and/or milk with tapioca pearls at the base of the drink.” But that doesn’t accurately describe the joys of boba. You can get boba tea with dairy (milk tea) and just plain tea, not to mention all the different types/flavors of tea. There are also different kinds of boba, like tapioca spheres, popping bubbles, and even tapioca squares! There’s a tea and a boba for everyone. Some people complain about the weird texture of the tapioca, and if that’s the reason you don’t drink boba, you should try the popping boba (although watch out, some places don’t offer that). Same goes for the other way around. 

All that to say, if you don’t like boba, maybe you should try out some different kinds! If you’re looking for good places to get boba, I took a survey. Most people said that ShakeiT Boba was the place to go. Other answers were Kung Fu Tea, Piper and Leaf, Aki, and Yolo Rolo. My personal favorite is Piper and leaf, mainly because I love their teas so much (strawberry shindig, anyone?). For really good tapioca pearls, I recommend Kung Fu Tea. But, no matter my opinion, ShakeiT Boba seems to be the place to go. One student said, “ShakeiT Boba! Only ShakeiT Boba is acceptable. Kung Fu Tea is a nono. Pretzel Twister is a nono. Yolo Rolo is a nono. ShakeiT Boba is the only acceptable place. Only.”

So in the end, while I sort of understand not liking the texture of the pearls or the dairy mixed with tea, there were just as many students who shared that it’s what they like most about boba. Faith Williams shared, “It’s unusual, a unique texture in comparison to most other convenience foods.”

So I’m not invalidating anyone’s dislike of boba, I’m just… invalidating your dislike of boba. Go drink some boba!