Tea Fever

I am fully cognizant of the fact that in this picture my sister and I look less than enthused about our tea fever milk teas. I would like it to be known that we are in actuality quite pleased. We are just trying to be goth. Tea Fever is a place of the upmost importance to me, because it was my favorite bubble tea venue throughout high school. That was not saying much at the time considering it were only two bubble tea places in downtown Berkeley. Yet, even now when bubble tea shops have a tendency to  pop up like gophers, Tea Fever continues to produce some of the best bubble tea in Berkeley.

I have never gotten a drink that I was not pleased with at Tea Fever. Even when I go for some more extravagant combinations like Magic Mocha milk tea with coffee jelly and boba I still end up quite content. Additionally their matcha milk tea, while not quite as fantastic as the matcha at Asha Tea House, is superb. Their ice teas are splendid as well. Then there is Tea Fever's wonderful variety of waffles and crepes. My favorite of which is a dessert crepe that includes pieces of strawberries and mangos topped with whipped cream. Overall Tea Fever is a lovely place to fulfill all of ones bubble tea and snack needs.

Asha Tea House

I would like to start by expressing that this is currently my favorite place to be in downtown Berkeley, in part for its quality bubble tea in addition to its harmonious environment.The largest picture is of the matcha Latte with boba that I joyfully consumed upon my most recent visit to Asha Tea House. Ordering matcha is my go to way to ascertain the seriousness of a tea-venue. In my experience only the really good ones have really good matcha. This matcha was delectable. I offered a sample to my mother and upon tasting it she remarked "I didn't know if I like matcha but I like this."

My darling sister is featured on the top left proudly displaying her Moroccan Mint Tea with boba. She was very pleased with the mint flavor, the genuine pieces of mint, as well as the consistency of the boba. Her one complaint was that there was not enough ice. (One should note that she is in the midst of an ice obsession. It is strange.)

The picture on the bottom right is of a cool wooden shingle thing inside Asha Tea House. In addtion to that they have small wooden plaques displaying fun tea facts. For instance I learned that bubble tea is named after the foam that is created when tea shaken vigorously not after the bubble shaped boba. Apparently shaking tea brings out the teas flavors.

On a closing note, I am also considerably impressed with Asha Tea House's fruit tea drinks, which are a truly sensuious experience. The combination of the cool tea with tart puree; then the warm, sweet, boba. Then the texture of puree...I am at a loss for words. I would highly recommend that you, gentle reader, embark on this sumptuous journey if it is at all within your means.

Bobo Drinks

"These are probably the prettiest"

Berry Pom Pom Jar and Pineapple Paradise Jar

"This is an odd breakfast"

Bobo Ice Special

I tend to think of Bobo Drinks as that very cool new kid in town. I'd been lurking at Tea Fever and the late Tapicoa Express for years but all of a sudden Bobo popped up with its hip beverages and I was blown away. My friends and I originally gathered at Bobo Drinks for a farewell breakfast. Being in the mood to celebrate we ordered some of what we deemed the fancy things on the menu. Collectively we acquired a Berry Pom Pom Jar, a Pineapple Paradise Jar, a Bobo's sample and a fanciful concoction that I believe was called a Bobo Ice Special. The Berry Pom Pom Jar featured basil seeds which I like much better than chia seeds. Perhaps because they were smaller than chia seeds and therefore less slimy. Overall we were very impressed with everything we ordered. We decided that this was a place we would want to be taken on promising first dates. My one regret after first visiting Bobo Drinks was that I had not gotten a chace to sample Bobo's boba. 

A week later I returned determined to find out if Bobo could make a simple milk tea with boba as expertly as they had crafted their more elaborate specialties. To test this I odered a Taro Milk Tea while while my sister sipped on a Passion Fruit Milk tea. I found their boba particularly lovely. They had a silky texture while still being appropriately chewy. My sister remarked that sometimes people try to achieve his texture by putting boba in in hot tea but it is remarkable that Bobo managed while keeping the cold milk tea cold. One of the milk tea's more remarkable qualities was that it was rather creamy: a factor I was not entirely enthused about, yet my sister found it quite pleasing.

Purple Kow

When I first heard about Purple Kow I was intrigued. Partly because thinking about purple cows is a pleasant pastime. Additionally I was fascinated by the design of the shop and the very large cups it dispensed. I eventually went to Purple Kow with a large group of my compatriots. They were for the most part rather exited about our destination so I entered with high hopes. I ordered an Oolong milk tea with boba, because oolong is generally quite enjoyable. When I went to order I was ask if I wanted the full amount of sugar. I was a bit confused about what that meant so I answered yes. I later found out that I had made the wrong decision. At  Purple Kow one can get 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% sugar. My 100% was sickeningly sweet. Yet I was still luckier than my friend who ordered the matcha milk tea, which frankly tasted like chalk. That wasn't too surprising considering that it is incredibly difficult to find a matcha that is both cheap and good. However, we were still a bit disappointed. someone else in my group faired much better with one of Purple Kow's fruity teas (I regrettably don't remember which one) with a minimal amount of sugar. It was quite tasty.

It seems like Purple Kow really shines when it comes to toppings rather than tea. There are jellies galore! Yet it seems a bit foolish to settle for a mediocre tea with amber jelly (for the record I dont really know what that is) when there are significantly better boba places less than a block away. I am honestly bamboozled as to why my friends think so highly of this establishment.

The image above is the result of my sister trying to teach me how to use her fancy drawing app. As to its significance that, gentle reader, is up to you're interpretation. 

An Introduction to Bubble Tea (From Ten Ren)

On an average day as I walk through Downtown Berkeley seeing a shop proclaiming the existence of Bubble Tea is not an anomaly. This was not the case approximately thirteen years ago when I tried this tasty libation for the first time. At the time I was a wee youth making my way through elementary school, while my sister was an even wee-er youth. My mother had read about Bubble Tea in the food section of the San Francisco Chronicle and thus decided that we should sample this beverage. While on said journey she forgot the name of the thing we sought yet upon seeing a picture of bubble tea in the window of Ten Ren we knew that we had reached our destination. We then ordered a Honey Dew milk tea with Boba(tapioca balls). My mother and I were very satisfied but my sister was less so do to the fact that she was to small to have the suction nessacary to suck the Boba through the straw. In the months following we return to Ten Ren many a time. So much in fact that they began to recognize us. They even gave my sister a cup of just Boba on her birthday.

Now that Bubble Tea is a more wide spread fade, at least in Berkeley, over the next month or so I will visit at least five of the local bubble tea places as a means of providing better recommendations to people searching for a good Bubble Tea in the area. 

The image shown above is another one of my sister's creations, made to represent both of us at the time we first tried Bubble Tea.

Breakaway Matcha

Some time ago I came to the realization that most of the good matcha costs more than I usually like to spend on tea. Henceforth until very recently I only had a somewhat cheap matcha that I used primarily for baking. However to celebrate the occasion of my birth this year my aunt sent me a tin of Breakaway Matcha. I feel a bit tentative recommending this tea to others because I've realized that I try to recommend teas that are more affordable. As soon as I find a cheaper matcha of similar quality I'll be sure to alert you, gentle reader*, of its existence.

In order to prepare this matcha I first mix approximately a teaspoon with cold water in a mug. Then I mix in the matcha using either my milk frother or a very small whisk. Subsequently I fill the remaining space in the mug with hot water. At this point I occasionally sweeten it but Breakaway Matcha is equally magnificent unsweetened.

*gentle reader is currently my favorite salutation.

Northern Lights Tea (From Metropolitan Tea Company)

On of the best parts of having a tea blog (and talking about it in public at every opportune moment) is occasionally I am the lucky recipient of tea related gifts. This happened recently after a dear friend of mine went on a canadian adventure and returned with what she deemed "the most canadian gift." Whether Northern Lights Tea is really more canadian a gift than maple syrup in the shape of a moose that comes with free healthcare I'll let you, gentle reader, decide. Regardless Northern Lights proved to be a marvelous tea. It offers the solidness of a black tea with just enough embellishment to be simutanioisly caffeinate-ing and fun.