By Amelia Lipcsei & Isabel Kikoshima
**Each issue, we are planning on reviewing a different boba place, starting from the worst place and moving up to the best. Our final ranking of boba places can be seen below. **
- Breaktime
- Boba guys
- Tao Tao
- ShareTea
- Teaspoon
- Ceremony Tea
- Happy Lemon
- Gong Cha
Gong Cha:
After visiting Gong Cha, we both immediately decided to rank the boba place last for a plethora of reasons. All we can say is, please, please, please do not try Gong Cha. Go to any other boba place. Here’s our final thoughts on the quality of the cafe.
Isabel’s Thoughts:
When I first went to Gong Cha, I was thrilled to find a possibly favorite boba cafe that was walking distance from my house. The first drink I tried was their winter melon tea with boba. Prior to ordering the tea, I thought the drink was going to be a refreshing and fruity tea. However, little did I know that the tea would taste like super sweet butterscotch in a tea. This tea was quite possibly the worst drink I have ever tasted. First off, the sugar level exceeded what my taste buds could handle. After a few sips of the drink, I had to throw the tea away (which I rarely ever do) because the sweetness was overpowering. Unfortunately, their boba was also another disappointment. While some pearls were overcooked and melted in my mouth, others were chewier than the rest. Unevenly cooked pearls really reflect the poor quality and attention to detail of Gong Cha. I believe what matters most in a boba drink is the pearls themselves. After all, paying another dollar for toppings must make the order worthwhile. Gong Cha was certainly very disappointing and hit none of the marks. In my opinion, their drinks are way too sweet and their pearls are unevenly cooked. After trying Gong Cha once, I have never returned and I would definitely not recommend this place.
Amelia’s Thoughts:
Everytime I think about Gong Cha, I shudder. After trying the winter melon tea there, and spitting it out on my first sip, I immediately developed a deep hatred for the boba place. However, believing that maybe the one tea I tried was just a fluke, I went back there again and ordered a classic milk tea. Again, I faced immense disappointment by the flavors of the tea. The words bland, bitter, and watery encompass the flavor of the drink perfectly; without enough sugar, and with far too much water, the horrific tea scarred me for life. Although sometimes I can forgive boba places for having subpar tea, my grudges run deep when the pearls themselves lack appeal. In my opinion, good boba has enough squish to chew on, retains a sweet flavor, and remains consistent throughout. Gong Cha’s pearls failed to check off any of these boxes. Instead, the boba came overcooked, hard, and bitter. The boba place’s tea has absolutely no flavor, and their pearls also have the worst texture I have ever tried. I would never recommend Gong Cha to anyone. Save your tastebuds and go get boba literally anywhere else.