By Gio Arteaga
Boba, a classic drink invented in Taiwan, has become a global sensation millions have come to love. For me, Boba has become an outlet for me and my friends that has definitely taken a LARGE toll on my bank account. This issue, I’ll be ranking three of my personal favorite boba places based on 3 criteria: the diversity of the drink menu, the quality of the boba/drinks, and the ambiance of each boba place. Finally, I’ll add my input and recommendations for what to order.
Breaktime 10/10
Breaktime tea hits very high marks for me. The drink menu has lots of diversity, there’s everything from classic milk teas to taro teas, to more fruity/fresh tea, delicious smoothies, and my favorite, their food. All of their drinks are very high quality. They all taste very authentic and are made with real ingredients, every drink seems like it’s made with tons of love and overall taste absolutely amazing. The ambiance Breaktime tea provides for me is definitely what puts it over the edge, the Cafe itself is very cozy with there being mood lighting in the afternoon when it gets darker and just the overall vibe. The staff are also very friendly, everyone is super sweet and everytime I go they always add the extra tier of customer service. What I would get when going to breaktime is either a Mango Mojito, light ice with strawberry hearts. My best friend Laura Lipcsei suggests ordering the thai milk tea with light ice and 100% sugar.
Teaspoon 8.5/10
Teaspoon, Located at the pruneyard in Campbell is a very simple yet delicious cafe. The drink menu Teaspoon offers is definitely diverse with them offering more fruity teas with a good balance of classic traditional teas like Thai, milk tea, Taro tea, etc. The tea at Teaspoon definitely speaks for itself, with it either being steeped or having puree, you can definitely always rely on getting a high quality drink to just sit down and enjoy. When it comes to the overall ambiance of the shop itself, it’s very cute and definitely a very cozy spot, since it’s not on a main road you don’t hear traffic pollution and it’s more tucked away into a nock so it’s not as crowded. The inside of the cafe on the other hand is really aesthetically appealing with the added personal touches like staff pictures and a plant wall. What I would get when going to Teaspoon would be the mango funtime with lychee jelly, it provides a nice refreshing slushy like texture with the perfect amount of sweetness.
Gong Cha 8/10
Gong Cha, located at Westgate mall in Saratoga is definitely a very nice spot to hang out and get boba with friends. The drink menu Gong Cha has to offer is the best part with there being a perfect balance of classic teas everyone has grown to love but also with a mixture of a couple new fruity drinks, something that sets apart Gong Chat from the other places though is how they tie in classic teas into new, more fun ways (like turning taro tea into a slushy type). The tea at Gong cha is also very high quality with them also freshly brewing tea to serve to customers and it definitely reflects within the taste. The downside to Gong Cha at the Westgate location is that the ambiance isn’t really there, since it’s in a mall location, there’s not really any mood that the seating provides. And for me that’s what sets it back the 2 points. (only for this location)What I would suggest ordering from Gong Cha would be a Mango Lychee green tea with 75% sweetness and light ice with lychee jelly as a topping.
