this white boy loved it back in san diego ^

Had it in new york a few months ago.... could do some of those chewy balls sometime (wow that came out weird).

Cholula, your in Socal and you haven't ventured into one of those places? :p Well, if you're in my neck of the woods (LA/OC), PM me and I'll take you to one of them or direct you to one.

Some of them in Socal (the chains) are pretty consistent; Lollicup, Tapioca Express, and Tea Station.

Personally, I find Tea Station probably the best tasting. Most places also offer pretty good snacks too. It is true about the freshness; the fresh ones are just chewy and not slimy. Old ones tend to be slimy and hard. The ones that are dedicated to making the boba/tea are usually the ones with the freshest and most variety of flavors.

It really isn't as bad as some make it out to be. :D

Whoa - a few things to correct here:

1. Just because it's called "boba" does not mean you have to order it. I like the smoothie part (without milk) and order it as a smoothie. I love the tart plum flavor, and instead of tapioca balls (boba), I order lychee / pineapple jelly, which is much tastier imho.

2. I've never liked the junky smoothies like Jumba Juice, the "boba" style smoothies are far less filling and more refreshing. Jumba Juice smoothies feel like you're eating a meal, whereas a "boba" style smoothie is light and refreshing.

3. If you've never tried boba, ask for a sample of the tapioca balls. If you don't like it, no big deal, you will still love the smoothie part. I don't care for milk, so I get the smoothie (ice crush) without milk.

Man I love the bubble teas! My favorite flavor is the Taro! I get it wherever and whenever I can but I buy it at many stands and tea shops in HKG. They arent as goos as the "Motherland" of boba but dang good anyway!

I experienced my first Boba in LA's Chinatown on Chinese New Year's this year, and it was excellent. It had good flavor, and the price was right,at a dollar. It was weird to experience "sucking up" the tapioca pearls into my mouth, but really yummy.

Cholula, you can get some at nearly every Thai and most Vietnamese restaurants around here. Tea Station has what seems to be the most variety and they are pretty good. The food is hit-or-miss, but the tea is great.

If you don't like the pearls/boba, ask them to leave it out. At some places, they charge you for adding it in!

Taro is my favorite flavor as well. In the summer, I love watermelon slushies with boba...they look like little pips in a wonderfully coral sea!

ugh tea station...

try fusion cafe on Claremont Mesa, caddy corner to Chettahs... they have this popcorn chicken that's ooo-soo-good.

I first had boba tea in Los Angeles' Chinatown in 2001, and since then I've sought it out at tea specialty shops around the country.

We even have it in Minneapolis now!

some of the flavors have a lot of chemical taste.

I like the jack fruit or watermelon boba ^

sometimes I'll request w/o the tapioca balls if not in the mood for them but other times I find it soothing to chew them one by one.:)

had some today in "Asian-town" north Orlando...pearls were undercooked but tea was tremendous

Mango Snow Ice with Boba... yummm. Or green tea boba. It's just that they're so d*mm unhealthy... Otherwise, I'd have one everyday.

Just had a red bean slush with boba for lunch today. It was really good, although I can see where someone unfamiliar with azuki beans might be put off by the combination.

I hope I can find boba tea all over the place in Seattle, too.

Boba tea is ubiquitous in Seattle--you'll find almost as many boba-tea places as teriyaki joints.

I believed bubble tea was first introduced in Hong Kong or Taiwan in the early 1990s... And was a big hit all over Asia in the late 90s... It is amazing to see it generating interests/discussion on here now... :)

And I was a big fan of it... Now, i get one once in a long long while... I bought one in SF's Chinatown recently... Not the best but it was decent... Shared it with a friend from SEA... And he wasn't impressed at all... I doubt he would get any in the future... :(

As mentioned on an earlier post here, the drink is great.. just too unhealthy.. especially if u are watching your waistline... Few years ago, shops in SIN (likely in other countries as well) have been offering aloe vera chunks as replacement of the pearls... Something healthier if u matched that with green tea w/o milk...

But drink unhealthily, u will die.. and drink healthily, u will still die... So i choose to eat/drink what i enjoyed the most before the day comes... ;)

In Tainan City, there is a tea shop that boasts that they were the first tea shop in the world to introduce bubble drinks to the world.

And have to agree with lin821, the Taiwanese knows how to make bubble tea. One of the few things I have become addicted to living here.

I am in Taipei right now. Last trip, just over a month ago, my host offered up large boba drinks to our group who hadn't experienced them before. Long story short most went untouched, including my own. Just wasn't sure what those little balls were! Now that I'm more enlightened I may have to try one again - with a bit more of an open mind. :)

My advice . . . . . Just don't eat the tapioca pearls.

If they are offending, you can drink around them. Or, better yet, do what I do and order the drink without the tapioca and enjoy drinking a tasty smoothie from a cool fat straw.

We've had a couple local places (one Japanese restaurant, another Vietnamese restaurant) who offered bubble tea/boba tea for several years now. i really enjoy them, and they are a fun game as well as a drink :)

Bought one for my boss a few months ago. He too was a bit apprehensive initially, but is now hooked.

Some of the stores not only sell the boba pearls but also other drinks such as slush, custard and jello. Mix and match, be creative.

I agree it doesn't fit everyone's taste bud, but for some people like myself, we think it's the tastiest part of the drink. ;)

There are a whole bunch of places selling bubble teas in the Greater Toronto Area.