I have two recent addictions, both things I over indulge in when travelling. I'm not sure what is about travel, but my desire for both 1) poke bowls and 2) bubble tea seem to go up dramatically when I travel. The amusing thing is, I don't even really care for raw fish these days, and hate rice, so I actually get poke salads, with tons of mix-ins and dressings and crunch, and go for places with awesome random things rather than quality raw seafood, and, I don't actually like bubble tea that much, but I adore taro drinks, and, yup, all the mix-ins ... so I don't care about the pedigree of the actual brewed tea at all. Yup, who cares about premium seafood and tea, when both these subject matter are really just all about the toppings and mix-ins!
So when I was recently in Toronto, my first night, after ordering my poke (salad) bowl (with tempura shrimp and crab salad) from Rolltation, I immediately fired off an order for a sweet treat to follow, featuring taro, mix-ins, and cream, from Tika Tea House.
I had more options than I could even reason about for where to get my taro tea-like creation from, all reasonably priced, readily available through delivery services, etc, but Tika Tea House quickly rose to the top of my list.
Why? Well, first, they had a great list of mix-ins, always a key thing for me. And not one, but two types of cream foam topping, my more recent discovery and love. But also, they let me customize the sugar level, which is rather essential, as some shops just load them so full of sugar and powders they actually make me feel kinda sick. Oh, and bonus points, when I saw they use real taro.
I ordered two drinks, to make the delivery "worthwhile" (hey, let me justify it!), and to hedge my bets in case one wasn't great, and, well, because I know that keeping one for the next day (or, uh, morning) tends to make me a happy person. Both featured zero tea, lots of mix-ins, and taro, but if you do want actual bubble tea, they do make that as well. I just know nothing about it.
Tika Tea House scored major points the moment I saw my delivery: the foam toppings were packaged separately! Yes! I adore these toppings, but when you order delivery, they so often get shaken up and mixed in, which is entirely not the point. The drinks came classically sealed (even better for delivery) and the foams were separate. I was beyond pleased.
The drinks were both ok, but the foams ... exceeded my expectations. I'd consider ordering from here again.
I started with a taro smoothie, glad to have options for customizing the sweetness with a scale of "Minimum sugar" - 25% - 50% - 75% - 100% - 125%. I went for "Minimum sugar", which my receipt confirmed, but the label on my drink said 25% sweet. 25% does seem like a reasonable value for "minimum", except that 25% was also an option ... not really sure how this was different. Anyway.
So when I was recently in Toronto, my first night, after ordering my poke (salad) bowl (with tempura shrimp and crab salad) from Rolltation, I immediately fired off an order for a sweet treat to follow, featuring taro, mix-ins, and cream, from Tika Tea House.
I had more options than I could even reason about for where to get my taro tea-like creation from, all reasonably priced, readily available through delivery services, etc, but Tika Tea House quickly rose to the top of my list.
Why? Well, first, they had a great list of mix-ins, always a key thing for me. And not one, but two types of cream foam topping, my more recent discovery and love. But also, they let me customize the sugar level, which is rather essential, as some shops just load them so full of sugar and powders they actually make me feel kinda sick. Oh, and bonus points, when I saw they use real taro.
I ordered two drinks, to make the delivery "worthwhile" (hey, let me justify it!), and to hedge my bets in case one wasn't great, and, well, because I know that keeping one for the next day (or, uh, morning) tends to make me a happy person. Both featured zero tea, lots of mix-ins, and taro, but if you do want actual bubble tea, they do make that as well. I just know nothing about it.
Tika Tea House scored major points the moment I saw my delivery: the foam toppings were packaged separately! Yes! I adore these toppings, but when you order delivery, they so often get shaken up and mixed in, which is entirely not the point. The drinks came classically sealed (even better for delivery) and the foams were separate. I was beyond pleased.
The drinks were both ok, but the foams ... exceeded my expectations. I'd consider ordering from here again.
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| Taro Smoothie / 25% Sweet / Sweet Rice / Coconut Jelly / Cheese Cream. $10.34. |
The smoothie was well blended, no chunks of ice, nice texture, much like a milkshake or even ice cream. However, it ... was really sweet. Much sweeter than I wanted, even with minimum sugar level. It also didn't taste like taro at all, even though it was a lovely purple color. So, great texture, but too sweet, and not the flavor I was hoping for at all.
My mix-ins (black rice and coconut jellies) were both just the right quantity, certainly generous, but neither overwhelmed.
The rice option was quite unique, and why I decided to order from Tika Tea House. It really made it more like a dessert in my mind, it had some substance, not just liquid and sugars. Dark black rice, great texture, not soggy nor mushy. Fun to add in, no question, and it slightly helped combat the sweetness.
The coconut jellies were fairly standard, but well made, not too firm, not too soft, and like the rice, a generous, but not overwhelming, portion. I loved having something slimy in there too. They were however quite sweet, and with the already sweet smoothie base ... it was just too sweet for what I really wanted.
And finally, for this one, I selected the cheese cream topping. It was AWESOME. Just the right level of savory, tangy, salty. Not quite as light as some foam toppings other places, but still fairly light, and just crazy delicious. I loved it, and the salty savory nature did help combat the sweet drink. I found myself wanting to just make spoonfuls of slightly icy taro slush with rice and a generous dollop of this, rather than drink it as a drink. Crazy good.
A taro smoothie is usually $6.59 for regular size, but my toppings quickly added up: $1 for sweet rice, $0.75 for coconut jelly, and $2.00 for cheese cream topping, so $10.34 overall. Still, it was a legit dessert at this point, not just a drink, and the price seemed justified.
I enjoyed this, but, I wouldn't get it again. I want more taro, less sweet. But that cheese cream? Made it worth it. No question.
For my second drink, I went for one that would keep until the next day more easily (e.g. not melty), a fresh taro milk. Yes, more taro!
It was a totally different color, not the crazy bold purple, but far more pale, and looked like it had fresh taro in it. I hope it would taste like taro, unlike the smoothie.
For this, my choice of sugar level was nearly the same scale, 25% - 125%, but this time, no "minimum sweetness" and instead an option for 0%, which I selected. It actually was not sweet at all, which I appreciated.
The drink though was ... boring? It really was just fresh milk with some fresh taro puree. Not sure what I was expecting. I liked the taro, lots of mashed up pieces, but ... not particularly exciting, and the milk was quite plain. I guess I am used to taro powder.
I added two different mix-ins, puddings and aloe vera, just to try other things, and added the other cream topping, sweet cream, to this. Like the smoothie, it came sealed, with topping in a separate container, which was perfect for saving until morning.
The pudding was smaller chunks than many places, which was better for sucking up in the straw. I liked it, again, it made it more like a real dessert. I've never had aloe vera in a drink before, but I liked it too, less sweet than coconut jellies, and I'll certainly add them to my lineup in the future. Both mix-ins were great textures.
The sweet cream was far lighter and airier than the cheese cream, and, well, sweet, not cheesy. Totally different really. More like a very airy whipped cream. Still tasty, but nearly as magical as the cheese cream.
The taro tapioca fresh milk base price is slightly more than a smootie, $6.75, but my additions were a bit less pricey this time, $0.75 each for the pudding and aloe vera, and only $1.50 for the sweet cream. I found it curious that the sweet cream was cheaper than cheese cream? Still, $9.75 does seem like a lot for "a drink". Again, I say, it wasn't really just a drink a this point ...
A taro smoothie is usually $6.59 for regular size, but my toppings quickly added up: $1 for sweet rice, $0.75 for coconut jelly, and $2.00 for cheese cream topping, so $10.34 overall. Still, it was a legit dessert at this point, not just a drink, and the price seemed justified.
I enjoyed this, but, I wouldn't get it again. I want more taro, less sweet. But that cheese cream? Made it worth it. No question.
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| Taro Tapioca Fresh Milk / 0% Sugar / Iced / Pudding / Aloe Vera / Sweet Cream. $9.75. |
It was a totally different color, not the crazy bold purple, but far more pale, and looked like it had fresh taro in it. I hope it would taste like taro, unlike the smoothie.
For this, my choice of sugar level was nearly the same scale, 25% - 125%, but this time, no "minimum sweetness" and instead an option for 0%, which I selected. It actually was not sweet at all, which I appreciated.
The drink though was ... boring? It really was just fresh milk with some fresh taro puree. Not sure what I was expecting. I liked the taro, lots of mashed up pieces, but ... not particularly exciting, and the milk was quite plain. I guess I am used to taro powder.
I added two different mix-ins, puddings and aloe vera, just to try other things, and added the other cream topping, sweet cream, to this. Like the smoothie, it came sealed, with topping in a separate container, which was perfect for saving until morning.
The pudding was smaller chunks than many places, which was better for sucking up in the straw. I liked it, again, it made it more like a real dessert. I've never had aloe vera in a drink before, but I liked it too, less sweet than coconut jellies, and I'll certainly add them to my lineup in the future. Both mix-ins were great textures.
The sweet cream was far lighter and airier than the cheese cream, and, well, sweet, not cheesy. Totally different really. More like a very airy whipped cream. Still tasty, but nearly as magical as the cheese cream.
The taro tapioca fresh milk base price is slightly more than a smootie, $6.75, but my additions were a bit less pricey this time, $0.75 each for the pudding and aloe vera, and only $1.50 for the sweet cream. I found it curious that the sweet cream was cheaper than cheese cream? Still, $9.75 does seem like a lot for "a drink". Again, I say, it wasn't really just a drink a this point ...
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