I've been going through a bubble tea phase.
Ok, not even bubble tea exactly, as I often don't have pearls, or even tea in the base. But you know what I mean. I blame my time in Sydney, where I experienced some really phenomenal drinks (hello Bubble Nini Tea!) - they've taken this space to a very different level than the Bay Area, likely due to the warmer climate and closer proximity to Asian (influences, ingredients, etc).
Anyway, I still keep exploring options in San Francisco, and recently attended an event with drinks from QualiTea. I eagerly grabbed one.
So, caveats. I haven't been to QualiTea myself (it is located in the Castro though, if you want to seek it out). And I didn't order my drink, so I couldn't customize it as I'd like. That said, I enjoyed it, recognized the quality, and would love to visit sometime. They offer all your standard fresh fruit teas, milk teas, smoothies, etc, with mix-ins.
"Taro fresh milk tea with taro chunks."
I had this at an event where I didn't order it, so it was 100% sweet (I'd certainly opt for less sweet), it had regular black boba (I'd go for aloe jelly, egg pudding, or something like that instead), it used non-dairy cream (I'd go for the soy option), and it had no cheese mousse cream on top. So, not quite what I'd pick. But still, I love taro, so, I wasn't going to pass it over.
That said, it was great!
The taro milk tea was sweeter than I'd prefer, but, very creamy and it had a nice taro flavor. I think the base is made with a powder, but it didn't seem chalky in any way. It did use black tea, but I didn't taste much tea. Good classic taro milk tea base.
They also make a taro smoothie that I'd love to try.
What made the drink though was the plentiful mashed fresh taro at the base. It was soft, and tasted, well, like taro? I really liked the fresh taro, and gleefully extracted it by the spoonful. It was nice to have it in this form, rather than cubes, as well.
The regular tapioca balls were actually pretty good, soft but not mushy, decent quantity but not overwhelming.
Overall, a lovely taro milk tea, with quality mix-ins. I'll certainly seek it out again.
Ok, not even bubble tea exactly, as I often don't have pearls, or even tea in the base. But you know what I mean. I blame my time in Sydney, where I experienced some really phenomenal drinks (hello Bubble Nini Tea!) - they've taken this space to a very different level than the Bay Area, likely due to the warmer climate and closer proximity to Asian (influences, ingredients, etc).
Anyway, I still keep exploring options in San Francisco, and recently attended an event with drinks from QualiTea. I eagerly grabbed one.
So, caveats. I haven't been to QualiTea myself (it is located in the Castro though, if you want to seek it out). And I didn't order my drink, so I couldn't customize it as I'd like. That said, I enjoyed it, recognized the quality, and would love to visit sometime. They offer all your standard fresh fruit teas, milk teas, smoothies, etc, with mix-ins.
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| Taro Kisses + Boba. $4.95 +$0.50. |
I had this at an event where I didn't order it, so it was 100% sweet (I'd certainly opt for less sweet), it had regular black boba (I'd go for aloe jelly, egg pudding, or something like that instead), it used non-dairy cream (I'd go for the soy option), and it had no cheese mousse cream on top. So, not quite what I'd pick. But still, I love taro, so, I wasn't going to pass it over.
That said, it was great!
The taro milk tea was sweeter than I'd prefer, but, very creamy and it had a nice taro flavor. I think the base is made with a powder, but it didn't seem chalky in any way. It did use black tea, but I didn't taste much tea. Good classic taro milk tea base.
They also make a taro smoothie that I'd love to try.
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| Fresh Taro! |
The regular tapioca balls were actually pretty good, soft but not mushy, decent quantity but not overwhelming.
Overall, a lovely taro milk tea, with quality mix-ins. I'll certainly seek it out again.
