Guppy House: 7.5/10

HI BOBA FRIENDS! Finally, I am reviewing boba in LA again. It's been months... what can I say, life also got crazy. Anyway, we went to Guppy's in Temple City the other day. Sorry that this review is not focused on a tea house like Cofftea or Cha For Tea, but boba is up there on their menu. Although I will agree that their monstrous shaved ice and brick toast are what gets people to come back.

I don't like how the container isn't clear.

GUPPY HOUSE
(TEMPLE CITY, CA)

Drink Taste: 7.5/10

Boba: 8.0/10

Cost-to-Size: 7.5/10

Available Drink Options: 7.0/10

Available Food Options: 8.5/10

Customer Service: 7.5/10

Ambience: 8.0/10

Recommended: Yes... but I like the Hacienda Height's Guppy's better.

Straw's peep hole: the tea is frothy!

Summary of Scores: I ordered a large "red milk tea w/ boba" and this was Guppy's version of black tea. I thought it was alright, where it had the basic taste of milk tea. However, the sweetener used had an interesting aftertaste. It's not particularly strong but is noticeable. The tea was not anything special, more so typical. The boba was perfectly made, with a slightly sweet taste and good chew. Beware: it is mini boba and will shoot up the straw quickly! The cost of a small is $3.25 and $3.75 for a large. Boba is an additional charge, maybe 50 cents? There's other toppings like aloe, pudding, red bean, etc. The drink and food options at Guppy's are incredible, as you may know. Lots of Taiwanese choices, and I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND SHAVED ICE > MILK TEA BOBA. I think if anything, add pearls to your shaved ice if you are having a boba craving. The popcorn chicken and Hawaiian fried rice aren't too bad either. The customer service was ok, nothing notable. The ambience is on the louder side, but this restaurant is new and well decorated. Imagine yourself in a tropical rain forest essentially.

Overall Experience: 7.5/10

This is what a small strawberry shaved ice + boba looks like. AMAZING, RIGHT?

-T

OZERO's Secret Elixir: Iced Coffee

Hey boba friends!

   I am so sorry for not posting in so long! Honestly, we have been drinking boba sparingly and if we did have a hankering, it'd be at Ozero/Cofftea. Bittersweet... I know. But I promise that once we venture out, I will review it. Guppy's? Lollicup? Who knows what the future has in store!

   If you EVER need to pull an all-nighter (AKA: Relay for Life, midterms hell) take a few swigs of Cofftea's ice coffee. It is absolutely delicious, unnecessarily caffeinated, and kept me up until 8am. I have a fairly high caffeine tolerance, after all, I am a barista. Make sure to take it in slowly though... you could start tweakin' out otherwise. It was $4.35 without tax! YOU CAN ALSO GET IT WITH ICE CREAM LIKE ESTHER DID! Asian affogato, so to speak.

Iced Coffee (Strong, dark.. something like that)

Happy April 12!

T