Tastea: 8.0/10

Hello boba friends! This is a more unusual post because the place is a bit of trek from home. However, I'm sure many of you have heard of Tastea in the OC!

Half & Half Tea w/ Honey Boba

TASTEA
(GARDEN GROVE, CA)

Drink Taste: 8.5/10

Boba: 5.5/10

Cost-to-Size: 8.0/10

Available Drink Options: 8.0/10

Available Food Options: 5.0/10

Customer Service: 8.5/10

Ambience: 8.0/10

Recommended: Such a happy little shop and fun vibe. So yes... especially after a long day of shopping.

Summary of Scores: The Half & Half tea was SO refreshing and SO good in all its simplicity. Often times I'm conflicted between black or green tea and THIS place has solved all my problems by mixing both. It was the right amount of sweetness and flavor. However... the boba, I would skip on it next time. When I saw that it was green, I knew they sacrificed taste for cuteness. However... because Tastea is the epitome of cute, they do rock the green boba. I wonder if the regular boba is not green. I didn't like it because it was overly soft and awkward in consistency, but the taste was fine. The tea was $2.60 in the gigantic size (approximately 16-20oz), great price imo. Lots of creative drinks with pre-determined toppings, like Passion Attraction (passion fruit tea w/ coconut jelly). It reminded me of Cha For Tea, more sweet and intense in fruit flavor. Quite artificial, but I'd get that as dessert anytime. I don't recall if there was food or not (but I'm leaning to not)... so that explains the 5.0 score. Customer service was excellent, everyone was so polite and welcoming. Ambience isn't ideal for studying, but it's very a very fun and casual atmosphere. Also colorful!

Overall Experience: 8.0/10


Thanks, OC. I really enjoyed this one!

-T

Honeyboba: 8.5/10

Hello hello hello boba people! I am excited to say that I can now review Honeyboba. I remember when first Yelping this place, there was either tons of love or tons of haterade. From fat cups to honey-infused boba to crazy toppings, the controversy is which came first: Half & Half or Honey Boba? In my opinion, neither can confidently claim that they invented any of these ideas. Are fat cups really that INCREDIBLE of an idea, anyway? Fat cups don't even fit in standard car cup holders!

To me... the real question is: which do I prefer? Neither beats Cofftea. However, I was impressed with Honeyboba. Really impressed. Dare I say, it could be my new 2nd favorite boba spot?

HONEYBOBA

Jasmine Green Milk Tea w/ Boba

(ARCADIA, CA)

Drink Taste: 8.5/10

Boba: 8.0/10

Cost-to-Size: 8.0/10

Available Drink Options: 7.5/10

Available Food Options: 8.0/10

Customer Service: 7.5/10

Ambience: 8.0/10

Recommended: Yes! Imo, better than Half & Half. Waaaay better than the other Arcadia favorite: Au79.

Summary of Scores: This isn't a true comparison because I did not get milk tea (well, they only had Earl or oolong anyway) but I did get the Jasmine green. The tea was perfect, not too sweet, not too rich, and just right. Thus... SO REFRESHING. Plus I love jasmine tea. The boba was pretty good too, nice and chewy and honey-y. The pearls did not harden too quickly in the cold tea, either. I got 3 teas with boba for under $13, which isn't too shabby. All were standard size, which I think are comparable to the sizes at Cofftea or FTB. Imagine getting a large here! That large fat cup looked like the to-go containers for wonton soup. There were plenty of drink options, including the usual affair (with cute names -- Wintermelon Waltz, for instance) as well as more creative ones, like molasses, peanut, and black sesame milk teas. Honeyboba also serves the controversial milkys which resemble the crazy ensembles of Half & Half. There's a separate food menu -- hence I assume a fairly large selection of snacks and entrees. Customer service was alright, better compared to other tea places. Can I say, honeyboba is very bro? Every employee working this afternoon was male. They were playing Cascada's "We're in Heaven". Ambience was great because of the Cascada playlist, colorful furniture and walls, and multiple chandeliers. Just a lil too loud for studying, but people still tried to.  So I guess in many ways, I do like Honeyboba. I like it better than most boba places I've tried, so do not take it personally my loyal Half & Halfers. 

Overall Experience: 8.5/10


Alright... it is way past my bedtime. I apologize for misspellings, poor grammar, and choppy sentences. I just wanted to post this entry and then pass the fig out. Stay thirsty, friends!

-T

Au79 Tea House: 8.0/10

Greetings boba friends! My friend, Alan, has mentioned this boba place many times in the past. Today, my lab partner and I had an hour incubation and decided we wanted boba. Stephanie, too, mentioned this place. Ever heard of Au79? Maybe only know Au as the periodic table's reference for gold? So by its name, this place has got to be the gold standard for boba, right?

Milk tea w/ boba.

AU79
(ARCADIA, 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: 7.0/10

Customer Service: 7.5/10

Ambience: 8.0/10

Recommended: Yes, it's pretty good. Not gold, but good.

Summary of Scores: The milk tea was a little more sweet than what I'm used to, so next time I would order less sweet. The tea did not have the same depth and richness, it might be due to the type of creamer used. Less fat? Who knows, but overall, still well-made. The boba was different from other places in that it was more chewy (though not necessarily undercooked). It was plump and held its body well. It was also deliciously sweetened/honeyed up! My drink was a little less than $4 for a fairly sized tea, sizable with FTB and Ozero. I did not take a good gander at the menu so I am unsure about the food choices, but it appears to be the typical Taiwanese affair of popcorn chicken and snacks. The customer service was structured, where I ordered my drink to-go and was ushered to wait by the door. He asked politely, but what if I wanted to sit down? The teashop was fairly empty. Le sigh~ however, the decor was cute and ambience seemed casual, clean, and perhaps a decent place to study. Overall - I'd recommend this place if you are in the area. It's not too far of a drive from City of Hope!

Overall Experience: 8.0/10

I will do my best to try a new place soon! For now... HAPPY SUMMER :)

-T