BUYING BOBA IN REDWOOD CITY A SEQUOIA STUDENT’S GUIDE

BY CHRISTINE CHANG Staff Reporter

Boba is a Taiwanese treat that many Sequoia students enjoy, and luckily, our school is conveniently close to a slew of local boba shops. But which one is the best? I sampled the signature drinks of 5 downtown Redwood City boba shops and reviewed them on five standards: price, service, tea quality, ratio of boba to tea, and boba quality. Hopefully this can help Sequoia boba-lovers find a favorite shop.

To get to Spill the Tea, take a right turn at the corner of James and El Camino, which is also the corner of Sequoia closest to Sequoia

Station. Walk past an auto shop and Discount Cigarettes, and into a cute shop decorated with a wall of fake plants. I ordered the Aloha drink, described as a Caribbean pina colada smoothie with real fruit. It only comes in one size and is $5.50. The cup is 20% boba and the rest is a creamy pink milkshake.The boba itself is relatively hard and small, and the milkshake is very milky. It could do with less cream for a more tangy tropical flavor. While there isn’t much selection in drinks, there are no plain drinks such as ordinary milk tea- all choices are flavorful and eclectic. The service was fairly slow, the wait being close to five minutes despite the store being mostly empty. Spill the Tea also serves crepes, waffles, and sushi, as well as chips and bottled drinks. Overall, being the closest boba shop to Sequoia, it’s a convenient place to stop by for an afternoon snack.

Bobalicious is the small, independentlyowned boba shop on the square. This shop is often busy when Sequoia students get out of school early and head downtown. Most days, the shop is a one-man show. Go up to the window and tell Bobalicious employee James your order. It’s more than likely he’ll say, “Hello, sweetie! What can I get for you today?” Around the side, he calls out your drink, you grab a colorful plastic boba straw, and head out with a refreshing drink. I ordered a small

We surveyed 72 students about their boba preferences: honeydew milk tea for $4.85. The tea tasted a lot like real honeydew and had a strong green tea flavor. The boba was large, satisfying, and plentiful. 40% of the cup was boba and the service was an acceptable speed. The menu at Bobalicious is expansive, and has a drink for everyone. While there are no extraordinarily unique mixtures, there are over 60 simple drinks to choose from, primarily fruit-based. If you like to support independently-owned businesses and want the cheapest boba around, go to Bobalicious.

From Happy Lemon, a relatively new boba shop near the movie theater, I tried a mango lemon slushie. The tea/slushie was tangy and refreshing, with real chunks of mango. Despite my not being very thirsty, I couldn’t get enough. The actual boba was delicious and made up 40% of the cup, and the service was exceptionally quick. The smallest size was a medium, but the cup was the same size as a small from Bobalicious, but a dollar and a half more expensive at $6.25. Happy Lemon also serves bubble waffles, waffles made of egg that originate from Hong Kong. They’re best warm with the sweet cream that comes with them. This is a convenient place to stop for boba after a lunch at Chipotle or Pizza My Heart.

The only boba shop in Sequoia Station is Tea Time, kitty-corner to Sequoia, next to Jamba. There is no seating inside- just walk in, order a drink from the window, and enjoy outside. I ordered a Thai tea for $4.95.There is only one size- a tall, skinny cup approximately the same size as a cup from Teaspoon. The service was acceptable and it’s fun to watch people make the drink through the window. The boba was pretty small and made up 20% of the drink. The tea tastes fresh and was delicious, with a bit of coconut flavor. Tea Time also sells crepes.

Finally, I reviewed Teaspoon, which is on the way from Sequoia to the square. I ordered a strawberry matcha royale for $6.50, on the pricey side for boba. While the drink is listed as one of Teaspoon’s signatures, the idea comes from another shop called Boba Guys. The boba was ok, making up 15% of the drink. While some might appreciate less tapioca in tea, I was expecting more of it; after all, I bought my drink from a boba shop. The tea was creamy with a pretty good matcha flavor, and the real strawberry was a nice touch. The service was fast. One drawback is that Teaspoon issues paper straws, which often get soggy in your drink. However, it’s a nice place to grab boba on your way to and from downtown.

One important thing to note is that none of the boba places I reviewed issue bamboo straws, arguably the most sustainable and practical type of straw. First of all, bamboo grows extremely fast and is therefore very sustainable, it is compostable, and of course much better for the environment than plastic. In addition, it won’t get soggy like a paper or cardboard straw. It stays just like new for your entire drink, making it seem just like plastic. Some boba shops, such as Tea Hut, have adopted bamboo straws. One way to decrease boba’s impact on the environment is to choose a cleaner, greener straw.

Changing the type of straw could significantly decrease the amount of plastic in nearby trash cans, especially after clubs bring TPumps to the breezeway. The rush of students clamoring for drinks indicates that despite our differences, we can all appreciate a refreshment to cap off a day of hard work.