The Point

The Point

The Point

Boba

Boba

What even is boba?

When I first saw these black, marble-sized balls congregated in a plastic tray at the cafe, I mistook them for frog eggs. The shiny, slimy, and oddly jelly-like appearance of these “tapioca pearls” seemed suspiciously amphibian to my ignorant eyes.

Boba, as I now know, refers to chewy, tapioca balls made from cassava, a type of sweet potato.
Usually served in teas infused with fruit flavors and cream, its origins can be traced back to tea shops in Taichung, Taiwan during the 1980s. Taking Asian markets by storm for over a decade, its popularity has been steadily rising in major North American cities.

With the birth of boba also came another invention: the boba straw. This is merely logical; to drink boba tea, one must use a straw about three times the diameter of a regular straw to pick up the boba. In addition to its intended purpose, however, the straw allows greater volumes of liquid to be sucked up at greater speeds. But be warned–the bobas can pose a choking hazard when coupled with the ferocious velocities of these straws.

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So now that you are somewhat educated (and hopefully a little intrigued) here are some of the best places to get boba tea (also known as “bubble tea” and “pearl milk tea”) in the South Bay:

1. Yami Teahouse
Located in Lomita, Yami Teahouse has a full service tea bar with flavors to satisfy everyone from the most conservative (“honey tea”) to the most adventurous (“wintermelon green tea”) tea drinkers. All teas are made from organic ingredients grown in Taiwan. Drinks and boba are brewed at precise temperatures by Howard, the tea specialist. If you like your drinks sweet, but not too sweet, this is the place for you.

Recommendation(s): Milk tea boba, earl grey black tea boba

2. Coffee Cartel
You may already be familiar with the Redondo-based vintage cafe, maybe even grabbed a coffee or two and sat down with a friend in one of those second-hand, stained with god-knows-what  couches. But you probably didn’t know about their ice blended bobas. Coffee Cartel’s ice blended bobas contain tiny pieces of fruit jelly to go along with the tapioca pearls–a truly novel concept. Plus they cook their boba right on the spot so that they are guaranteed to be fresh and warm!

Recommendation(s): Lychee boba

3. Bobaloca
If you harbor a gigantic sweet tooth and an admiration for fluorescent-colored beverages, check out Bobaloca! Not only is the interior furnished with colors bright enough to blind your sore eyes, but the big, bold flavor of their boba tea is equipped with the zest to send even more blissfully devastating surges to your tongue. But beware of the peach tea boba here–its lack of flavor has yet to be rivaled in the boba world.

Recommendation(s): Honeydew boba, Thai milk tea boba