Picture this: It’s a hot and sunny day during the summertime and you’re craving something cold and refreshing. Getting a drink from any boba shop is a great way to satisfy your cravings. “Black Pearl Tea” or “Boba Tea” is seen as a beloved Taiwanese classic. There are multiple flavors and combinations of teas, milk, and bubbles which range from tapioca balls to fruit jellies. Some of the popular bubble tea flavors can include classic milk teas, brown sugar milk teas, milk foam bubble green teas, any flavored bubble latte/coffee and fruit teas as well. In this article specifically, I will be talking about the top three boba spots in the Bay Area which include, Tpumps, Itea, and T4.
The first boba spot I will be including is Tpumps. There are multiple Bay Area locations and so many flavors you can choose from. At Tpumps, you can add up to three flavors to make your drink personalized and up to your liking. I have been here multiple times, and their drinks are very refreshing and delicious. Tpumps also has a free size upgrade every Tuesday. Some of the flavors Tpumps has include strawberry, mango, peach, passion fruit, cherry, kiwi, chocolate, salted caramel, and so much more. The toppings you are able to receive include honey boba, boba bran, red bean, taro, and also a variation of different types of popping boba. You can also choose a black tea or green tea with milk or not and even change up the sweetness and ice options. If you ever make a stop at Tpumps, I highly recommend getting a mango passion lychee black milk tea with honey boba or a mango coconut pineapple black milk tea with honey boba as well!
Adding on to that, Itea is also a great boba spot to come to in the Bay Area as well. There are many close locations such as the one on Fremont Blvd or the one in Newark. Itea has a good variety of drinks,from any type of milk teas, fruit teas, frosties (which are basically smoothies), and even some hot drinks. Not only that, Itea also has some options for snacks which includes popcorn chicken, fries, chicken wings, and even ramen. At Itea, you are also able to choose your preference on the sweetness and ice level and get any extra toppings from egg pudding to any type of flavored jelly and so muchmore. Some of my favorite drinks to get at Itea are the strawberry mango fruit tea with boba and lychee jelly and also the milk teas.
And lastly, T4 is an enjoyable boba spot to come in the Bay Area. The closest location would probably be in Fremont near American High School. T4 has a good variety of drinks as well and before COVID happened, people were able to go inside and play a few board games when waiting for their drinks. At T4, you can also adjust your ice and sugar level. One of the most popular drinks would probably be the milk teas or royal teas. T4 also has really good popcorn chicken, fries, egg waffles, and also other tasty snacks. One of my favorite drinks to get at T4 which I would recommend is the passion or mango royal tea with boba. The drink is very refreshing and would definitely help on a hot summer day!
These are just a few of the best boba spots in the Bay Area and there are probably more spots you can try out. Hopefully you can try these boba places out and enjoy them yourselves with your family and friends!
All images by the author.
