194004 Tue Mar 05 09:51:46 -0800 2002 2 18 Manhattan 0 1035344 What is Bubble Tea? I am coming to NYC in 2 weeks and can try it then. Where? Thank you. Tue Mar 05 09:51:46 -0800 2002 0 JeanneGenovese 1 1035355 Here is a description of bubble tea from www.tenren.com. (I only took it from this site because they give a good, concise description of the product. It is not meant to be an endorsement.) "Originating from Taiwan 15 years ago, Bubble tea/Boba/Tapioca Pearl drink is a delightful refreshment consisting of tea, optional fruit flavors, and dark tapioca balls. Bubble tea is known by many names such as pearl tea drink, boba ice tea, boba nai cha, zhen zhou nai cha, pearl milk tea, pearl ice tea, black pearl tea, pearl shake, BBT, PT, and QQ. One unique ingredient of bubble tea or boba are the tapioca pearls. About the size of pearls or small marbles, they have a consistency like gummy candy. Special jumbo sized straws about 1 centimeter in diameter are used to sip these jumbo pearls along with the iced or warm tea or fruit drink." I would say that the consistency of the tapioca pearls is like gummy bears. Some people enjoy it, some don't. You can find more information about bubble tea on these sites: www.bubbletea.com www.bubbleteaonline.com www.tenrenusa.com www.saints-alp.com.hk Here's just a few places where you can try it in Manhattan: TEN REN'S TEA TIME 79 Mott Street (not to be confused with the Tea & Ginseng store at 75 Mott) SAINT ALPS (two locations) (1) 51 Mott Street (2) 3rd Avenue btw 10th & 11th Sts. (sorry, I forgot the exact address) GREEN TEA HOUSE 45 Mott Street There are many other places that serve bubble tea now in Chinatown. It seems like you can't make it down one block without hitting a bubble tea house. I don't even know what the Flushing, Queens has to offer. Maybe some other chowhounds will add some info? I hope you get to try some of the other wonderful and unique tastes of NYC when you get here! Happy chowhounding! Woof! Tue Mar 05 10:35:19 -0800 2002 1035344 0 chinese5spice 2 1035368 My new favorite obsession: bubble tea! I almost always get jasmine green tea with milk and tapioca. This is an amazing drink because it is light and fragrant and just a little sweet. I have also tried the black tea with milk and tapioca and it's quite good but the flavor isn't as light. Also some of the taro based drinks are good, tho a little sweet for my tastes. I like Asian sweets because they are less sweet that most american sweets. I have been to a bunch of places downtown and here are my findings: Ten Ren (Mott St. and Canal): excellent tea, the flavor comes through, not masked by the milk, not too sweet, good prices St. Alps (Mott and Baxter, also 3rd Ave. and 9th St.): good overall, less tea flavor, prices are the highest of all the ones I have tried East Pearl Cafe (St. Marks between 1st Ave and Ave. A): this is my favorite because you can taste the tea, it's not too sweet, the price is great, their food is quite good, the space is nice, the waiters are really nice, they have a pretty big menu and have a whole bunch of smoothies with great flavors. Fay Da Bakery (Lafayette above Canal, also Elizabeth below Grand): their tea didn't taste much of tea and was too sweet, they are a bakery so their bubble tea is kind of an afterthought, they have a standard menu, nothing extraordinary, the counterpeople are perfunctory I have also heard that there is a bubble tea place in Macy's on the same floor as the cosmetics. I don't know how good it is; I assume it's more expensive than the Chinatown places. Have fun and welcome to the obsession! Tue Mar 05 12:01:22 -0800 2002 1035355 0 Kenzi