Boba tea and milk foam cakes at Feng Cha on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard).
Milk and fruit base boba tea drinks at Feng Cha on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
A boba themed card game at Feng Cha boba tea shop on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
Taro chocolate and sea salt pearl milk foam cakes at Feng Cha on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
Section of board and card games at Feng Cha boba tea shop on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
Flaming brown sugar boba tea at VIVI Bubble Tea in Metairie. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
Passionfruit coco tea topped with golden tapioca and lychee fruit jellies at Follow Tea in Metairie. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
VIVII Bubble tea in Metairie has boba tea drinks and an area with card and board games. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
Boba tea and milk foam cakes at Feng Cha on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard).
Milk and fruit base boba tea drinks at Feng Cha on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
A boba themed card game at Feng Cha boba tea shop on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
In the last few years, boba tea, also know as bubble tea, has grown in popularity across the world. What started as a spontaneous menu addition at a restaurant in Taiwan has expanded to include tea shops dedicated solely to the drink.
Thanks to social media, the colorfully decorated shops have have become go-to hangout spots as friends meet up to order their favorite variation of the drink, talk and sometimes play board games.
The menus at boba tea shops are somewhat daunting, as diners are able to customize their drinks from start to finish.
Drinks start with a black or green tea base, though some places offer sparking water as a decaf substitute. After the base, customers select a milk or fruit juice add-on. Milk creates a more creamy drink and fruit juice for a light refreshing taste. At most shops, milk based drinked can be ordered hot or iced.
VIVII Bubble tea in Metairie has boba tea drinks and an area with card and board games. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
From there, you pick toppings, which, despite their name, sink to the bottom of the cup. They include the famous black tapioca pearls, made from tapioca starch as well as lychee jelly, aloe vera and even red beans.
The first time I tried boba tea, my friends scolded me for breaking boba etiquette.
In my haste to try the shaken milk tea, I popped my straw through the plastic film lid and took a sip before any of them had joined me at the table with their own drinks.
They went on to explain that it was part of the boba tea experience for a group a friends to collectively pop their straws through the lids, as a boba cheer of sorts.
To brush up on my boba tea etiquette and try new flavors, I went to a few tea shops in the greater New Orleans area, including Feng Cha on Magazine Street and Vivi Bubble near Lakeview Mall.
I first stopped at Feng Cha at 2131 Magazine St. The shop opened in August of this year.
I ordered the matcha latte with boba and my roommate tried the peach oolong tea with lychee jelly.
The matcha latte was topped with a thick layer of matcha foam, so after shaking it, it had a really smooth and creamy finish. Paired with the tapioca pearls the drink was a lot sweeter than I expected, as matcha usually has a more grass like taste.
The iced peach oolong tea was fruity and fresh and would likely be great for a mid-day pick me up.
Feng Cha also serves milk foam cakes, housemade sponge cakes topped with milk foam and toppings like boba, Oreos, and strawberries.
Taro chocolate and sea salt pearl milk foam cakes at Feng Cha on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
We tried the sea salt pearl and taro chocolate.
The taro chocolate was the sweeter of the two and reminded me of movie theater buttered popcorn. It was topped with KitKat pieces.
The sea salt featured semi-sweet tapioca pearls and a salty milk foam for contrast.
Section of board and card games at Feng Cha boba tea shop on Magazine Street. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
With some free time on our hands, we also tried our hand at a card game from the board selection at Feng Cha. We played Sabotage, a boba tea-themed game where the goal was to create five completed drink sets before the other player. I won both rounds.
At VIVII Bubble Tea, 3000 Severn Ave., I tried the flaming brown sugar drink from their list of Top 10 signature flavors.
When my order was ready, I could still feel the heat from the warmed crème brulee at the bottom of the cup.
After a quick shake and sip through the jumbo straw, I was chewing on sweet tapioca.
Flaming brown sugar boba tea at VIVI Bubble Tea in Metairie. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
In the future, I'd likely treat the tea more like a dessert than a drink.
VIVI Bubble Tea also serves small finger foods like popcorn chicken and Takoyaki for a quick snack.
Similar to Feng Cha, the shop has a small card and game section.
Of the three shops I visited, Follow Tea, 3334 Severn Ave, was the most straightforward take-out shop. There was less seating and no game section.
Passionfruit coco tea topped with golden tapioca and lychee fruit jellies at Follow Tea in Metairie. (Staff Photo by Jabez Berniard)
There, I ordered the passion fruit coco tea. It was topped with golden tapioca, which is traditional tapioca soaked in roasted brown sugar, and lychee fruit jellies.
On its own, the iced passion fruit tea was really refreshing after being out in the hot sun. The golden tapioca and lychee added to the fun, as they were sweet burst of flavor with every sip.
Here’s a list of other tea shops offering a variety of milk and fruit based bubble teas:
Follow Where NOLA Eats on Instagram at @wherenolaeats, join the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group and subscribe to the free Where NOLA Eats weekly newsletter here.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
News Tips: newstips@theadvocate.com
Other questions: subscriberservices@theadvocate.com