bubble tea part 1
my first taste of bubble tea was a honeydew shake with boba at my favorite chinese restaurant back home around the age of eight or nine. a few years ago, bubble tea grew to have a kiosk in every mall, and a presence in most froyo places. about a year and a half ago, a froyo store about a mile away from my house called tutti frutti started selling a variety of milk and flavored teas, with boba and a variety of jellies. their boba are always cooked perfectly, and the teas are of the delicious(and precisely flavored) powder based variety. I think by now I’ve had every flavor they offer. after developing a deeper love for bubble tea there, i became very attached to the drinkable snack, and became an expert on the many places that had it in my area.
before moving to chicago, i was concerned about the availability of quality bubble tea nearby. the results i found on google were all beyond easy walking distance. luckily, once i got here i discovered a bubble tea store two blocks away!
vivi bubble tea
unsweetened taro milk tea with boba
vivi bubble tea opened my eyes to the brilliance of having no ice in bubble tea. you’re given more tea to drink, and it’s a thousand times easier to suck up the remaining boba without having to fight around the ice cubes. in addition to printing ice quantity options on their menu, they allow you to choose the amount of sweetener your drink has. vivi uses real milk instead of the powder stuff, which was more noticeable than i expected it to be, but not a bad thing.
grapefruit pulp tea with boba
i was very pleased to see that vivi had grapefruit pulp tea, because it is delicious and i don’t see it very often. the harmony of the tea and fruit flavor was well balanced, and the drink was very refreshing. i think next time i would try it with a jelly, because the boba sort of dragged down the citrus flavors.
“yellow moo milk” which i think is just milk, boba, pudding, and maybe honey
vivi has a variety of toppings, including two things i have not tried yet; herb jelly and basil seed. their boba is not perfectly cooked, but it’s pretty close. they are missing some standard bubble tea flavors, like thai tea, but they have other flavors i am unfamiliar with, like tiramisu and ginger. the drink prices vary from $4-5, and any topping other than boba costs 50 cents extra. fortunately, they give out loyalty cards that give you one free drink after ten purchases.
i feel very fortunate to have this place so close to my dorm. i would rate it 4 out of five boba straws.