Sinbala - Arcadia

• location:
  
• restaurant in Arcadia, Los Angeles (plaza near where LIFE PLAZA, Din Tai Fung, & Phoenix are at)
  
• price range:
  
• $2.50-$3.00 (teas) -> more of a place to eat rather than a boba place
  
• not sure if they sell slushes/snows
  
• boba "chewy-ness" quality:
  
• 4 out of 5 <- the boba here was pretty chewy
• milk vs. tea:
  
• more tea/slight milky -> when you first drink this, it will taste more milky but the AFTERTASTE of tea is quite strong.
  
• overall service quality:
  
• 3 out of 5 <- service was quite slow when compared to usual sit-in cafes that sell boba. took them awhile to make my order, but at least it came before the food.
• what's so special about this place?
• the milk tea is standard priced, but their milk tea had an unusual flavor compared to many that i've tried. i really liked that special tea aftertaste because most drinks tend to be rather milky or strongly tea-concentrated. The sweetness covered the strong tea-concentration but the aftertaste (and also the sleepless night x.x) was definitely a throw-off.
  
• recommended drinks/specialties: if you ever have a chance to try the food there, definitely try their pork chop rice & sausage rice. both are AMAZING... and if you're at that plaza, dont forget to stop by din tai fung for some delicious xiao long bao's!

<3 LiLi

TeaWay - San Francisco

• location:
  
• Irving St. in the Sunset District, San Francisco (Northern California)
  
• price range:
  
• $1.99-$2.75 (teas) *special price of $1.99 for grand openning*
  
• $2.75-$4.00 (snows/slushes/specialty drinks)
• boba "chewy-ness" quality:
  
• 3 out of 5 <- the boba here was rather hard; not exactly as chewy as quickly's
• milk vs. tea:
  
• more milkly/slight tea-ish <-tea is rather diluted, but you can taste a TINY hint of tea
• overall service quality:
  
• 3.5 out of 5 <- service is great when there's no lines; there's only one working in the store (like quickly's) ; more importantly, you can decide what toppings you want on your own like frozen yogurt places.
• what's so special about this place?
• its cheap, fast, and SELF SERVE drink toppings (yes, you choose as much variety as you want; there's a cap on how much but the worker is quite flexible)
  
• recommended drinks/specialties: i heard their popcorn chicken is great. you can definitely try their mango popping boba and lychee popping boba (they're more like tadpoles than boba balls) which have quite interesting textures
• personal note: this is probably one of the first places to have self-serve toppings for drinks. definitely take advantage of it, but personally, mixing jellies and boba isn't my cup of tea (and i tried this myself x.X)

(my two friends who came along w/ me for the TeaWay adventure. i think they loved it, dont you?! =D)

<3 LiLi

Quickly - NorCal

• location:
  
• Northern California chains; particularly Bay Area (e.g. Irving St., Daly City, Clement St., San Bruno Ave., Castro Valley, and the like)
  
• price range:
  
• $1.60-$3.00 (teas)
  
• $2.75-$4.50 (snows/slushes/specialty drinks)
• boba "chewy-ness" quality:
  
• 4 out of 5 <- quite chewy; not too flavorful but slightly sweet
• milk vs. tea:
  
• milky <- cant taste much of the tea because tea is quite diluted. the milk tea flavor is rather sweet here.
• overall service quality:
  
• 3.5 out of 5 <- service is quite fast; however, when there are long lines, you'll have to wait a while, since there's usually only one person working in a shift
• what's so special about this place?
• its cheap, fast, and for those of you who have a slight sweet tooth, the milk tea here is quite simple and sweet. i love the asian atmosphere you get here,
  
• recommended drinks/specialties: check out the popcorn chicken, baby fried octopus, cantaloupe snow, and the watermelon aloe delight.

<3 LiLi

Quick Introduction before we get started

My name's Emily. i LOVE BOBA or BUBBLE TEA or PEARL TEA or TAPIOCA or whatever you may call it. My blog will show you all the hot spots in town as well as the coolest places you can go in California for Bubble Milk Tea. I hope that this will help you find the right kind of boba that will fit your taste buds =)

<3 LiLi