(Please note, this is a review update posted so late that the promo mentioned is no longer offered at Boba Bee)
I came on a pretty hot Thursday after spending the day out and about. I had run out of my one drink inside my car, and I needed another one. Even though the Lakewood Boba Bee is closer to me than this location, this one wasn't too far off from my last destination that I went a little out of the way just to give this location another go at watermelon drinks, which were half off.
Boba Bee offers two watermelon drinks: Watermelon Wave and Watermelon Lemonade. The Wave comes with Lychee Jelly while the Lemonade comes with Aloe Vera, though either topping can be subbed out for a different topping at no additional charge. Though I was willing to give their Watermelon Lemonade another try, it was getting really hot outside that I wanted the slushie drink over the lemonade. Phone in hand with the "50% off Watermelon Drinks" email I received from Boba Bee, I asked the male bobarista for the prices, knowing they could be different from the Lakewood location, but I can confirm the prices are the same across both locations.
This time, I wanted to have a little fun with my order. Instead of Lychee Jelly, I asked to sub that with the Aloe Vera, and then I asked for another topping on top of the subbed topping, which would then bring my total to an even $8. Except he forgot to add the promo code for half off watermelon drinks until I reminded him. I suppose just showing him the email didn't suffice; I have to verbally let them know my intent to use the promo.
He handed me my receipt, which printed out a familiar name: Aerick. My very first Boba Bee drink was a Watermelon Wave from the Lakewood location, and Aerick was the one who served me back then. That could very well be the same Aerick, especially since an employee working in Lakewood one day could be working in Long Beach the next day. I have a feeling it was because his weakness at descriptive answers to my inquiries persisted. I had already tried chamoy on my last Watermelon Wave, so I was intent on getting tajin, which Aerick simply described as a spice when I asked what exactly it was. I still said yes to the tajin albeit dubiously.
I noticed his female co-worker had started to make my drink even before my transaction was done, which explained why my wait was literally a minute. However, instead of saying my order number or my name, both of which are on the sticker over my cup, she simply said "Watermelon Wave" as she placed the drink on the pickup counter. I knew it was mine because there wasn't any other customer in the shop, but that maneuver threw me off a little. Hopefully, they don't yell out drink names in a full house, especially if multiple customers order the same drink!
The first thing I noticed was how pink the drink was! I think that's because of my choice of tajin over chamoy because it looked more red with the chamoy, but since I'm not too familiar with the two, it's hard to say for sure. Also, the watermelon flavor didn't come out as strong on this one. It's still a good refreshing drink nonetheless that I was able to finish it before I got home. However, I'm not sure why the watermelon flavor was lacking here, and I really don't want to say it's because of the tajin being overpowering in taste. I'm more than willing to give the Watermelon Wave another try, but without the chamoy and tajin.
I wanted to give the Watermelon Lemonade from this location another go, and guess who served me again? Aerick. Actually, he almost didn't have to ring me up since I was trying my luck at the kiosk, but unfortunately, I could not find a way to customize my order. I was intent on switching out the aloe vera for crystal boba, which wouldn't incur an upcharge. However, I could not find a way to do it on the kiosk, so I had to go up to Aerick to let him know.
Aerick prepared my Watermelon Lemonade so quickly that I almost left without realizing that the bottom of my receipt didn't show my points balance. Aerick was happy enough to print out another receipt, which did show my points balance.
That Watermelon Lemonade was much better this time around! There was more watermelon flavor here than in the Wave, but I think there could have been a little more. I still recommend nonetheless if you like both watermelons and lemonade.
They also have some photos of their employees by the Boba Bee backdrop in the near corner. One of them even put their Pokemon Go friend code on her photo? lol that's a new one! The employees have been pretty cool for the most part, including Aerick. They'll make slip ups every now and then, but I've never seen them be rude or in a bad mood. And yes, the rhyme was intended lol.
The verdict: Still three stars, but inching closer to four!