Seattle-Area Boba Shop Review #125
When I visited Boba Buddies during their soft opening, there were a surprising number of people inside and even a small line to order. Drinks currently take a little longer than a typical boba establishment to come out - still only about 5 minutes or so, but most other places are pretty much instant (this is not a complaint, just an observation).
OG Milk Tea, 50% Sweet, Light Ice ($7.50) w/ Boba ($0.75) - This drink is extremely creamer heavy. While not gritty in any way, the heavy use or creamer gives the drink somewhat of a milky chemical type of taste. It completely overpowers the tea and the entire drink basically just tastes like slightly sweetened powdered creamer. They do have the drink nicely sweetened - it's pretty much right at my preference for milk tea.
The boba is not great. The pearls are somewhat mushy on the outside, yet the interiors are hard and rough with barely any bounce.
Milk Tea Rating: 3/5
Boba Rating: 2/5
Mr. Thai, 50% Sweet, Light Ice ($7.50) w/ Boba ($0.75) - This drink, on the other hand, is excessively sweet. I feel like the Thai tea is bulk brewed and sweetened automatically to 100%. When the bobarista saw my 50% sugar request, they added an additional 50% sugar on top. It's so sweet it's cloying, and with each sip, my mouth flooded with saliva trying to dampen out the sugar. It's otherwise a generic Thai tea flavor. There's nothing else particularly of note, it's just a brew with the classic boba shop Thai tea flavor.
Milk Tea Rating: 2/5
Having previously visited the Boba Buddies location in Silverdale, I knew they were more of a first generation-type boba establishment, the kind that mostly opens up in areas new to boba with little to no competition. It's the type of place that mainly relies on old school powders and creamers for their drinks. That's not necessarily a bad thing - as long as they execute the drinks properly, I've given a decent number of these boba shops a 4 or 5 rating (in fact, I believe I gave the Silverdale Boba Buddies location a 4). And plus, I definitely see a place for them in the boba landscape especially for new boba converts who want some familiarity, friendliness, and a warm place to hang out, which this place has in spades.
With all that being said, the boba I received was poor during the soft opening. I'm hoping things will improve in the coming weeks as they gain more experience in this new location.
Bathrooms - Single unisex room
Drinks: [2.33/5]
Service: [ ]
Other: [ ]
Final Rating: 2/5 read more