It's really interesting how the boba scene evolved in Portland vs Seattle. Unlike the more Asian-American heavy Seattle, which has more large chains migrating from China and Taiwan, and to a smaller extent Vietnam and South Korea, Portland has a more homegrown and local boba feel. I don't know the history of shops here, but Bubble N Tea seems to follow the Tea Bar trend - that of a minimalist and austere storefront with a simplified menu, but focusing on high quality ingredients.
We actually weren't planning on visiting Bubble N Tea, but we walked past it on Division on a Saturday afternoon and found ourselves wandering in right when they opened.
This boba shop has some issues with the menu. As part of the minimalist aesthetic, they have a small signboard above the counter which lists some, but not all of the drinks. In order to delve into things in more detail, there are three laminated sheets of 8.5x11" in front of the register with tiny font. This really limits the rate customers can order since basically only one person at a time can look at the menus.
Several other small issues I found - firstly, the "Handcrafted Tea" section makes no mention of the drinks being milk tea. For someone more used to Asian boba shops, the descriptions here read as straight/plain tea rather than milk tea. Secondly, there's no indication that toppings are included in the drink cost. Thirdly, there's no sign that sweetness and (possibly) ice level can be adjusted (signature drinks are premixed and can't have adjustment; the normal milk teas can). And lastly, there is no indication of inclusion of dairy (most drinks have dairy) nor of dairy alternatives (if I remember correctly, they have soy, almond, and oat milk as alternatives).
All of this basically necessitates asking a ton of questions to the bobarista before ordering, which further compounds the delays due to the lack of accessible menus.
Drinks are served in 25oz cups that are much wider than normal and
don't fit in a standard car cupholder.
Classic Handcrafted Tea, 50% Sweet, w/ Boba ($6.75) - We originally wanted a signature Dirty Earl Grey, but after confirming we couldn't adjust sweetness, we went over to the Handcrafted Tea section. The bobarista recommended 50% or 75% sweet since we asked for comparisons against typical chain boba shops. At 50% sweet here with the boba added in, this is still very sweet, probably comparable to 100% at a typical boba shop. Almost cloying for me. The drink is exceptionally milky and has some caramel notes as if they use condensed milk as the sweetener. The flavor of the tea, a bit malty and strongly fruity like an Assam tea, gives a bit of astringency in the mouth. The fruity flavor is very intense and seems like it's not just from the tea itself and is instead boosted by the syrup or something else added in. The tea is a bit unbalanced for my tastes, leaning towards the dairy and sugar too much. Rather than being complementary flavors, it's a little disparate and perhaps clashing. The drink is shaken until frothy, and while not watery, is a bit thinner than drinks thickened with creamer. I forgot to ask for ice level adjustment and let me say that they add a ton of ice. We finished the drink and 4 hours later there was still ice in the cup.
The boba is pretty good. The pearls are extremely sticky on the exterior and very sweet, definitely marinated in syrup for a long while. They have a pretty good bounce and chew, perhaps just a tiny bit firmer than perfection. They are a little inconsistent in size and shape, however.
Milk Tea Rating: 4/5
Boba Rating: 4.5/5
Overall, I found the drink to be pretty high quality, but too unbalanced for my tastes. It's not a bad visit by any means and I'm glad I went in to try the place out.
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