Grand opening review. I first heard of Tobi's tea from my friend, who saw an ad for their BOGO promotion on her local...Pokémon GO Facebook Group. We both play the mobile game, and we both love boba, so we had to check it out!
My friend got the Watermelon Lychee Refresher specialty drink. I got the Crème Brûlée milk tea (latte?) that everyone in line was excited to try. Here's my honest review:
The wait in the middle of the afternoon on a Grand Opening Sunday was about 30 minutes for us. Which was absolutely fine. I didn't mind the wait, especially for "BOGO" free drinks. The line was out the door, which was fantastic to see for a new business! However, I felt bad seeing the elderly folks, disabled folks, & families with children in line, because there were no chairs, tables or anything outside for people to sit down and rest their tired legs. That was my first personal observation, and there is no star deduction from that.
When my friend and I finally got inside, it looked like mild chaos in such a small space. To my left and right, groups of people stood awkwardly waiting for their orders (and once again, there were no tables and chairs inside for those who need to sit). Social distancing was very lacking--on a busy day such as this one, people had to stand nervously close to one another and crowd the front counter area to even "hear" their orders being called out.
The Menu, Part 1: First thing I noticed was that the menu was mostly composed of text and graph bars, giving it that "modern" feel. It brings a cool vibe upon first glance, but then I realized that I was having difficulties figuring out what to order. There were barely any "pictures" or posters of drinks anywhere in the store. I had a hard time visualizing what any of these drinks looked like as a walk-in customer...basically, you are HIGHLY encouraged to look up photos of these drinks in advance.
The Menu, Part 2: Most bubble tea places have two size options, like Regular & Large. This store, currently, does NOT have customizable size options, and yet, they DO serve some drinks smaller than others. I get that they are a "specialty" drink stop, but...well, read on.
When my friend and I got our orders, I was stunned and disappointed that my Crème Brûlée milk tea was in a small cup, and my friend's Watermelon Lychee Refresher was in a much taller cup. My beverage, the Crème Brûlée, just happens to be the equivalent of a "regular/small" size at other boba locations in the Seattle/Lynnwood area (like Ding Tea and Oasis). And while the diameter of my drink is 2cm wider than these tall drinks, it still does equate to the quantity of the other milk teas and refreshers. This drink, as well as the Brown Sugar milk tea, are two I can name that are priced at $5.95 + tax. Why...?
I tried very hard to justify the price and size of the Crème Brûlée milk tea with taste. It was okay, nothing outstanding about it. The beverage tasted mostly of milk (instead of custard/caramel). The boba inside it was not warm and fresh either.
My friend said her Watermelon Lychee Refresher didn't taste good. Like other reviews say, it definitely has that "natural Watermelon taste". However, that's because it IS natural. SO natural, that it "tastes like a watermelon blended up with some ice, literally". I took one sip of it--it wasn't sweet and delicious as others say, which was disappointing because it LOOKED good in the photos! It hardly quenched my friend's beverage thirst.
Summary: All in all, I was let down by the drinks and the small space. I could not understand why some milk teas were served small, and some served tall. And with some being priced high, for what would be a "regular/small" size at other boba joints. I believe the lack of menu visuals for walk-in customers, as well as the lack of furniture, can be improved on. I MAY change my review in the future if Tobi's Tea adjusts their menu to match the boba competition. As it currently stands, I cannot see myself coming back to this location after their BOGO promotion/grand opening.
(Additional notes: As of this review, if you are a Pokémon GO player and saw this ad in a local group on social media, please note that there is NOTHING Pokémon GO-related at Tobi's Tea. No in-game Pokéstop or Gym. Not even discounts for players of the mobile game (I asked the cashier about it and she gave me a confused look). The business owners will need to quickly nominate Tobi's Tea and have SOMETHING added to the AR mobile game, or else their advertisements will lead to further disappointment amongst players.) read more