Bubble tea is a bit of a tough sell in Kansas City. Exhibit A? The bluetooth-enabled collared shirt behind me in line at Tea Drops' downtown shop.
"What's in bubble tea?" asks Bluetooth.
"It's a tea drink with tapioca balls," begins the barista.
"Just stop right there," says Bluetooth, who proceeds to order a black tea.
Apparent texture obstacles aside, bubble tea shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
The bubbles in bubble tea are "boba" -- chewy tapioca balls that rest at the bottom of the drink, which can either be tea or milk-based and typically is sweetened with fruit flavoring or juice. Drinking it is a bit of a game, because it's served with an oversized straw to allow you to suck up the peanut M&M-sized tapioca pearls. After asking baristas which flavors were popular, I ordered bubble teas from two shops to see how well they might help Kansas Citians embrace this Asian treat.
Nica's Cafe (14319 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park): Strawberry Peach Green Tea
The flavors include caramel and chocolate to prickly pear and pomegranate, while black, green, herbal, red, and chai tea are also available.
I stuck with peach and strawberry green tea on a recommendation from the barista, who asked whether I liked fruit roll-ups.
The combination of juice, green tea, milk and ice did indeed taste like a milky, fruit roll-up. It was powerfully sweet, a lighter version of a fruit milkshake.
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@Minia
Teapouro on 7th and Mass has bubble teas. My wife says they're good but I can't get into them. The tea part tastes good but the bubbles are nasty.
There was a bubble tea shop in Lawrence a few years ago called Indo that I frequented when I was in school. Sadly it's not there anymore, but they made bubble teas that were not overly sweet. Bubble teas shouldn't be smoothies. My favorite didn't have milk at all, just green tea and honey.
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