Boba Boba

Grabbed this one from Boba Boba’s location in the Atwater market while I was on vacation. It’s part of their year round menu but I’ve previously avoided it because I don’t particularly love jasmine. It’s very, very pretty though – made with butterfly pea flower and no dairy base. This was the perfect balance of sweet, syrupy lychee and delicately floral jasmine green tea to make for an elevated summery profile that was still playful and fun and, I mean, just look at it! Seriously, I can’t get over how much this bubble tea looks like a freaking sunset.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwRyufuhLv/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilVGDL-a4Kc

This was the last of Boba Boba’s Winter menu that I needed to try and it was absolutely my favourite one! It’s a dark chocolate, coconut, and horchata flavoured bubble tea and though that might sound like a lot it all clicks together really well. I loved that richness of it and I thought all the flavours came through pretty distinctly; the the dark chocolate and coconut definitely the most. It’s sweet but the bitterness of the dark chocolate keeps it from being too sweet (at least in my opinion) and I just really loved how it was a combination of both creamy coconut and a nice toasted coconut. Kind of felt like the elevated and adult version of chocolate milk. So good!

Another one from the winter menu that I wanted to try!

Generally speaking I don’t tend to like bubble tea that’s more “juice based” over the creamy milk or alt milk options, but this is a lime and raspberry flavour and that seemed like it could be good. I wasn’t really a fan of this one though; I thought the lime was very pithy and bitter and the raspberry kind of muddy/lacking clarity or brightness. It wasn’t unpleasant but just reaaalllyyyyy different stylistically from the kind of bubble tea I would generally order for myself. Also, definitely not very sweet and since bubble tea does tend to be QUITE sweet I could see that being a positive selling point for some people. So, I appreciate that the unsweet option exists and is out there. It’s just not what I want…

Boba Boba has started teasing their new Summer menu on instagram so I wanted to make sure the try the few Winter menu flavours I hadn’t ordered yet before their disappear. This one is a pretty concept; it’s basically a croissant flavoured bubble tea that’s made with actual pureed croissants. You can definitely taste it! It’s very, very buttery with that lovely starchy baked good flavour. Only con is that there is definitely a noticeable texture to the drink as, over time, the pureed croissant kind of settles at the bottom. However, if you don’t mind a punch of butter and if you keep stirring as you drink then this is a tasty and unique bubble tea!

I think I’ve stated this before but, here in Montreal, Boba Boba is definitely my favourite bubble tea place and I just adore the craft approach to their drinks and the fact they have a rotating seasonal menu…

This is one of the few flavours, however, that’s a part of their year round menu that I had not yet tried. It’s a Earl Grey/London Fog inspired bubble tea with the addition of passionfruit. I think the reason I’ve not tried it yet is simply just that I don’t love Earl Grey and they always have so many other cool flavours to try. However, I finally went for it and it was… fine?

I mean, for the most part it just tasted like a really grey creamy Earl Grey with silky vanilla and then, of course, the tapioca pearls. The passionfruit seems like it would compliment in theory, just adding more brightness and acidity. The thing is, Boba Boba used fresh passionfruit. So, the seeds mix in and add a nice crunch similar to if you got a bubble tea with basil seeds – one of my favourite add in toppings. However, the flesh of the passionfruit is of course very acidic and so what unfortunately happens is that over time the drink curdles.

It’s obviously fine/safe to drink freshly curdled milk if the curdling is the result of added acid – that’ts different than spoiled/sour milk. However, it’s just a gross chunky texture that I wasn’t into…

I ordered this one the same day I ordered the Chilling Miyagi because, since I’m naturally attracted to flavour/menu exploration, I will forever be that person who orders themselves more than one drink…

This milk based bubble tea is a combination of shiro miso and black sugar. It tastes very much like what your standard brown sugar boba would take like, but because of the savory element of the miso and the almost biscuit-y note of the black sugar it’s just overall a bit less sweet (still sugary though, don’t get me wrong!) and I think a better flavour balance on the whole.

I don’t know if I’d reorder this one as much as some of the others I’ve tried from Boba Boba that were this sweet. It’s not bad in any way, but I feel like the flavour overall is less fun and adventurous and I prefer their bubble teas that have more of a craft feel to them.

This is a bubble tea from, like, a while back… I just realized I never wrote about it!

The flavour of this one is essentially an oolong with elderflower syrup and a mix of blueberries and blueberry juice – non milk based. It’s actually very, very good. The flavour is juicy and refreshing with distinct notes of blueberry and a pleasant floral undertone. However, it’s not super sweet/syrupy or cloying at all which is a nice change of pace from bubble tea which can sometimes be quite rich. My favourite part, however, was that because there are actual blueberries in the tea you get this fun mix of boba and blueberries through the straw and it just adds an extra level of textural fun to the drink and these pleasant pops of especially natural blueberry flavour!

A bunch of us at the office ordered bubble tea as an end of the week treat and I decided to use it as a chance to try another of Boba Boba’s new summer menu items.

Honeydew isn’t really a weird “bubble tea” flavour – most places will offer one as part of their milk tea menu, generally prepared from a sweet candy-like honeydew powder. This is really different from that style of honeydew though – it has the same almost watery sweet note of somewhat over ripe honeydew with enough of that sort of sharp and vegetal green note of the rind coming through. It’s very, very clearly actual honeydew juice that’s been used in the beverage prep and not an instant powder/syrup.

It does taste good, but it also tastes kind of weird!? Like, it’s sort of too authentic. I find it not really meshing very cohesively with the milky base of the bubble tea, and while it’s certainly more realistic/better quality than a honeydew bubble tea powder I find myself conditioned to be more used to and expecting the artificial candy honeydew taste.

I’ll finish it, and appreciate how beautifully natural the honeydew flavour is, but it’s just a bit too “uncanny valley” for me to want to order it again.

Another new flavour from the summer menu!

I wanted this to be better than it was, and it kills me a little bit that the thing that I felt needed tweaking was the ratio of pineapple because I fucking love pineapple. It’s my favourite food!! This is a pineapple, tamarind, coconut water and palm sugar boba mix but it comes off mostly as pineapple – the type of sweet but tart and tangy pineapple that you’d get from the juice in a can of crushed pineapple or pineapple rings. Very concentrated and strong.

I guess what I expected was more emphasis on this light and refreshing coconut water, to be more summery and fresh feeling. Instead it gave me tiki vibes and more sweet cocktails on the beach – not unpleasant at all but just a shift from my expectations based on the visual of the drink. I barely tasted the coconut water, and the tamarind just seemed to play into the sour tang of the profile.

I feel like I’d need to try this again with my now adjusted expectations to get a better sense of if I’d enjoy this or not – and there are a lot of other summer teas on the menu to taste through still so I don’t know if I’ll end up getting to a retaste.

Tasted through part of the new Summer Menu from Boba Boba last weekend!! Boba Boba has quickly become my favourite boba place in MTL for their unique flavours and craft approach – it’s basically bubble tea mixology!

Probably my favourite of this round: this oat milk based blend of salted caramel and roasted banana was very thick and sweet, but still had balance from the salinity of the salt and the darker roasted/caramelized sugar notes of the roasted banana. Sooo good!

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPQgvGRgaHj/ (It’s the last pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbciogbdn5I

Tasted through part of the new Summer Menu from Boba Boba last weekend!! Boba Boba has quickly become my favourite boba place in MTL for their unique flavours and craft approach – it’s basically bubble tea mixology!

I usually prefer boba made with dairy or a dairy alternative, but I was very impressed with this mix of jasmine tea, elderflower, lime & lemongrass – it was a refreshing balance of florals and citrus, with the added bonus of basil seeds which are, in my opinion, an underrated boba add in!

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPQgvGRgaHj/ (It’s the first pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkW1aKD_Ydc

Tasted through part of the new Summer Menu from Boba Boba last weekend!! Boba Boba has quickly become my favourite boba place in MTL for their unique flavours and craft approach – it’s basically bubble tea mixology!

Probably my least favourite of this tasting: all the individual flavours of the cardamom/Chai spice, horchata, and apricot were nice but they didn’t feel super cohesive – mostly because the apricot was so sharply tangy against the more gentle warming spices. For this to work, I think you either need less of the apricot they’re currently using, more spices (ginger in particular) to reach the same level of flavour intensity, or I wold use a more jammy/cooked apricot with a heavier/deeper sweetness.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPQgvGRgaHj/ (It’s the second pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgueTzFYpJY

Tasted through part of the new Summer Menu from Boba Boba last weekend!! Boba Boba has quickly become my favourite boba place in MTL for their unique flavours and craft approach – it’s basically bubble tea mixology!

This is the most traditional concept of the new menu – I mean, this is pretty much just a standard Thai Iced Tea but with oat milk. Still has that glorious orange/brown colour that is so iconic for this style of drink! It was right in line with my expectations – delicious and classic feeling! Not too sweet either, while still having all the body and richness it needed!

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPQgvGRgaHj/ (It’s the third pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4FIknEDKdk

I’ve been meaning to try this boba since this shop opened but they have so many interesting flavours that it always got nudged out for something newer and more exciting – but I’m pretty caught up on the menu right now (at least until the new summer menu drops) so I decided to just go for it…

I feel like this is the kind of drink that looks gorgeous and that should, in theory, be good but that in reality is just kind of off. All of the individual flavouras are great: the matcha is rich and smooth, the rice milk is creamy, and the guava puree has a bright, sweet tangy quality – but together it’s a bit of a mismatch. The main issue, I think, is just that the creamy milk and the tangy guava don’t really mesh. I would have much preferred the guava and matcha combo as more of a fruit based bubble tea instead of something creamy. But that said, it’s not a bad drink – I just feel like it could have been better executed.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNqcPsZga_z/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QHAuM-uS2M&ab_channel=booboobay1

Last up from the Boba Boba mini tasting…

This was my favourite of the night! While the name might be off putting if the idea of drinkings eggs doesn’t speak to you (even though there’s no egg in this boba), I think it’s quite clever. The inspiration comes from the gorgeous contrast of the yellow passion fruit puree with the white condensed milk used to make the drink – like a yolk against eggwhites. My photo doesn’t do it justice – it usually comes out much prettier than this one was…

In terms of taste, it’s very similar to the Manny Colada which was a Boba of The Month flavour from the summer – just sub out mango for passionfruit. Creamy, rich and tropical and a good balance of fatty dairy with juicy and vibrant fruit notes. I’m not sure if this is part of the year round menu or if it was a summer exclusive, but I’d definitely order this again – especially since my favourite flavour (Jack & The Whiskers) doesn’t seem to be on their menu anymore.

It’s the last photo here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHDfjkMgkn-/

Another from my Boba Boba mini tasting/Halloween binge a few weeks back…

This probably takes the cake as the “prettiest” boba of the evening, and it’s actually the first one I’ve tried from Boba Boba without any dairy/dairy alternatives in the recipe. It’s a mix of Genmaicha, yuzu, ginger, and honey – and if that sounds like a lot going on it’s because it is. The yuzu really has that pine-y citrus note that is characteristic of it and a hint of a peppery quality too, and for those reasons it compliments the ginger well for an overall “lemon ginger”/twisted lemonade type of vibe. You really need the honey to sweeten it though, because the pine is pretty woodsy and almost just a hint turpentine like. I can’t taste the Genmaicha at all, which is a shame – I was excited at the idea of a Genmaicha used in a fruitier boba like this. The blood orange? Also pretty absent in flavour, though it adds a gorgeous colour!

It’s the first photo here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHDfjkMgkn-/

A few weeks ago I ordered in a bunch of bubble tea for a Halloween movie binge watch, and then I forgot to write tasting notes up for the bubble teas that I ordered…

This is one of three bubble teas I ordered – it was the Bubble Tea of The Month at Boba Boba during October, and while not my favourite of the binge it was VERY delicious. Straight forward flavour of pandan (that silky/creamy rice and coconut note) that was only amplified by the choice to also use coconut milk and horchata in the recipe.

Light flavours, but ultra rich and creamy and quite thick. I’m realllyyyy partial to the flavour of pandan so I loved this but I could see it coming off as a little too simple/plain, especially at this boba shop which is sort of known for having more “craft boba” concoctions.

It’s the second photo here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHDfjkMgkn-/

This is the featured Boba of the month for September at Boba Boba, and it’s pretty different sounding from the rest of their menu so I had to try it the last time I was there…

They don’t specify exactly what the “Canoe Lake” in the blend is, but I think it’s actually a tea by the same name from Pluck Tea – it’s the only other tea I’ve seen with a name like this and, since I actually own it, I can confirm that the taste of the bubble tea definitely overlaps with that blend…

https://steepster.com/teas/pluck/78026-canoe-lake-blend

It’s really weird and interesting, and I’m happy I tried it because it’s different than any other bubble tea I’ve had before. However I’m not sure if I really liked it and I wouldn’t order it again – so I’m glad it’s just limited edition. The flavour is best summarized in there main parts: Smoke, maple, and apple. The smoke is coming from the Lapsang in the Canoe Lake tea, I believe. This is why I think that the company should have clarified more what the “canoe lake” in the tea is because Lapsang/smoke is a SUPER polarizing flavour and there’s nothing in the “recipe list” for this Boba that would lead you to expect it to be smoky if you’ve never experienced the pluck blend before. It’s a bit misleading…

I happen to like Lapsang a lot but even I was weirded out by having it cold in bubble tea format. Imagine if you didn’t like Lapsang!? That’d be strange.

The maple is lovely though, and it compliments both the smokey flavour and the apple quite well while acting as a bridge between those two flavours. It was the best part of the bubble tea, for sure. The apple was bright and a little bit tart, and that through me off at first because it was strange to be tasting a more meat-y smoke note and a tart, crisp and juicy apple but the maple really helps connect the two. Other things going on in the bubble tea are really just the condensed milk which adds some sweetness and creaminess. There are other things in the ingredients list, like oolong, but you don’t taste them so I don’t know that it’s worth talking about them. As far as I’m concerned, they’re filler.

Really interesting boba though – I continue to be impressed and fascinated with this location! Can’t wait to see what they do for October! Spooky season!

Also from the new BBT place I’ve been enjoying – it was the “Bubble Tea of The Month” for July, and I liked it quite a bit, though I do enjoy pina colada type flavours a lot…

- Very refreshing
- More coconut/condensed milk than pineapple
- Manages to be creamy and rich without feeling heavy and sugary
- Pineapple is sweet, natural and a perfect pop of flavour
- Has just a hint of roasted oolong

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CC115bJgkPg/

This is from a super cool new bubble tea place here in Montreal. I mean, there are many cool bubble tea/boba places, but I’ve been going to this one quite a bit recently with my pair of bubble tea obsessed friends…

This is a hojicha & cassis (aka black currant) bubble tea; I couldn’t picture how those two would work together but I was pleasantly surprised by this seemingly mismatched combination!! The cassis was so tart and fresh, that it really contrasted nicely with the smooth and more roasty/nutty hojicha! I’m having a lot of fun exploring this menu!

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDmFdeVAoIH/