Ten Ren buckwheat green tea
I wan an eharmony for bubble tea. You ever seen those commercials? They match you on 26 levels of compatibility. For my bubble tea, I want the tapioca pearls to be a little soft and slightly chewy. Not too soft, not too gummy. I want there to actually be real tea in there somewhere. And if they use powder for flavors like coconut or taro... that they add enough of it so you can actually taste it. Steph and I've been drinking a bunch of bubble tea this past year and the one thing that I've learned is this... even if you think you got a place you like, it doesn't matter. Because unless they have a super duper stringent way of making bubbles/boba, it might be different every time. Moodier than a Tea Party motherfucker protestor, tapioca balls are hard to cook right every time. And also depending on who's there making it... the barista might take a heavy or light hand with the flavor powders. Ten Ren is fairly consistent with what the put out there even though they still do occasionally offer up some soft balls. And it's just a shame when your balls get too soft.
They had a sign up for some buckwheat green milk tea. Steph told me it was awesome because she tried it earlier in the week. So when we went back, I had to try it for myself. They win points for good green tea flavor, and fairly well-cooked tapioca pearls. There's bits of buckwheat in there that offer up some interesting crunch to the drink. Also it made me feel healthy for drinking something that's in the "wheat" family.
Ten Ren is probably one of the better places for bubble tea in Chinatown. That and maybe Teariffic, but they have shitty service. And of course Saint's Alp in the East Village is solid. But experimenting with random places is a mixed bag in Chinatown. Steph and I have had a pretty good one at a random place on Eldridge St for $1.75, and once I paid $5 for two drinks on Grand St and walked back into the place, set it on the counter, and told them "This tastes like shit." So you just never know. Price or location doesn't seem to matter... just luck.
But I'm tired of luck, I want my 26 levels of compatibility. I want some good bubble tea damn it!
Ten Ren Tea Time
79 Mott St.
New York, NY 10013
212-732-7178
Yup, I've been drinking lots of bubble tea too. Ten Ren is my favorite, and in the East Village I've been hitting up ThirsTea. Ten Ren and Saint's Alp seems to be most consistent. I got rock hard tapioca on Grand St once too, but I was already a block away and was too lazy to go back. I really should have.
bionicgrrrl
August 3, 2010 5:03 pm
Perfect combination!! Craving for bubble tea now...
Maria
August 1, 2010 4:33 pm
Last time I was at Ten Ren, I got a jasmine tea with milk and boba. It was very bland and tasted watered down. The boba was tender and chewy but I was kinda bummed out about the watered down tea...
wonders
August 2, 2010 10:18 am
@Kathy,
Yea, this was very enjoyable. You're also right about disappointing boba drinks in Chinatown. I dunno why it is... but it's just a shame.
@FN,
No, not for this one, but today I did write about running to the bathroom! hahaha
@Nicholas,
Ahh... see that's kind of cool that there are chains that standardize it. I dunno, I'm a fan of standardization. At least with that method, the customer can choose which standard they like and it'll be the same each time. I used to like TKettle on St. Marks a lot, but then realized that it matters what time of the day and which day of the week you visit... depending on who made the boba and who made your drink. Too many damn variables. Quickly is a chain here even in Manhattan's Chinatown, they got two of them. Haven't tried it yet though...
@Maria,
It was a great combo, definitely give it a try!
@wonders,
Ahh... see that's the thing about tea with boba... I never get bubble tea with like, just tea. I always get the ones that have artificial flavoring powders like coconut or taro. It's probably harder to get a good green tea with bubbles...
Danny
August 2, 2010 1:43 pm
Danny, did you have to sprint to the bathroom after drinking that?
FN
July 31, 2010 5:11 am
They circumvent the consistency problem by having franchised drink shops in Taiwan (50蘭, 橘子工房, etc.). By having chain-like stores, the procedure for making bubble tea is standardized, from the cooking of the bubbles, to the measurement of the amount of bubbles, to the amount of tea syrup used, etc. While it's true that there wouldn't be such a thing as 'standout' bubble tea in this case, there also wouldn't be a guessing game involved with every transaction. Isn't this alternative way better?
Disclaimer: I realize Quickly and Ten Ren both technically fall under the 'franchise' category, but I'm pretty sure they're under different management than the head honchos in Asia. I'm also not sure if there's enough demand in NYC to support that many drink shops...
Nicholas
July 31, 2010 5:16 am
Ahh i just had this the other day! liked it a lot...definitely have to agree with you on the "healthy" part. Ten Ren the only place in Chinatown I go for boba drinks now...I've had far too many bad boba drinks in Chinatown unfortunately ^_^
Kathy
July 30, 2010 9:18 pm