Bubble tea (also often called boba tea) is more than just a trendy Instagram-famous drink. It’s a delicious tapioca pearl-filled surprise that comes in a variety of flavors.
These tapioca pearls, which can be flavored too, are the staple of a bubble tea, but you can’t have this tasty sweet without its signature slush-like base.
As bubble teas become even trendier in the U.S., more and more shops are offering a myriad of nontraditional flavors to keep customers coming back. If you’re tired of fan-favorite flavors like taro or coconut, try out these unique and bizarre flavors.
Note that flavor availability may be seasonal or location-dependent for shops with multiple locations.
Image Credit: Ming’s Bubble Tea.
1. Crème brûlée
- Where to find it: Royal Tea
- Address: 714 N Mills Ave., Orlando, Florida
This tea is a must if you’re a big dessert lover! The shop even blowtorches the top of it with sweet sugary foam, just like you’d get on a real crème brûlée.
Image Credit: Royal Tea.
2. Korean banana milk
- Where to find it: Boba Guys
- Address: 8820 Washington Blvd. #107, Culver City, California
For those unfamiliar with Korean banana milk, it’s a common semi-sweet treat with a hint of artificial banana. That makes an odd but perfect pairing for bubble teas! Just add tapioca pearls, and you’ve got a great summer drink.
Image Credit: Boba Guys.
3. Thai tea trophy
- Where to find it: L’moon Creamery
- Address: 977 W Foothill Blvd., Upland, California
While this flavor isn’t totally out of the box, L’moon Creamery elevated the classic Thai tea bubble tea with cornflakes, honey boba, coconut jelly and grass jelly. The best part? It’s layered so you can get all those great flavors with every sip!
Image Credit: L’moon Creamery.
4. Potted plant milk tea
- Where to find it: Bon Bon Tea House
- Address: 9663 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, California
No, this isn’t actually a plant! In reality, it’s delicious milk tea topped with crushed up Oreos and a mint leaf.
Image Credit: Bon Bon Tea House.
5. Volcano lava run
- Where to find it: Volcano Tea House
- Address: 2111 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles
Caramel lovers will get a kick out of this delectable treat. The base of this bubble tea is a caramel latte with caramel sauce drizzled all around in the inside of it. It’s even topped with whipped cream, if your sweet tooth wasn’t satisfied enough by all the caramel!
Image Credit: Volcano Tea House.
6. Ubelicious with hazelnut boba pearls
- Where to find it: Boba Lab
- Address: 711 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, California
We’re staying in California just a little longer for this unique take on bubble tea. Its base flavor is ubelicious, or purple yam. Ubeliciousis a staple in Filipino cuisine, often making its way into sweeter treats like bubble tea or cupcakes.
Image Credit: Boba Lab.
7. Osmanthus oolong
- Where to find it: Hello Jasmine
- Address: 2026 S Clark St., Unit C, Chicago
Want a lighter bubble tea that still isn’t lacking in taste? Osmanthus oolong has a sweet and fruity flavor and tastes a lot like apricots and apples. It won’t hit you in the face with strong flavors like some other teas on this list, but it’s still a great bubble tea to try!
Image Credit: Hello Jasmine.
8. Red bean smoothie with mango
- Where to find it: Mi Tea
- Address: 175 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, Washington
If you’re looking for bold flavors and a unique spin on bubble tea, this smoothie may be right for you. It’s made with mango, pudding and sweetened black beans in lieu of more traditional tapioca pearls.
Image Credit: Mi Tea.
9. Lychee milk
- Where to find it: Tsaocaa
- Address: 2026 S Clark St., Chicago
This bubble tea hit is another lighter flavor. It mixes traditional milk tea with lychee flavor, which is a sweet flavor that many say tastes like a cross between roses and grapes.
Image Credit: Tsaocaa.
10. Green tea Heineken bubble tea
- Where to find it: Boba 7
- Address: 819 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, California
Love beer and boba? Then Boba 7 is the spot for you! This shop creates new concoctions monthly, and one of their favorite combinations is alcohol and bubble tea. For this treat, Boba 7 combined green tea with Heinkeken and added honey boba pearls on the bottom.
Image Credit: Boba 7.
11. Watermelon slush
- Where to find it: Vivi Bubble Tea
- Address: 49 Bayard St., New York City
Those looking to beat the summer heat will love Vivi’s watermelon slush tea. This seasonal hit may not have tapioca pearls (although ViVi’s lets you add them to most drinks!), but it’s still a great choice if you’re looking to expand your bubble tea horizons.
Image Credit: Vivi Bubble Tea.
12. Vanilla milk tea
- Where to find it: BeauTea Bubbles
- Address: 723 Quebec St., Denver
This vanilla milk tea offers a sweet and light taste with classic tapioca beans. It’s also topped with yummy add-ons, including caramel and whipped cream.
Image Credit: BeauTea Bubbles.
13. Raspberry white mocha
- Where to find it: Dottea
- Address: 14902 Preston Rd., Dallas
Dottea rolled out this scrumptious bubble tea just in time for summer! Its base is strong coffee brewed in-house and mixed with raspberry and white mocha sauces. Want it to feel more bubbly? Add on coffee jelly or traditional boba pearls.
Image Credit: Dottea.
14. Mango passion fruit
- Where to find it: Tiki Tea
- Address: 4936 NE 16th Ave., Portland, Oregon
This seasonal favorite is a mango lover’s dream come true. It’s made with a mango passion fruit iced tea with chopped up bits of fruit at the bottom and a whole slice of passion fruit in the glass.
Image Credit: Tiki Tea.
15. Boba tea ice cream
- Where to find it: Milk+T
- Address: 310 E 2nd St., Los Angeles; 4545 SW Angel Ave., Ste. 160, Beaverton, Oregon; 5651 S. Grand Canyon Dr., Ste. 140, Las Vegas
Pair a classic bubble tea with a scoop of your favorite ice cream! Milk+T calls this its “Top Shelf” bobba for a reason. The best part? If you’re not near a shop, you can order bubble tea kits or its cookbook online.
Image Credit: Milk+T.
16. Honeydew and pineapple
- Where to find it: The Detroit Bubble Tea Company
- Address: 22821 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, Michigan
Detroit Bubble Tea Company is one of many spots on this list embracing fruity flavors for the summer. Get a kick out of this honeydew and pineapple flavored bubble tea smoothie to cool off.
Image Credit: The Detroit Bubble Tea Company.
17. Black sugar milk tea
- Where to find it: Ming’s Bubble Tea
- Address: 1699 E Main St., Kent, Ohio
This black sugar milk tea is a crowd favorite. Not only is it packaged in a cute cup with a kitty on it, but it’s got praline and toffee bits mixed in it with whipped cream on top.
Image Credit: Ming’s Bubble Tea.
18. Rose
- Where to find it: Quickly
- Address: 10039 University City Blvd. Ste. L, Charlotte, North Carolina
If you’re searching for a drink that looks like summer but tastes icy cold, try the rose tea bubble tea. It’s topped off with a myriad of orange and yellow tapioca pearls in a cup of rose-flavored tea.
Image Credit: Quickly.
19. Lavender lemonade
- Where to find it: TeaStori
- Address: 3550 SW 34th St., Gainesville, Florida; 2732 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, Florida
Not only does this drink taste divine, but it’s purple, red, pink and orange ombre makes it a truly Instagram-worthy drink. It’s got traditional tapioca pearls with a fruity lavender lemonade base.
Image Credit: TeaStori.
20. Brown sugar
- Where to find it: Hana Tea
- Address: 1111 Dillingham Blvd., Unit E-2, Honolulu
This boba tea is another more dessert-like drink that’ll make your day even sweeter. One look at this cup will show you just how much brown sugar flavor you’ll get! That makes it a perfect twist on a classic milk-based bubble tea.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: Hana Tea.
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