Boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is a Taiwanese drink invented in the late 1980s. Boba is primarily made of brewed tea, milk, and tapioca pearls. Recently, boba tea shops have become a popular business in Marin, as people of all ages rush to grab this classic and delicious drink. 

Boba Norcal

Boba Norcal is a brand-new boba shop located in Novato’s Vintage Oaks Shopping Center. The shop had a cozy atmosphere, though it felt a bit empty since it had only just opened this month. The workers are warm and approachable, offering customers plenty of time to order. They got out the boba in no time, making the wait short. 

Boba Norcal serves a variety of flavors and teas, as well as a build-your-own poke bowl option. Their jasmine milk tea was everything you would want in a boba tea: sweet, creamy, and a little earthy. The tapioca was perfectly cooked and just the right amount of soft. The special of the month for October was Witches Blu, consisting of blue curaçao and butterfly tea. It came with coconut jelly at the bottom and coconut cold foam at the top. 

The jelly was chewy and slightly tough, leaving the coconut flavor barely noticeable. Despite this, the drink’s tropical flavor was delicious, and its color added a wonderful touch to top off the experience. The overall experience at Boba Norcal was delightful and delicious, earning this new location an impressive four out of five feathers. 

Kuma Cafe

Kuma Cafe, located on 4th Street in San Rafael, offers a large variety of boba teas ranging from caffeinated to decaffeinated, hot to cold, and fizzy to flat. They also offer build-your-own poke bowls just like Boba Norcal, as well as gummy candies and snacks, in addition to their delicious boba. It took a while for the drinks to come out, due to the cafe being short-staffed.

Their Kuma Classic Milk Tea was overly sweet; however, the tapioca pearls had an exceptional texture, maintaining a perfect balance between chewy and soft. While the Kuma Classic Milk Tea wasn’t the best, the top-selling fruit drink, Lychee Dragon Fruit, redeemed it, with a pleasant, tangy flavor and a beautiful magenta color. However, the Lychee Dragon Fruit has an oddly crunchy texture. Although the Lychee Dragon Fruit was up to its mark, the Kuma Classic Milk Tea flavor was unexpected, and the wait time was too long, earning Kuma Cafe three out of five feathers. 

ShareTea

Just down the street from Whole Foods in San Rafael, ShareTea is located in a small cluster of shops off Grand Ave. Unlike the other boba shops reviewed, it offers only boba. Unlike the other boba shops reviewed, this one focuses solely on boba drinks. However, its wide variety of drinks and seasonal options—like the Apple Cinnamon Boba series—more than make up for it.

ShareTea offers a top 10 list of its most popular drinks. The first one on the list is their Classic Pearl Milk Tea. The Classic Pearl Milk Tea had an overwhelming amount of boba, overpowering the taste of the tea. The second drink on the list, the Mango Passion Green Tea, was incredibly disappointing due to its lack of mango flavor. The green tea was too powerful and overcame the mango and passionfruit components. In addition to this upsetting drink, the store was compact with almost no walking room. Overall, the drinks lacked character and standout qualities, earning ShareTea a two out of five feathers.

Teaspoon

Teaspoon, located in Town Center Corte Madera, was a delightful experience as the inside was decorated for Halloween. They were kind and welcoming to customers. Choosing a drink at Teaspoon proved to be difficult. Along with their many flavors, they offered a wide variety of toppings, popping boba, and jellies. Teaspoon also had free games and books to enjoy while sipping your drink.

Silky Mango, in their specialties section of their menu, was out of this world, with a strong mango flavor that didn’t overpower the sweet, creamy milk that accompanied it. Their House Milk Tea was one of their best sellers, and it was clear why. The tea had the ideal balance of bitterness and sweetness, precisely what you would want from a milk tea. Furthermore, their signature Honey Boba was heavenly, as expected, sweet, and neither firm nor mushy. Overall, Teaspoon had delicious, top-notch drinks, earning it a 4.5 out of 5 feathers. 

With many options for boba tea in Marin, picking your favorite can be difficult. Each of these boba shops highlights a different approach to the drink, featuring combinations of tea, milk, and tapioca pearls. While boba may not appeal to everyone, local Marin establishments continue to expand their menus and refine their offerings to meet customer interest.