2020 UPDATE - Best BOBA [BUBBLE TEA] Spots in Flushing Queens - New York City

As most of you know, I wrote a blog post a couple years back highlighting the best boba spots in Flushing… SINCE then, a LOT has changed. A lot of NEW places have opened up in Flushing and a lot of older places have shut down (still crying over Shiny Tea ;__;) so I decided to give it another whirl and give you guys new insight on what’s available now in Flushing in terms of your boba and bubble tea selections!

This will be in the order of my personal favorite to my least favorite- again this is subjective and bubble and boba tea fanatics are like wine connoisseurs- we all have our personal preference in taste. For wine it’s nodes, flavor and tones, but with bubble tea… I care about the richness, darkness and creaminess of my milk teas. I LOVE the classic milk with black tea and <less> tapioca at 30-50% sugar… so that is always my base for these blog posts. Also, I’m 30+ now, so I don’t normally take in so much boba / bubble tea, and I try to limit my intake and put my health on the line for this post! >:D JK, it was fun and worth it! But I hope everyone would be mindful of their health and drink responsibly! :)

Feel free to comment and share your favorite if I missed anything!

Here goes!!!

1. Moge Tee

https://mogeteeusa.com/

A surprise winner for me. I actually have pushed back trying this place for the longest time because I just thought it seemed … not my vibe. They had some outrageous gimmicks when they first opened with their packaging and to me it just felt a little over the top— so I never really gave them a chance. But when I decided to write this post, I decided that I should give everyone a chance and try it out— and BOY WAS I PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. The milk tea is RICH, creamy and has that bakery milk tea type of taste- aaaand the boba / tapioca are light, crisp and not overly sweet, yet sweet and not void of flavor. This has now become my personal top choice when I’m having a serious boba or bubble tea craving.

Price range: $5.50 - $10

2. Hero Tang Tea

https://www.yelp.com/biz/hero-tang-tea-flushing

I really like this place as well!! The tea and the tapioca are really light! I believe the tapioca are the clear tapioca (which are made from Cassava Root / Yam) which is a bit. different (maybe healthier) than from the typical brown sugar flour tapioca.

Hero Tang Tea and Tsaocaa Tea both use clear tapioca. The tea is tasty and the tapioca is light and airy so it’s a really great combination! I would definitely choose this place if I’m egging for a lighter bubble tea craving.

Just some clarification, (and something I also recently learned) - Boba is “made from cassava root, which is a starchy tuber that is related to the yam. Tapioca starch is made from the cassava, and this starch is then compressed into balls to make tapioca pearls. Because of their clear color, traditional bobas can be made in a wide range of fun, bright colors. The dark colored tapioca pearls that are a popular choice for bubble tea drinks are called black bobas. They are made in the same way that clear bobas are, except with the addition of caramel coloring or brown sugar to give them their dark color.” (Source: https://www.happyteahousecafe.com/blog/2016/08/a-look-at-the-different-types-of-boba/)

“While the brown sugar in black boba gives a hint of extra sweetness, clear boba is straight starch from the cassava root. Clear boba is relatively tasteless on its own, which is why it's used in most milk-based bubble teas.” (Source: https://www.leaf.tv/articles/clear-vs-black-tapioca-pearls/)

I’ve noticed more and more boba shops are using the clear ones and I personally really like it! It’s a nice reprieve from all the “brown sugar boba teas” that were the trend this past year.

Price range: $5.50 - $8

3. Xing Fu Tang

https://www.usaxingfutang.com/

Surprisingly SO good! We had this in Taiwan last year, but when we were there we ordered the 'special brown sugar with the creme brulee’... and it was just a lot.... too sweet.  So when they first opened here, I was really reluctant to try them again. Also, I was a little bitter since they replaced a restaurant that was there for YEARS since I was a kid— “Red Bowl” - and I have a ton of fond memories of my friends hanging out there growing up. But of course to give a fair analysis of the best bubble teas and boba in flushing… I had to try it.  So I went and ordered it.  Again in the same fashion, I always order the plain regular milk tea with tapioca- none of that "brown sugar" stuff.  I asked for half sugar and she goes, "we don't do that..." and I'm like, "What!? Won’t it be too sweet?" but she said "sorry but we don’t do that” so I took it as it was.

When I got the drink and I wasn't really looking forward to trying it since I had this feeling it was going to be TOO sweet…but when i did... WOW.  I was actually really blown away.  It was not AS sweet as I thought it would be!! But the tapioca balls definitely made it sweet... but the tea by itself is SO good!! There is a smokey dark and rich taste to the tea that I really loved!  Personally, I really, really wish they would let me change the sweetness level, because even though its not super sweet, I still think it’s too sweet for me) but the tea taste is pretty awesome. I don’t think I would be going back to get more since it’s a little too sweet for me, but maybe for someone else it would be perfect!

As for the boba tapioca, it is pretty little thick for my tasting and not as soft as I would personally like, I’m currently really into the newer light tapiocas like at Moge Tee and Tsaocaa.

Price range: $6 - $9

4. Tsaocaa Tea

https://www.tsaocaatea.com/

I really liked this place too! The tea is a little milkier and the tea taste is not as dark as I'd usually like, but definitely not a bad spot to get your fix.  The design of the space and their packaging is super cute so that’s a win!!  From their website, they say “the tea is made with “loose leaf tea is brewed fresh to order in an espresso-like machine” (https://www.tsaocaatea.com/story/) so it’s cool they use a totally different and unique way of brewing their teas!

Price range: $5 - $8

5. Yi Fang Tea

https://www.yelp.com/biz/yi-fang-taiwan-fruit-tea-flushing

Yi Fang opened in Flushing and really sold on the Brown Sugar Bubble tea hype.  I believe that in Taiwan, they are most popular and well known for their FRUIT teas, but here in Flushing, it was their Brown Sugar Boba. They had times of “release” every 2 hours and people lined the streets for it. It was good, nothing outstanding. But again I think the mark of a great milk tea place is how well they can make their REGULAR milk tea! LOL. So of course I have also tried and ordered their regular black tea with milk and it was lackluster.  The tea was actually really watery and didn't taste like something I would want to order again. But their fruit teas are really tasty!

Price range: $6 - $8

6. Tiger Sugar

https://www.instagram.com/tigersugar.usa/?hl=en

Tiger Sugar really know how to work that hype angle.  Like all other instagrammable spots, it's a cute concept but it's not something I would continuously drink on a regular basis.  It is EXTREMELY sweet - think cereal milk (that’s literally what it tastes like to me) and they do not let you change the sugar levels.  I have tried both their ‘famous’ Brown Sugar Boba Milk tea and their regular milk tea with tapioca.  The brown sugar one isn’t bad - again just more like a one time deal.  Anyways, it’s good to try at least once!  If you personally like it, then by all means keep going back!! But for me, I like something a little less sweet and tastes more like tea rather than just milk and sugar.

Price range: $5 - $8

7. Teas Me Dear

https://www.facebook.com/teasmedearny

Pretty basic milk tea. Their fruit teas and flower teas are decent. I think they’re more known more for their fruit teas. I did try the milk tea and it was okay. I don’t think I would come back here for their regular milk tea since it’s a bit pricey for what it is— but they definitely aren’t bad. Plus the logo is super cute. Who doesn’t love llamas?!

Price range: $6 - $10

8. The Alley

https://www.the-alley.us/

Honestly, everyone raves about this place, and I'm really not a fan.  I pulled up and ordered their regular milk tea with tapioca... and when I got it- I was shook.  It tasted like blueberries!!!  I think some people really like it.. and there are some people (like me) who really hate it.  I was a little upset because I wish I had some idea before paying $7 for the drink and finding out I really, really didn’t like it.  So let this be a warning to you- make sure you are aware that you'll be drinking a milk tea that has this weird hint of blueberry.

Price range: $7 - $10

Drink order: Royal No. 9 Tapioca Milk Tea

9. Chun Yang Tea 

I ended up giving it to my cat. JUST KIDDING

https://www.yelp.com/biz/chun-yang-tea-flushing-new-york-flushing

Their tea isn’t didn’t taste very special. They boast of “hand picked tea leaves from Taiwan” - but IMHO I wish it was steeped darker. The tea itself is a bit light and watery for my personal taste and the tapioca had no sweetest to it. It was pretty bland. Overall, wasn’t that great of a spot and maybe I just got a bad batch. They’re well known in Taiwan, but this branch just ain’t it. Perhaps it was because I went after it re-opened after the Covid-19 Pandemic,… but I don’t think I’ll ever be going back.

Price range: $5 - $8

10. Song Tea

http://www.song-tea.com/

Definitely NOT great. The tea is extremely watery and bland,  the tapioca has ZERO flavor. They just opened after the Covid-19 Pandemic and they have a guy wearing a costume trying to attract customers…and some cute gimmicks to give you free tote bangs and cute cup holders- but even with that cuteness, it cannot save it’s taste. Sure-fire pass. I would rather get Kung Fu Tea or Cocos instead of this place.

Price range: $4.50 - $8

Soooo that sums up my ratings for the current selection of boba and bubble tea in Flushing, Queens, NYC. I hope this will help you navigate what to get when you’re in town! If you want to check out my old list (which still has GREAT selections available) check it out here: