first off, has anyone ever heard of it (sea picture below)? i think it exists everywhere but here actually so it's cool if you havent.
next-does anyone know if there is any place that sells them in raleigh? BESIDES cup a joe because it sucks ass there.
thanks i've really been craving one.

4/12/2006 7:05:52 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=288934


[Edited on April 12, 2006 at 7:18 AM. Reason : sp: see]

4/12/2006 7:17:53 AM

damn, i really need to start using that search feature. sorry

4/12/2006 7:19:56 AM

The tapioca bubbles remind me of really big boogers I've pulled out of my nose.

4/12/2006 7:25:47 AM

the grand asian market at south hills mall sells them all day long

an employee that we used to have at northern tool would get one every day

i think he used the tapioca pearls in a sexual manner though

but seriously, grand asian market, south hills mall, buck jones road

4/12/2006 7:40:16 AM

9N9 in rtp

4/12/2006 8:17:51 AM

^^ yep, Grand Asia Market's the best place in the triangle for them

-ZiP!-

4/12/2006 8:48:30 AM

Pho Cali on Capital Blvd (next to Harbor Freight) also sells them

note: it's a vietnamese drink, so any viet place should have it

4/12/2006 9:28:57 AM

i prefer St. Alps Teahouse in St. Marks in the LES

-ZiP!-

4/12/2006 9:30:40 AM

Quote :

" its really refreshing the brown balls are actually big"

gg SpeedLimit

4/12/2006 9:34:14 AM

Quote :

" (sea picture below)"

4/12/2006 10:44:41 AM

Redstapler, harass me on IM after about 9-10 Pm EST tonight and I will post the directions I have for how to make your own and scan in the package of tapioca pearls you can get from grand asia (although theirs is better than mine, it's not perfect, i still beat cup of joe by a long shot)

4/12/2006 10:48:07 AM

china buffet on millbrook and atlantic has had this stuff forever

4/12/2006 11:24:18 AM

Judging by the picture you posted, redstapler, you'd have to ask for a blended bubble tea at Cup A Joe. Otherwise they just blend the tea + fruit flavor and pour it over ice. Or you may like the bubble shake better. It's little known that Cup A Joe has that, because it's not on the menu. But if you ask specifically for a shake they'll mix milk and fruit flavoring (can't remember if tea is involved in it), blended with ice.

The green tea + raspberry at Cup A Joe is awesome though. I'm not brave enough to try the bubbles.

[Edited on April 12, 2006 at 11:29 AM. Reason : ]

4/12/2006 11:28:03 AM

^7
its not a vietnamese drink

4/12/2006 1:06:00 PM

on the intersection of capital and new hope church rd. there is a place that sells em them in that shopping center. idk name of it

4/12/2006 1:47:55 PM

"first off, has anyone ever heard of it"

heard of it. but thats the only sense i've ever applied to this item.

4/12/2006 2:29:15 PM

well it's either chinese or vietnamese.. and every vietnamese restaurant has them, else they suck

4/12/2006 3:56:56 PM

Yes, I've heard of it. Actually I worked at a boba place back in San Diego one summer a couple of years ago. I think it originates from Taiwan but I'm not positive. Only place I've had it in Raleigh was from Grand Asia Market. I miss that stuff.

4/12/2006 4:56:15 PM

yeah the taiwanese makes the best of all i had

4/12/2006 5:18:10 PM

mango is the best one

4/13/2006 9:13:59 AM

Cafe Cyclo on Cameron Village has them. I've never ordered one, but I've seen them on the menu. They look a little freaky to me.

4/13/2006 10:11:45 AM

lychee is my favorite flavour ... yum!

4/13/2006 10:16:37 AM

you gotta roll with the mango+lychee. lychee alone would be nasty i would think...

btw cafe cyclo's are extremely hit or miss depending on who's making them. sometimes the tapioca is rock hard or they dont blend the ice down enough. grand asia market is only place i trust to not fuck them up.

4/13/2006 3:13:45 PM

The bubble tea at Cafe Cyclo in Cameron Village is pretty good...

4/13/2006 7:39:56 PM

I saw this at Grand Asia Market.



Let me CRAZY!!!

4/13/2006 9:15:06 PM

theres this vietnamese place off of capital that sells them

4/13/2006 9:49:40 PM

that's what tchenku was talking about, pho cali on capital blvd.

anywho, i think there's different versions of boba in different asian countries. i know they have it in the philippines. that's also prob why they have it in vietnamese restaurants. the actual boba shops that they have everywhere probably started with the chinese/taiwanese version.

i like the thai tea ones.

4/13/2006 10:41:48 PM

yup pho cali haha we first past that place because we didnt see it from the road

4/13/2006 10:56:55 PM

if you go in for the bubble tea try eating something too, its goood

4/13/2006 10:59:06 PM

They had these places all in Australia when I was there.

4/14/2006 1:34:24 PM

Quote :

"note: it's a vietnamese drink, so any viet place should have it"

Quote :

"well it's either chinese or vietnamese.. and every vietnamese restaurant has them, else they suck"

WRONG

Quote :

"I think it originates from Taiwan but I'm not positive. "

BINGO!

oh yeah and

Quote :

"^^ yep, Grand Asia Market's the best place in the triangle for them -ZiP!-"

By the way the name of the company on the picture you posted is Ten Ren. They have good zhenzhu, imo.

And someone mentioned Boston-- The Lollicup at 88supermarket is the best.

[Edited on April 14, 2006 at 1:57 PM. Reason : Ten Ren]

4/14/2006 1:43:24 PM

taiwan, china.. same thing

4/14/2006 7:54:32 PM

BULL FUCKING SHIT YOU STUPID ABC MOTHER FUCKER

[Edited on April 14, 2006 at 8:47 PM. Reason : haha, I knew that was coming]

4/14/2006 8:44:42 PM

haha mmm they ahve good green tea cold bubble tea at grand asia market

4/14/2006 9:23:38 PM

i had that stuff in canada, it was terrible

4/14/2006 10:09:01 PM

this is something that i am gonna have to try next time im in cary...sounds interesting...how expensive is it?

4/16/2006 12:03:15 AM

What flavors do they have besides mango and lychee?

bubble tea + mooncake = teh wins

4/16/2006 8:23:08 AM

they have green tea flavor. its pretty cheap...they have really good pastries there too.

4/16/2006 8:08:18 PM

^^ yea, that sure is a winner, mooncake with egg yolk in the middle sounds good rite now

4/16/2006 8:46:27 PM

lollicup is like the most americanized crappy tasting boba around. as for hardness, it's how long you boil it and how long it's been sitting out. it only lasts for a few hours then you gotta make a fresh batch. there are different types and sizes which vary on how much sugar and tapioca is in it. colored is the best imo try green milk tea (aka tapioca milk tea.. make sure its green not black tea, black is stronger).

4/16/2006 9:46:15 PM

Quote :

"lollicup is like the most americanized crappy tasting boba around."

I mean ,the taste is just an opinion so that's fine. You might think it's crappy. Maybe some lollicups are better than others. The one I went to was just up the road from BU at the 88. Always Taiwanese people making the drinks--maybe that has something to do with it.


But Americanized? How the fuck would you know? Please, you don't know shit. I've lived in Taiwan. Anyway, all my Taiwanese friends in Boston like lollicup too.

4/16/2006 10:07:59 PM

had my first cup this weekend - very good - but hard to finish the whole thing

4/16/2006 10:31:46 PM

one time in michigan i had bubble tea but instead of the tapioca pearls, they had the option of getting mango stars (just little chunks of mango cut into star shapes) for those who are scared of the little brown balls. hehe

4/17/2006 8:54:57 AM

i've always been a fan of plain old Thai Tea. the one with milk. best thing to drink with spicey Thai food.

4/17/2006 9:17:31 AM

the drink is vietnamese. just because taiwan manufactures the drink and sells it to restaurants, doesn't mean it came from there. the original drink wasn't even called bubble tea or didn't even have tapioca balls. it was just a straight up milkshake with real fruits, condense milk, milk and ice. not like bubble tea how it was made with mixing power and ice.

4/17/2006 9:43:53 AM

Quote :

"the drink is vietnamese. "

Everything I have read says it started in Taichung, TW. Including the people in Taiwan. Show me something that says otherwise.

Quote :

"just because taiwan manufactures the drink and sells it to restaurants, doesn't mean it came from there. "

Just because some Vietnamese stores sell it or they sell it in Vietnam doesn't mean it started there.

Quote :

"the original drink wasn't even called bubble tea or didn't even have tapioca balls. it was just a straight up milkshake with real fruits, condense milk, milk and ice."

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
The whole point of bubble tea is the BUBBLES or tapioca balls.
Besides what you're saying is that Vietnam invented a milkshake with fruit. Thus, bubble tea did not start in Vietnam. Thank you for proving my point.

4/17/2006 12:22:39 PM

wikipedia it for more info - not from vietnam

4/17/2006 1:07:13 PM

haha ok. whatever.

4/17/2006 1:30:50 PM

http://www.bubbleteasupply.com/index.php?page=what.html

4/17/2006 2:18:52 PM