Lots of detailed boba reviews from tea places close to campus, written by Kyle Grace (’21),  Tiffany Madruga (’20), & Athena Paraskevas-Nevius (’20):

The Cafe:
Location: Shan
Distance: 0.5 miles (about a 5 minute walk)
Most Unique Drink: Avocado Smoothie
Instagram Worthy?: Not very.

Tiffany
Drink Order: Black Milk Tea with Boba, No Ice
Price:  $3.15 (in flex)
Boba: I’ve never enjoyed the boba from the cafe. The texture is on the harder side which is not what I’m used to or what I like. In addition, the boba doesn’t really have much flavor and so I’m not a huge fan of it.
Tea: The Black milk tea at the cafe is decent for the price (in flex). It’s not overpoweringly sweet and it’s somewhat enjoyable if you avoid the boba in the drink.
Would you go back: Nope.
Overall Rating: 3/10

Athena
Drink Order: Green Milk Tea with Boba
Price:  $3.15 (in flex)
Boba: The boba is really a hit or miss here. About once every two weeks they have great boba that is nice and squishy and a little firm; but the rest of the time, the boba can be a bit chewy. I don’t really mind the chewy boba but it’s definitely not as quality as real boba places. Also sometimes 4 bobas will clump together into a massive boba ball that’s impossible to suck up with your straw.
Tea: I’m not usually a huge fan of milk tea but this one is pretty nice and mellow. The green tea flavor comes through and it’s not overpowering and it’s a pretty good ratio of milk and tea.
Would you go back: Sure
Overall Rating: 6/10

Kyle
Drink Order: Black Milk Tea with Boba, No Ice
Price:  $3.15 (in flex)
Boba: The boba from the cafe is pretty not good, it’s a little too chewy and it doesn’t have a ton of flavour. I don’t know of anyone who goes back for more.
Tea: The teas that the cafe has are palatable. They aren’t outright bad but they’re not good either. I would say it is serviceable if you are really thirsting for boba and you can’t leave Mudd, but otherwise, go to Milk and Honey.
Would you go back: Probably not.
Overall Rating: 3.5/10

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The Coop Fountain:
Location: The Coop Fountain (By the Coop), Smith Campus Center, Pomona
Distance: 1 mile (about a 15 minute walk)
Most Unique Drink: Passion Fruit Tea?
Instagram Worthy?: Pomona is generally a prettier campus than Mudd.

Tiffany
Drink Order: Thai Tea with Boba, No Ice
Price:  $4.00 (in flex)
Boba: The boba at the Coop is pretty decent. The texture itself is enjoyable — more on the chewy side but that’s usually how I like it. It’s pretty sweet and personally I think it’s the best boba on campus — sometimes I’ll even walk all the way down to the Coop Fountain from Mudd just for it.
Tea: The Thai Tea is very hit or miss, and usually is more on the miss side. Aside from two or three times when it has been just the right sweetness, it usually is too watery for me to taste anything. However, it has never been downright bad, so I will continue to come here to spend my flex.
Would you go back: The Coop Fountain is probably my favorite boba place on campus. I’d never spend real money on it, but since I’m using flex, I’m pretty satisfied with the quality.
Overall Rating: 5.5/10

Athena
Drink Order: Mango Tea with Boba
Price:  $4.00 (in flex)
Boba: The Coop boba is pretty good. It has a nice texture and the balls are a good size but they don’t have a ton of flavor. They’re also pretty good about their boba to tea ratio.
Tea: The tea was way too sweet and just tasted like mango syrup (there was no tea flavor coming through). Maybe if they put less syrup in it would be better, but after drinking a quarter of the cup I couldn’t drink anymore.
Would you go back: Not unless I’m at Pomona.
Overall Rating: 3/10