The news about 300 kidney stones removed from a 20-year-old woman who drinks bubble tea more than water circulated on Instagram. I was sent reels about this five times from my friends as a joke … well maybe not a joke.
I am known for my addiction to bubble tea to the point that I was requested to create a log of how much boba I drink a day. I started the log on Dec. 18 and I am half-ashamed to share that I’ve had 20 full cups, a split cup and five and half sips of bubble tea in 31 days. That was almost a bubble tea a day if it wasn’t for my short-lived attempt to cut down on it for New Year.

If drinking bubble tea over water puts me at risk for extensive kidney stone removals in two years, I would hate for my expertise to go to waste. While I am not that picky with boba, I think I’ve developed the ability to tell which places have the best drinks after visiting almost every bubble tea shop down the Bellaire Chinatown strip. Here is a list of some common drinks and where they are made best.

Classic Milk Teas

Sharetea has the most variety of milk teas I’ve seen while also maintaining the authentic, herbal taste of the tea. For the classics, they have black, green and oolong bases with unique options like mango, honey and ginger milk teas. I’ve gotten the “Mango Green Milk Tea” each day for a week in a row and I love the herbal oolong taste followed by a soft creamy mango. I would recommend the $7.50 mango green milk tea, no sugar (the mango will sweeten the tea), less ice and 75-cent scoop of boba.
Thai Teas

I used to get Thai tea at every bubble tea shop I went to, but I’ve taken a break from it because of the orange staining. Out of all the places I’ve been to from Feng Cha, Magic Cup and the other places I mentioned, 7 Leaves Cafe has the best one. They have the perfect balance of sweetness, cream and the signature Thai tea taste. They also serve it unmixed, allowing you to see the dark orange-brown of the tea swirl together with the milk on top. For $6.30, you can get their Thai Ice Tea that is “a traditional blend of strong black tea, vanilla bean, cardamom and anise” and their chewy, soft honey boba for an additional 90 cents.

Fruit Green Teas

If you are looking for a sweet and sour drink on a hot day, passionfruit green tea is definitely my favorite among the green tea flavors. Gong Cha offers the best passion fruit green tea that comes with cute pink little star jellies. The little stars are peach flavored but I’d almost describe them as pink lychee jelly. The “Little Star Passionfruit Green Tea” is my go-to at Gong Cha and is worth the $7.25.
Fruit Blends

I am not the biggest fan of fruit blends because I’m typically looking for tea instead of a smoothie at a boba shop. However, if you are looking for some fun fruit-flavored cream blends with a side of boba or jellies, Teahouse offers a wide variety of delicious flavors. During my many stops at Teahouse after school or during lunch, I’ve observed many people buy the mango and strawberry cream blend. Strangely, I don’t like smoothies but they also have the option of a mango ice blend which is more like a slushie and perfect for the summer.

Taro Drinks

This drink is considered out-of-the-box for some. The creamy purple drink made from taro roots has an acquired taste. It is one of my childhood favorites, especially at Long Coffee. For $6.90, their “Taro Coconut Snow” is the perfect cold blend with a smooth consistency and slight crisp of the ice. Paired with some grass jelly, it makes the perfect drink if you are craving something sweet. I’d definitely recommend taro drinks from Long Coffee if you are trying it for the first time.

Brown Sugar Milk Tea

If you’ve been on the bubble tea side of TikTok or Instagram Reels, you may have stumbled upon the famous brown sugar milk tea. Xing Fu Tang is famous for their “Taiwan Brown Sugar Boba”. They typically have an open concept so buyers can experience the amazing craft of boba making. I would only recommend this drink if you have a sweet tooth but Xing Fu Tang is worth the experience nonetheless.

Going so in-depth on bubble tea shops’ signature drinks made me in the mood to grab some boba. Hopefully I won’t have to follow this up with a story of my 300+ kidney stone removal journey.