Welcome to Back to Basics, where we classy ladies try to establish just how basic one can be in the Orlando area. Each month, we’ll be taking on a new theme, and we’ll be searching for the best in basic trends. We’ve all heard some of the most recent popular foodie trends – charcoal, galaxy and unicorn – as well as familiar classics such as pumpkin spice and peppermint. We hope we can inspire the rest of the Nonahood to embrace their inner basic.
This month, we’re featuring all things BOBA! If you don’t know what boba is, otherwise referred to as bubble tea, it’s a Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in Tainan and Taichung in the 1980s. Most bubble tea recipes contain a tea base mixed with fruit or milk, to which chewy tapioca balls and fruit jelly are often added.
We stopped in at local boba shop, Chibi’s Boba, and taste-tested some of their flavors, and we’ll be sharing our thoughts with you below!
Order: Raspberry-Strawberry
Final Review Nicole: Although I’m a fan of both raspberry and strawberry, this boba is way too sweet for my liking. It definitely tastes like the melted snow cone syrup. The benefit is the aftertaste, where the tapioca of the boba cuts into the sweetness and almost leaves a floral-like taste in your mouth. That random floral hint made me happy for a brief moment.
Final Review Vanessa: Melted snow cone is the first thought that came to mind. It’s incredibly sweet, which is a little bit overpowering. I really liked this one and would say it was my favorite of the fruit flavored bunch that we tried. It reminded me of childhood growing up in Florida summer. How romantic. The color of this drink was an added bonus: a beautiful fluorescent red that caught the sunlight just right.
Order: Orange Peach
Final Review Nicole: This flavor combination was by far the best of the juice ones we tried in my opinion. The peach overpowered the orange, which is nice because I’m not a huge orange fan. However, it did remind me of the orange aroma that filled the room as you rode Soarin’ at Disney’s Epcot, before the ride was updated.
Final Review Vanessa: According to my boyfriend, who does not deserve another line of quotes, he believes that it tastes “just like Florida.” I wouldn’t say that he’s wrong in this statement. I liked this one enough, kind of like a melted orange popsicle. This was another flavor that reminded me of the Florida summertime. The color on the fruit-based drinks makes them incredibly photogenic compared to their milk- or tea-based counterparts.
Order: Mango Pineapple
Final Review Nicole: I went into trying this flavor a bit hesitantly. I’m not a huge fan of mango, and the first time I tried boba tea (it was a friend’s and wasn’t at Chibi’s), it was mango-flavored and I hated it (which thankfully didn’t deter me from my now VERY strong love for some boba tea!), but luckily the pineapple overpowered it. It was super tropical and definitely refreshing in the Florida heat! This would be a good flavor to have while soaking up some rays.
Final Review Vanessa: I really liked this one! It’s kind of like drinking what you’d imagine the state of Hawaii smells like. I really loved the subtle mango taste here, but pineapple definitely is the power player of the two flavors. I’m still not a huge fan of the fruit-flavored bobas, but this one was pretty good. I would have preferred to taste more mango, as this was the first boba flavor I ever tried, and it makes me nostalgic to bring it back.
Order: Green Apple
Final Review Nicole: I mean this in the nicest way, but I will never understand those who enjoy green apple-flavored drinks and sweets. They are always WAY too sweet and never taste like a legitimate apple in my opinion. This boba flavor is a melted green Jolly Rancher HANDS DOWN, and I’m not a fan. Can we get to the good stuff, please?!
Final Review Vanessa: Melted Jolly Rancher, a little bit too sweet for me, and I didn’t love it. The color was pretty and that was great for the photographic and basic element. I enjoyed drinking this for the nice photos but not as much for the taste. I didn’t like it.
Order: Blueberry Lavender
Final Review Nicole: Yes, this is where I get happy! My flavors are up, and I can’t wait to drown my taste buds in the goodness that is blueberry lavender boba tea! To my pleasure (of course), this flavor is super floral tasting, and I’m happy. The lavender definitely didn’t even let the blueberry shine, but that’s quite alright with me! I could honestly drink lavender boba EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. This was a flavor combination we hadn’t yet tried, and I may have been a tad selfish adding the lavender in, knowing all too well that I wouldn’t be a fan of any of the above flavors. Sorry, Van and Andrew.
Final Review Vanessa: Really florally, almost so much so that you don’t taste the blueberry. Oopsie, we did it again, buying the floral flavors! But, what can I say, Nicole loves to garden! How many times will we end up buying things that are floral related? I don’t know, that’s a question for Nicole. Hopefully, not too much more. I don’t know how many flower-related things that I can handle.
Final Review Andrew: Like drinking a garden. Like taking flowers and putting them into a blender.
Order: Thai Tea
Final Review Nicole: I LOVE Thai tea, and everytime I eat Thai food, I order Thai tea and the boba version is just as good! This was one of my original flavors when I first experienced Chibi’s, and there was no looking back. I was shocked that Van hadn’t tried this flavor yet. It’s sweet and creamy, just as if it came straight from a Thai restaurant. Thank you to whoever created this wonderful deliciousness, by the way. I owe you one.
Final Review Vanessa: My new favorite flavor. Absolutely the right combo of sweet milk tea and wonderful boba that leaves you feeling satisfied. I will 100% be ordering this flavor again. It’s a total classic for boba and Thai tea fans alike. I also really like the soft orange color of this drink; it definitely makes for a beautiful aesthetic and picture-worthy vibe.
Order: Coconut Lychee
Final Review Nicole: For the record, I had to look up what a lychee was and what it tasted like. I’ve heard of it and seen it around, but I never knew that a lychee is a berry! At first taste, I was immediately turned off, but instantly changed my mind as I kept drinking. THIS IS SO GOOD! Lots of perfume-y flavors, and we all know how that goes when it comes to me…my first sample of lychee gets two thumbs up! This flavor combo was creamy and kind of resembled a piña colada, and I can totally picture myself spending the summer with coconut lychee boba in my hand.
Final Review Vanessa: Nope. If you like flowers overwhelming your palate, see Nicole’s review for more details on this drink. I was not a fan of the overly flowery taste.
Check us out next month when we feature the sweetest lemonades and teas you can find here in O-Town for a quick cool down in Florida’s hot summers! Stay refreshed, our basic friends!
