Searching for bubble tea in Merced? Here’s what good boba should look like
With even Jack in the Box selling boba and milk tea, the Taiwanese drink isn’t hard to find. But for those wanting to try one of the many other versions , some other Merced businesses specialize in bubble tea, combining tea with toppings like boba, jelly, fruit and more.
Stores that sell bubble tea drinks include:
- Donut King’s - 260 W. Main St
- Quickly - 731 E Yosemite Ave
- Em-Tea - 3570 G St
- Mocha Boba - 851 W. Olive Ave
- Joy Tea Bar
Each store sells different drinks and topping combinations. Donut King’s sells its boba as part of smoothies — only some include tea. Meanwhile, locations like Em-Tea, Joy Tea Bar and Quickly sell the majority of their drinks with tea.
Kelly Kong, who is part of the family that owns Donut King’s, said they added the drink because it helps make money while fitting inside the small store. She said during the pandemic they had issues with sourcing the tapioca pearls but now they’ve had more difficulty sourcing the flavoring for their smoothies.
When comparing bubble tea shops, Aaron Ly, a manager at Em-Tea, said it is useful to compare the tapioca.
“The boba should be chewy, not too chewy. If it’s cold, it’s going to be really chewy and hard. So it definitely should be on a little warmer side and a little chewier,” Ly said.
When comparing tea, he said it should be freshly brewed. On any given day, Em-Tea sells as many as 500 drinks according Ly.
He said their most popular drinks are Thai tea, taro, strawberry and mango. At Donut King’s, Kong said Thai tea, taro and mango are also among their most popular drinks. She also said coconut and honeydew are popular.
