Don’t be Chai: Satisfy Your Boba Cravings at OneZo

William Hsieh

Brown Sugar Matcha Latte and Wintermelon Light Green Tea have two different types of boba; the matcha latte has the brown sugar boba, while the Wintermelon tea has honey boba. As aesthetic as it looks, these two drinks came with a heavy combined price tag of almost eleven dollars.

You may have tried brown boba, but have you tried pink, yellow or even green boba? Then you may want to take a trip to OneZo Boba, which opened Oct. 31. Located in the Woodbury Town Center in between Panera Bread and Asian Tapas, this chain makes all of its boba in house, and the quality is evident in each chewy pearl. Unfortunately, that care does not transition into their classic teas, which lack sweetness and have a chalky mouth feel.

The worst of our selection was the milk tea, a staple of any good boba joint. The milk tea had a pungent and bitter aftertaste that left one wanting to go elsewhere. This tea was fortunately saved by the brown sugar boba, which was the star of every drink we tried. The boba possesses a deep sweetness and was the only enjoyable aspect of the drink. Other boba flavors like honey or chrysanthemum were also a great selection; while the prices are almost double any other boba joint at 75 cents, it may be a one-time investment worth trying. 

The boba flavors here are undoubtedly unique but do not add much additional flavor to the drink unless you are individually picking out each pearl to taste. The boba is not as chewy as, say, 7 Leaves’ or Redstraw’s, and for those who just want a classic cup of tapioca, don’t venture out for OneZo’s mango or strawberry boba with an indistinguishable aftertaste of green tea, honey and fruit. 

Other tea selections were not as bad as the Milk Tea; the Green Tea was slightly better with a less acrid taste. It still possessed a chalky aftertaste, although it was not as watered down. 

The Red Bean and Wintermelon Light Green Teas were much more enjoyable, as they were sweeter and lacked the sickly aftertaste that permeated the more classic flavours. The Red Bean tea contained actual red beans, which was both a blessing and a curse as it amplified the flavor but provided an awkward texture to the drink. 

The Strawberry Green Tea, which only comes in a large, is another attractive selection, featuring freshly-blended strawberries that give a refreshing and aromatic taste. 

The drinks at OneZo Boba range from awful to great, and if you choose wisely you will be happy with your tea and ecstatic with your boba.