Boba tea is making its way across Redding as summertime arrives.
Those who are fans of the chilled, quirky and colorful sweet drink AKA bubble tea can’t help but notice its presence on luncheon menus inside casual eateries and at food trucks across the city.
The word “boba” refers to the chewy, pearl-sized tapioca balls found in bubble milk tea drinks that emerged in Taiwan in the 80s. According to the Food Network, boba tea ingredients trace their roots to traditional folk remedies.
“To combat heat stroke, agrarian households used to make miniature pearls out of sweet potato or tapioca starch and plop them in sugar water. This was said to help cool the body down,” the Food Network’s coverage said.
“The pearls back then were bead-sized and transparent. In the 1980s, the pearls were enlarged, rolled together with brown sugar (which is what gives it its color) and added to milk tea,” the story added about the youth-fueled trend now finding inspiration on Tik Tok — and apparently sparking traditional establishments including Starbucks to sell its versions of the drink.
Many eateries offering boba drinks also serve desserts or Asian foods.
Whether you’re curious or a connaisseur, here are places where customers are finding boba beverages in the Redding area.
If we missed your favorite spot, please let us know by posting information about it at the end of this story.
Pearls & Bites Café, 2110 Eureka Way, Redding, 530-255-8077
Pamela Saechao and her sister, Samantha, opened the restaurant in February on Redding’s west side to attract one of their key customer groups — students from nearby Shasta High School.
Pamela Saechao’s daughter Asia works at the cash register there part-time.
A lot of customers aren’t kids, Pamela Saechao said. People employed at the area’s various health care facilities have been coming by, too. They often opt for the Asian foods offered at the restaurant, dishes including musubi ($11.99); orange chicken ($14.99) with a sauce Samantha Saechao perfected using fresh oranges from Pamela Saechao’s yard; and egg rolls filled with pork, vegetables or cream cheese (3 for $6 or 6 for $10).
Boba beverages, though, are the stars of the show.
“We didn’t want to overwhelm the people who didn’t know about boba, so we’re like, ‘OK, let’s create the signature one that’s very popular so they can taste it,” Pamela Saechao said.
More than a dozen options are on the menu, including the Brown Sugar Boba, made from creamy milk with brown sugar flavor and chewy tapioca boba pearls, topped with sweet cold foam ($7.50 for 22 ounces). Diners can add an optional shot of espresso for an additional 75 cents.The adventurous can also customize their boba drinks. For example, Creamy Bliss ($6.25) can come with regular or oat milk; choice of four levels of sweetness ranging from Barely There to Sugar Rush; a choice of 20 flavors including dragon fruit, coconut or lychee; and topped with optional boba pearls or boba poppers — mini-spheres designed to release a liquid burst of fruit juice or syrup when chewed.
Other drinks include Brown Sugar Boba with tapioca pearls and Mangonada, which features blended mango flavor with chamoy and tajin toppings and optional boba pearls or flavored poppers or jelly that can be blended in.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of customers, they come and try every signature drink. After that, when they get comfortable, they create their own,” said Saechao.
“We made it to where you can design your own. I want it fun. You can curate your own flavor or we can do it for you — you just tell us what you like.”
Bobalicious Tea Bar, 2303 Balls Ferry Rd., Anderson. 530-806-9425
This food truck specializing in boba beverages offered a Boba Tasting Flight on National Boba Day back on April 30.
One specialty drink now on the menu includes Rainbow Rush, described as “the ultimate Red Bull infusion with popping boba.” That 16 ounce fruity refresher cost $6.25, plus extra if “drizzle” fruit flavors or additional fruit-flavored tapioca pearls are desired.
Their “Thai-Grr Potion” contains Thai tea, tapioca pearls, drizzle, whipped cream and Oreos ($6.25 for 16 ounces.) There’s an additional charge for flavors like passion fruit, “drizzles” such as condensed milk or additional fruit-flavored tapioca pearls, according to the online menu.
Also on the menu — a 16-ounce “build-a-boba” with a lemonade or Red Bull base, a flavor addition (12 choices including coconut, pineapple and green apple) and boba selection including milk tea or Thai tea for $5.25. There’s an extra charge for various fruit-flavored tapioca pearls (75 cents) or “drizzles” (50 cents) and flavor additions like cherry, vanilla or pineapple (50 cents), according to the Bobalicious Tea Bar’s ordering site on Doordash.
Boba Tea & Coffee Café, 2999 Churn Creek Rd, Redding, 530-221-1930
Those in the know simply call this eatery on the northeast corner of Churn Creek Road and Hartnell Avenue the BTC.
Regulars come from nearby Enterprise High School. Owner Joanne Sengxay opened the cafe in 2012.
Besides boba drinks, BTC also sells Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches ranging from tofu to a combo featuring ham, steamed pork and pulled pork served on a Vietnamese-style baguette. For costs, call or ask at the ordering window as prices are in flux, a worker said on May 26.
Michele Chandler covers public safety, reports on trials in Shasta County Superior Court, writes about restaurants and foodies and handles whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Satisfy your next craving for boba tea at these Redding shops
Reporting by Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
