Best Bites

Boba Smoothie pleases pearly palettes

By Greer Wylder

On almost every corner in Taiwan and Hong Kong, you can find shops specializing in the popular tea-based drink, Boba.

The fad, especially popular with college students, has spread through California - hundreds of shops serve Boba. In Los Angeles, at least five Boba shops on Sawtelle Boulevard saturate a two-block span. And they've moved next to college campuses, at Westwood Village close to UCLA and near UC Irvine. Even Rice Garden, an Asian fast-food stand on the campus, serves Boba.

Now in Costa Mesa, a handful of hip Boba Tea shops have opened, catering to trend-followers and those enthusiastic for alternatives to coffees and nonalcoholic drinks. There's Boba Smoothie, Graffitea, Upper House, and just opened, the large chain Tapioca Express.

Boba Tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s, when large tapioca pearls salmon roe and the color of Beluga caviar, were, first added to sweet tea. The healthy pearls, made from cassava roots, have small amounts of iron and calcium. And, according to Bo Jean, owner of Boba Smoothie in Costa Mesa, Boba's high calorie reputation isn't true; one serving of Boba is only 45 calories.

The Imported pearls are slowly cooked a variety of ways. At BoBa Smoothie, each hour a fresh batch of Boba is cooked with maple syrup. At Graffitea, the Boba cooks for an hour and a half, first boiled then steamed, with brown sugar. A large scoop of Boba is then added to a variety of teas - black, Jasmine and green - and then sugar, milk and fruits can be added. They're even added to smoothies and other flavored drinks.

The pearls settle on the bottom of clear plastic cups, creating a layered effect. Sealed plastic tops are pierced with jumbo 1/2-inch diameter straws. Some customers find Boba too exotic and opt for omitting the pearls, while others become addicted.

FYI

What: Boba Smoothie

Where: 1460 Baker St., Suite D in Costa Mesa

Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Information: (714)979-9665 or http://www.bobasmoothie.com.

At Boba Smoothie, a top-of-the line Boba tea bar, only the freshest, highest quality ingredients go into each drink. Whereas most tea shops add powder flavorings in place of fresh fruits, owner Bo Jean concentrates on the finest in-season produce.

"Your tongue can tell the difference," Jean Said.

Milk tea drinks can be made with 2% low-fat milk, soy milk or yogurt for smoothies. Tea choices include: black (keemum), an orchid flavored tea; Japan's most popular green tea, Match Uji; and fragrant Jasmine tea.

Boba Smoothie's menu was tailored to fit customers' tastes. Jean surveyed 120 locals to find out their favorite items, and downsized a typical Boba menu to their liking. The result was a mixture of fresh smoothies, tea drinks, slushes, juices, a high-end European line of herbal and flower teas and gourmet Asian foods.

The meals and snacks include fresh sushi ($4.50 to $5.50), Oriental chicken salad ($4.50), crispy pepper chicken and calamari ($3.50), homemade cream puffs ($2.50), candied pecans ($3.50) and green tea red bean cakes ($2). Boba Smoothie has a unique shaved ice machine that instantly turns ice into powder. Giant 40 oz. glass containers hold shaved ice desserts. Flavors include mango, strawberry, kiwi, watermelon and red bean/green tea. Some can be covered in sweet "black ice" - Jean's secret recipe for caramelizing brown sugar.