Boba-rific!

As you will come to know over the next few months, TPS has somewhat of a drinking problem. Not so much in a "can't function without it" way, more in a "ooh, that looks like fun" way. Her old roomie used to joke that TPS would try every new flavor of soda before they even advertised it on TV. While TPS does enjoy a good cocktail, she'd like to focus on her current fascination: bubble tea.

For those not swayed by every new beverage that comes into the marketplace, bubble tea consists (at its most basic) of tea, sweetener and large black tapioca pearls called "boba". At most bubble tear purveyors, you can get a "milk tea"(half and half, flavored syrup and tea) or you can get it frozen with a Starbucks Frappucino type texture. You don't have to add boba, either. There are lots of different little jellies you could add, should you desire it. You can also get certain flavors with no half and half. This is a drink that is about texture more than flavor.

TPS very much enjoyed an Almond Milk Tea with boba now and again. That is, until she found out the caloric content of a 12 oz. bubble tea has about 300-500 calories. Much detective work was conducted to find any nutritional information about bubble tea and this number is still more vague than TPS would like. Urgh.

All is not lost to TPS and her Seattle-area boba lovers. Thank heavens for Koots Green Tea shops (locations in Bellevue and Seattle's Central District)! Koots focuses on healthier liquid beverages. They mostly use pure cane sugar as a sweetener and they have a wide assortment of green tea-based goodies. Currently their menu features four different bubble teas. TPS has not tried either latte-style (er, milk tea) bubble tea, but the jasmine pearl tea is excellent. It's just lightly-sweetened jasmine green tea and boba. The other non-milk tea is a mint green (the mint is regular DaVinci Menthe Syrup). TPS does not care for mint beverages, so she won't try it - but her co-worker loved it. Koots is a great little shop with lots of fun tea accoutrements, so TPS wishes them much success.