In this opinion section’s humble opinion (which it’s our professional obligation to give), nothing in this life is more important than absorbing as many experiences as the human mind can process.

As a unit, we’ve tried hometown gems like Louie’s Cafe and student favorites like Highland Coffees, but a life lived off diner food and coffee is a life barely lived at all, so to broaden our collective horizons, the opinion section took a group research trip to Teatery, a tea and boba cafe located at 3132 College Drive.

Some of us went in to this experience with uninfluenced, uninformed minds. Some of us went into Teatery already knowing what to expect. Regardless, our thoughts on the experience have been collected here.

Isabella 

I’d describe the vibes at Teatery as squeaky clean, cute and fruity. The walls are covered with giant designs of boba teas and bright neon signs. Right by the register, there’s a display of macarons of several flavors, a rainbow of colors. Not only does Teatery offer a wide variety of boba tea, slushies and smoothies, but it also sells Squishmellows, cute keychains and fruity erasers. The staff is super friendly, and the decor is cute and colorful.

I ordered a mango and passion fruit smoothie, which had just the right amount of tartness and sweetness. All the drinks come in tube-shaped clear cups that you can take to-go or enjoy in house. Overall, the place was a nine out of ten, and my drink an eight out of ten.
Garrett

To preface this review, I do not like boba nor any of its siblings. That being said, Teatery’s boba was pleasant. I got coffee flavored boba with coffee jelly at the bottom. It was definitely boba, and thus a drink that was drinkable. Five out of ten. The lobby for Teatery is cute, minimal, TikTok kawaii-core. Lots of cute plushies tucked away on shelves in corners. Neon signs in yellows and pinks and a cutesy mural on the wall.

Our server was nice enough, knowledgeable if not slightly annoyed with the fact that eight people walked in at once and just stood around lamely trying to figure out what they were going to order.

It should be noted that the tables weren’t wiped down after people left. Gross, lowkey. I give Teatery a five and a half out of ten.
Matthew

This was my first time ever having boba — and I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoyed it so much I had to go back and get the same order again before writing this little review.

I got a fresh orange green fruit tea with mango popping boba. The initial pop of the topping was a somewhat peculiar sensation, but I quickly came to like those tiny juice bubbles more than the actual drink they came in (though the tea itself was still great). The orange slice was an appreciated touch.

The atmosphere was less impressive than the product. The website calls it “sleek and modern,” but it’s so sterile, empty and tryhard that it would work better as the cover story of an interior design magazine you’d find in a waiting room than as an actual physical space you have to be in. It feels like an industrial warehouse spray-painted white and furnished to half capacity with items from a “back to school” collection at Bed Bath & Beyond. 

Eight out of ten.

Nate

When I first experienced boba in my hometown in 2019, it felt magical. I’d heard of boba for a long time yet was never able to try it until then. I ordered a passionfruit tea with the traditional black boba. It wasn’t the best, yet I could finally say that I tried one of the most recognizable symbols of the Asian diaspora.

When I stepped into Teatery, I expected the same vibes from any other boba place. Yet I quite liked the unique atmosphere, especially the huge neon sign that greets you when you enter. If you don’t like boba, you’ll certainly love the scenery of Teatery.

I’ve always been a huge fan of non-milk teas, especially fruity teas like mango and lychee.  So I ordered a mango passionfruit tea with popping boba. 

I’ve had the same boba order before, but I felt the boba from Teatery had balanced sweetness with the subtle hint of the essence of mango and passionfruit. Some boba teas overwhelm you with sweetness and weak flavor.

I really liked the mango and passionfruit tea, so I’ll give my experience a nine out of ten!

Closing thoughts

Boba and all of its affiliates seem to be one of those rare and illustrious examples of a treat that you either have the palette for or don’t. 

Despite not all of the columnists sharing a consensus on the quality of the flavor, all of us columnists are better for having opened ourselves up to a new experience.