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5 Tea Shops to Get Your Boba Fix in the Magic City
With the weather getting cooler, hot tea might be on your mind. But with ThirsTea’s new fall flavors, it’s hard to give up boba tea! Boba tea, or bubble tea, is a popular Taiwanese street drink that’s found a home here in Birmingham too. You can get a black tea with milk, a fruit based tea, or a smoothie or slush with boba. Boba is either tapioca pearls (pairs best with milk tea) or bursting boba, which are pearls of fruit juice the burst when you bite them. There are so many different ways to enjoy bubble tea! Check out these five Birmingham based boba shops to find the best one for you:
ThirsTea Cafe
Birmingham wouldn’t have bubble tea without ThirsTea. In the same way Piper & Leaf is the spot for tea, ThirsTea is the spot for boba tea. You can get milk tea, fruit tea, coffee, slushes, or smoothies with tapioca boba, bursting boba, or jellies! ThirsTea serves food too, like customizable grilled cheeses and poke bowls. They also partner with BTS Magic City to throw BTS parties. This little shop has so much to offer!
Where: 170 Inverness Plaza, Birmingham, AL 35242
Hours: M-Th 11 a.m.-8 p.m., F-Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun 12-8 p.m.
Right now ThirsTea has fall flavors out, like Pumpkin Patch (pumpkin, cinnamon), Boo Brew (vanilla, white chocolate, cinnamon), and Witches Cauldron (Thai and caramel). Make sure to get it before it’s gone!
Kokee Tea
“Hug in a cup” is this bubble tea shop’s mantra. Located inside the Galleria, Kokee is worth the trip! This chain’s location is almost a year old here in Birmingham. Kokee offers fruit teas, milk teas, and blended ice drinks. They offer different jellies and bursting boba. If you like to doodle as well, they might display a few of them around the shop too!
Where: 2000 Galleria Cir, Birmingham, AL 35244
Hours: M-Sat 12-6:45 p.m., Sun 12-5:45 p.m.
They have many great flavors. Not only can you get the classics like lychee or rose, but you can also get cheese crema tea. This is a tea topped with a cream cheese foam!
YoYo Donuts, ETC.
Like many spots in this article, YoYo Donuts has a lot to offer. As you can tell from the name—yes, they sell donuts. Yet there is just as much emphasis on the “Etc.” They also offer wings, tacos, coffee, and bubble tea. A jack of all trades! You can get milk tea with tapioca pearls here to go with your donut.
Where: 1919 28th Ave S, Homewood, AL 35209
Hours: M-Sat 6:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
You can’t go wrong with a matcha milk tea, but try their signature YoYo milk tea!
Pho Sizzle
While mainly a Vietnamese restaurant, bubble tea is in their tag line! Pho Sizzle serves pho, rice noodles, and a small selection of Thai dishes. They also offer rolled ice cream and different types of bubble tea. What is interesting about Pho Sizzle is some of the flavors they offer. Their tea selection is pretty standard. But you can get a durian bubble smoothie, which is pretty unique for the area!
Where: 5880 Trussville Crossing Blvd #100, Birmingham, AL 35235
Hours: T-Th 11 a.m.-9 p.m., F-Sat 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
If you’re not a fan of durian, they also offer other refreshing flavors, pomegranate, peach, and honeydew!
Piper & Leaf
Piper & Leaf is known for their great selection of teas and tisanes. But did you know that you could get boba too? Piper & Leaf offer a few different ways to customize your drinks. And their addition of tapioca balls gets them a spot in this article! With everything customizable down to the sweetness, it’s hard to make a drink you won’t like.
Where: 1821 2nd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Hours: M-Th 11 a.m.-6 p.m., F-Sat 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sweetie Pie Chai boba makes for a sweet fall treat that matches this weather. But any of their black tea blends will pair well with the tapioca balls!
What’s your favorite spot to grab bubble tea? Let us know @bhamnow!
