REVIEW: Sharetea is decent, not exceptional

By Jeanne Kim,
Bluedevilhub.com Editor–

I drank my first boba drink–an oreo blizzard with chewy tapioca balls–when I was about eight and I remember loving it. Nowadays, I prefer drinking tea with tapioca balls, but my affection for boba has never died.

Not too long ago I heard from a friend that a new boba place called Sharetea had come to town, and I knew that I had to try it.

Sharetea is located on 207 Third Street #110, below Raja’s Tandoor and across from A Street’s Intramural Field. Right off the bat, I knew Sharetea would be a hit with college students no matter if it was good or bad partially because of its prime location right on campus.

The place was crowded when I walked in, and most of the tables inside and outside were taken over by college students. I was pleased by the fact that Sharetea, unlike Sno-Crave or The Old Tea House, had its own designated outdoor seating area. Sno-Crave is all indoors, and although there are metal benches right outside The Old Tea House, those benches are open for the public to use, and frequently fill up quickly with people from Starbucks and Forever 21.

When I got inside, the first thing I noticed was the aesthetically pleasing wooden flooring. In contrast to the floor, I was not a big fan of the dark yellow and coffee-brown wallpaper combination, but the boba tea graphic art around the room was a nice addition.

The line was long but the three staff members working there were efficient and fast at taking orders and making the drinks. When I got up to the front to order I was disappointed at the limited menu options, and even more disappointed to find out that they didn’t serve Thai iced tea, which is usually my go-to option. In the end I ordered a black milk tea with boba.

I was surprised to see that they offered only one size–not too out of the ordinary, because some other tea places only offer one size, but I wanted to get a small.

When I got my drink I immediately noticed the immense amount of boba it contained. A good fourth of the drink was just pure tapioca balls and I started to get sick of eating them; I just wanted to get at least one gulp of just tea. I ended up leaving most of my tapioca and drank all the tea, which was pretty good, and not too sweet.

Overall, I enjoyed the location because it is kind of in a little corner that isn’t too obvious to people driving around town, and the minimal traffic gives it a nice feel. I can see how Sharetea would be a great post-lunch or dinner place to get boba, because the service is quick.