When did ordering tea become a 10-minute decision?
Boba, once just tea, milk, and tapioca pearls, has evolved into fruit teas, cheese foam, premium tea, slushes, matcha, yogurt drinks, and even desserts. Over the past decade, Boston’s boba scene has expanded alongside these trends, with more international and well-known brands entering the market and clusters of shops appearing across the city—Newbury Street alone now has around eight.
To make your next order easy and yummy, here’s a list of Boston’s best boba joints.
Hey Tea 喜茶
Before opening in Boston in January 2025, HeyTea was already a hugely popular brand in mainland China, known for its premium tea topped with cheese foam, as well as its fruit slushies loaded with a variety of toppings and fresh fruit. Now, it has multiple locations in Boston, and every time I go, it’s always packed. Don’t forget to download the app and order ahead to avoid the wait.
Recommendations:
Snow Bud Longjing (雪芽龙井)
A strong, high-quality tea drink with a rich and slightly savory matcha cheese foam on top. The creamy, lightly salty foam balances out the deep sweetness and intensity of the matcha, making it especially satisfying for matcha lovers.
Mango Pomelo Sago (杨枝甘露)
It’s hard to find a good mango pomelo sago in Boston, but HeyTea’s version is generously filled with ingredients like sago, fresh mango, and coconut milk, making it rich, refreshing, and very satisfying.
Grape Boom (多肉葡萄)
A classic choice. Whenever in doubt, go for this. It comes with whole grapes you can actually bite into, delivering a refreshing sweet-tart grape flavor with a slightly salty cheese foam on top for a really well-balanced drink.
Molly Tea 茉莉奶白
One of the most popular new boba spots to open in late 2025, Molly Tea has quickly become one of Boston’s hottest boba spots. It’s also the first shop in the city to focus purely on tea, bringing over a well-known brand from China. Their drinks highlight high-quality tea flavors, with no toppings. It is served with a thin straw so you can slowly savor the tea itself.
Compared to other boba shops, Molly Tea is probably the busiest right now. Luckily, they also have an app. It’s definitely worth the wait. They also offer seasonal specials, with a menu centered around pure tea and milk tea.
Recommendations:
Premium Jasmine Milk Tea (茉莉奶白）
I recommend their Premium Jasmine Milk Tea—you can really taste the floral aroma and its smooth, silky texture. It’s the kind of drink that keeps you sipping.
Jasmine Apple Milk Tea (苹果针王）
It is a more refreshing and unique option on the menu; this drink blends floral jasmine tea with fresh apple flavor. The apple adds a bright, juicy sweetness, while the jasmine brings a soft, fragrant aroma.
Chicha SanChen 吃茶三千
CHICHA San Chen is a Taiwanese brand known for its focus on authentic Taiwanese-style milk tea. What makes it unique is its use of a “teapresso” machine to brew each cup of tea fresh. When you drink it, you can immediately taste the strong aroma and bold tea flavor—the tea itself is very rich and pronounced.
Another standout feature is the level of customization. You can choose from a variety of tea bases, including green tea, osmanthus oolong, high mountain pouchong, and black tea, and pair them with different types of milk, fruit, or honey, along with your choice of toppings.
Recommendations:
Bubble Milk Tea (国王珍珠奶茶）
My go-to order is their Bubble Milk Tea, made with black tea, cream, and tapioca pearls. The pearls here taste noticeably different—soft yet chewy, with a texture that really stands out. The packaging is also very distinctive.
Honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea（水仙桂花蜜）
If you prefer something more tea-forward, the Honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea is also highly recommended. It combines floral oolong tea with a light honey sweetness, creating a smooth and fragrant balance.
MachiMachi 麥吉
Machi Machi is a Taiwanese boba brand known for its milk teas and fruit slushies. Compared to other boba shops, the drinks here don’t come with a wide variety of toppings, but each one is thoughtfully paired and well-balanced. Overall, it feels like a more pure, classic Taiwanese-style tea shop.
Recommendations:
Black Milk Tea with Crème Brûlée (烤布蕾奶茶）
One of their must-tries is the Black Milk Tea with Crème Brûlée. The torched caramelized sugar on top of the rich brûlée cream adds a crisp, slightly bitter contrast to the creamy, pudding-like texture underneath.
Grapefruit Green Tea Smoothie (芝士葡萄柚绿茶冰沙）
Another great option is the Grapefruit Green Tea Smoothie, which is light and refreshing with a green tea base. The subtle bitterness of the grapefruit is balanced by the creamy cheese foam on top, giving it a layered flavor that’s both tangy and smooth.
Teazzi 瓷禧
One of the earliest boba shops in Boston, this has long been my go-to—even before bigger names like HeyTea and Molly Tea arrived. And honestly, I still crave their boba. What makes this shop stand out is its wide variety of toppings. Their hot drinks are especially comforting in the winter, and they often introduce seasonal, creative toppings like mochi, tofu pudding, and black sesame. Overall, their drinks lean more toward a milk-based profile, with a smooth and well-balanced flavor.
Recommendations:
House Special Milk Tea（瓷禧珍燕）
Four Seasons tea with oats and tapioca pearls. A comforting, well-balanced milk tea with a slightly nutty texture from the oats and a classic chewy bite from the pearls.
For international students and those living far from home, boba is more than just a drink or a trend. It’s a cultural symbol that brings a sense of home. The expansion of Boston’s boba scene reflects the city’s growing diversity, and with new brands and flavors come new stories and connections.
