Bubble tea might be a mid-2010s trend but a new spot on Long Island hopes to still capitalize on folks’ clear devotion to the eclectic drink.
YAAAS Tea, which already operates nine locations on Long Island, just debuted what it claims to be the very first kosher-certified boba tea destination in the suburban area. The chain’s newest address is at 62 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck, about 25 minutes from midtown Manhattan via train.
Is it worth trekking to the suburbs for a taste of the stuff? Probably not. But, if in the neighborhood, the new kosher spot deserves a visit.
The menu is filled with tons of different takes on the form: from an iced hazelnut oat milk shaken espresso to an iced caffe mocha, an iced pumpkin spice milk tea, an iced passionfruit green tea and more traditional hot drinks (think pistachio latte and hot toffee nut milk tea). You can even add the tapioca pearls to a plain-old cold brew (which isn’t half bad!), which surprisingly makes for an awesome Instagram shot despite the more visually pleasing order items on offer.
A bunch of tables and screens adorn the space but perhaps most notable is the price tag: most drinks come at just a little over $5, fairly cheap compared to similar treats at other chains. Here’s to hoping the forces of suburbia, kosher dining and inflation won’t soon change that.
For the uninitiated: boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is, traditionally, a tea-based concoction that was born in Taiwan in the early 1980s.
It first landed in the United States in the 1990s, when Taiwanese immigrants moved to California.
At its basic form, the drink is made of tea served with tapioca balls, which are basically chewy, edible balls produced from the starch tapioca.
