Black Sugar Boba Bar [Union Square/ Tenderloin]

Black Sugar Boba Bar in the Tenderloin San Francisco

Black Sugar Boba Bar is one the newest boba stores in San Francisco. Opened just in 2018, it promises its customers all natural flavors ("No powders, no artificial syrup, just simple and delicious drinks made for awesome people.") This is one of those boba stores with its minimalistic store design as well as stylish reusable cups. I love the fact that all their ingredients, including the Straus Family Creamery milk are organic and only include natural flavors. However, my one drawback is the fact that, while the Jasmine Milk Tea costs me $3.75, all toppings (including boba) are additional $0.50. Sure, that may not be as much, but I think a place that advertises itself as a "Boba Bar" should have their toppings (especially boba) included in the price as well. I think having boba should be their default for all drinks and, from there, people can go ahead and customize if they don't like. Comparatively though, this place is very new and is still learning the ropes of the boba business that it's a must-try for all those seeking new boba places in San Francisco.

And now, for the breakdown:

Tapioca Balls:

The tapioca balls were fairly good with no special taste that would make them stand out from other places I've tried. If this place does make their boba in-house then it didn't necessarily feel like a freshly made boba. However, if this was pre-made boba then it was pretty good in terms of texture (good middle between being too chewy and too soft).

Overall Taste:

To be honest, the overall taste was exactly how I expected and wanted a simple Jasmine Milk Tea with boba to taste like. Some might say that's great while others will argue that the lack of originality and surprise doesn't put this place in the category it wants to be in. If I ever wanted a simple Milk tea with boba, I would definitely choose this place, however, their flavorless boba and loose leaf organic tea didn't make me go "Wow" when having my first sip.

Sugar Levels:

I chose my sweetness level at 30% (which is considered "Light" at Black Sugar) and it didn't disappoint. It was exactly how I wanted my sweetness level to be (just bitter enough to enjoy the actual tea flavor with a hint of sweetness) and I was glad to not run into any sudden surprises when customizing my drink a little bit in new places.

Ice Levels:

The ice level was also perfect - it had just enough ice cubes to make it cold but not to the point where the drink felt watered down by all the additional water that was added to it via ice cubes.

Boba:Drink Ratio:

This ratio was also pretty good. I only had <10 boba balls left in my cup once the drink was done, which I consider a success!

Overall Rating: 8/10

Go visit Black Sugar Boba Bar at 320 O'Farrell Street and let me know your thoughts in the comments!