Bursting bubbles: Asian flavor, or lack of it, in downtown A2
Managing Editor
Blowing air through a straw placed in a cup of tea makes bubble tea, right? Well, technically. But let’s talk about tea that comes with the bubbles already added — with no help from you.
Bubble tea, which originated in Taiwan, has been gaining popularity in the United States in recent years, especially in California. The tea can have a variety of flavors added, as well as “boba” (black tapioca balls).
But what about Ann Arbor? Surely there’s no bubble tea here? Actually, there are three establishments that serve bubble tea on South University alone, and a few others scattered around town.
Since 2002, Bubble Island’s been giving Ann Arbor students their bubble tea fix, but not much in the way of food. Mo Mo Tea opened this summer, right across the street, serving Taiwanese food as well as tea.
Let’s pit old against new and see who does this Asian treat right.
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| Almond milk tea | |
| Sweet and creamy drink with a good almond taste. | Too watery. Almonds? Milk? Neither. |
| Bottom line: Taste is an important part of bubble tea. Bubble Island wins this. | |
| Strawberry milk tea | |
| This tea had the same problem that Mo Mo Tea did last round — where’s the flavor? There was only the slightest hint of strawberry. | In a word: delicious. This tea tasted like a strawberry dessert. And as a bonus it had real strawberry pieces. |
| Bottom line: Mo Mo Tea goes the extra mile by adding real fruit, so they have my vote here. | |
| Black Bubbles | |
| Plenty of bubbles, but that isn’t really a good thing. The bubbles took a long time to chew, and one was crunchy. What a way to ruin a drink. | The bubbles here were soft and obviously cooked well. I wish there was less ice to actually get all the bubbles I paid for. |
| Bottom line: Bubbles that are soft and not crunchy? Mo Mo Tea easily wins this category. | |
| Popcorn chicken | |
| There are five different sauces to go on the chicken, and you might need all of them. This chicken is tasteless, but comes in a generous portion. | Technically called ‘Taiwanese popcorn chicken,’ this dish comes with toothpicks, no sauce and extra salt. They don’t skimp on the chicken here, either. |
| Bottom line: Salt is a flavor, but not a good one. Get your chicken from KFC. Neither side wins. | |
| timing | |
| Bubble Island has a more fast-food vibe and its timing shows it: two minutes for tea, five for popcorn chicken. | Mo Mo Tea is obviously more of a sit down and relax place. There it took five minutes for tea and eight for chicken. |
| Bottom line: Bubble Island will quench your thirst faster. | |
| variety | |
| 24 flavors of tea are available here, along with four snack items, two blended drinks and shaved ice and yogurt. | More than 30 flavors of tea, as well as numerous entrees, sandwiches and snacks. |
| Bottom line: Whether it’s a unique tea you want, or a full meal, Mo Mo Tea has it. | |
| Wireless access | |
| No Internet access here, but feel free to request one of the numerous games available. Guess Who or Connect 4 anyone? | Grab a drink and surf the ’Net. |
| Bottom line: Point your browser to Mo Mo Tea if you want to connect. | |
| Deals | |
| Offers punch cards: purchase five drinks and get the sixth one free. You can also score a free medium drink on your birthday. | There are punch cards here too, but you have to buy 20 drinks before you score a freebie. You say it’s your birthday? Get the drink half off. |
| Bottom line: A free drink lets Bubble Island win with ease. | |
| Hours | |
| Sunday through Thursday: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday: 11 a.m.-3 a.m. | Monday through Thursday: 10:30 a.m.-midnight. Friday and Saturday: 10:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday: 11 a.m.-midnight. |
| Bottom line: Need a pick-me-up before class? Go to Mo Mo Tea. | |
| Conclusion | |
| Apparently in the bubble tea business, experience doesn’t mean much. Even though it’s just a few months old, Mo Mo Tea gets two important things right — the bubbles and the taste. |
I am disappointed that Ms. Ross would pit two small business owners against each other instead of trying to support them both given the current economy. Bubble Island took a risk years ago to bring a new flavor to Ann Arbor, long before Bubble Tea became popular and trendy. They have worked hard to succeed during this downward economic turn and to provide a quality product for their customers. They have tried new products and consistently improved. I have always enjoyed the tea there and never had crunchy bubbles. As for flavor, let’s not forget that this is flavored tea, not just fruity drinks. Bubble Island carved a niche in the Ann Arbor market that Mo Mo Tea has just stepped into and tried to push them out of by setting up shop across the street. I think Ann Arborites should remain loyal to Bubble Island and the great beverages they provide.
I agree, this article sounds awfully biased. I have been a Bubble Island fan from the start, and have only had a handful of experiences with undercooked bubbles – most of the time they are pretty soft and chewy. Also, I have tried Momo’s tea and found the strawberry milk tea to be watery and disgusting – perhaps I went on an off day?? Overall Bubble Island is still tops with me, I’m shocked the author had an experience that Momo Tea was so much better – I didn’t have the same transcedent experience when I went there!
Pedobear? Mo Mo wins, hands down. If you don’t know pedobear, google it or look below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W5tpbTJ7V8&feature=youtube_gdata
I have been to Bubble Island plenty of times, their bubbles are soft, chewy, and sweeten, just like bubbles are suppose to be. The ones I had at Momo are disgusting, they are hard and bitter, I couldn’t even swallow them. I grew up in Taiwan, and trust me, Momo does not remotely resemble what Bubble Tea is like in Taiwan. So I have absolutely no clue why this article even exist.
hmmmmmmmm. I gotta agree with Bubs and jeffray. Even though momo tea has a better variety than Bubble Island, its a variety of drinks that don’t taste so good. Maybe they should concentrate on getting a few drinks right before branching out into so many different ones.
This article inspired me and my friends to do a blind taste test challenge, and Bubble Island was the clear winner. We tried flavored green teas and milk teas, w/ bubbles. Though i agree that Bubble Island bubbles can be inconsistent, they have been excellent the last times i’ve been there.
Plus, i think the ppl have spoken, I often see long lines at bubble island, but never a line at momo. sorry momo, but maybe you shouldn’t have opened across the street from Bubble Island
The target markets for the two establishments are different. Bubble Island is targeted more towards Westerners while MoMo Tea is more towards Orientals. I 100% agree that Bubble Island’s tapioca pearls (bubbles) are just flat out awful. The few times I’ve opted for them I instantly remember how bad they are–I get jellies instead.
Bottom line–if I want to get bubble tea quickly and go elsewhere, I go to Bubble Island. If I want to sit down with a friend and enjoy my bubble tea, I go to MoMo.
I’m an outspoken Momo Tea fan, so I’m glad the writer agrees with me that Momo’s is better (MT’s tastes like tea, while it seems like every other bubble tea purveyor in town serves up sugar water) and the bubbles are better prepared. Bubble Island does have longer hours, faster service, and better deals as far as the punch cards, but Momo Tea offers a better product. I do have to give it to Bubble Island for being the only place in town I know of where I can get a really big Thai iced tea or Vietnamese coffee, though.
Anyone who has ever had actual bubble tea will know that momo’s is better. Bubble Island is alright if your friends are scared of different languages or uncomfortable around different cultures, but Mo Mo tea actually has tea eggs ^____^. In this area (especially the midwest), it can often be hard to find little tastes of a food culture that isn’t just a gross mockery.
There’s a Taiwanese place on William St that serves salt and pepper chicken (and bubble tea, if memory serves right) – here’s a 2007 KitchenChick review of Asian Legend.
http://www.kitchenchick.com/2007/05/asian_legend_ta.html
I like a drink that’s fast, has lots of bubbles (yes you’re going to have to chew them),and tastes like flavorful tea, not a dessert. “Taiwanese Popcorn chicken?” If you want somewhere with a variety of food dishes, go to a restaurant, not a specialty tea shop. How does Momo tea win for hours when Bubble Island is clearly open longer and later than Momo Tea? Bubble tea has a much more relaxed atmosphere and the punch card is actually worth keeping. Bubble Island is the winner in this competition by far.
I understand personal bias has some stake in an article like this, but it reads like someone paid you to promote Momo tea over Bubble Island.