Food for Thoughts: 4U Bubble Tea

Many Hanover restaurants and shops have left or changed their location this past year, and the turnover has made room for new businesses to open. One of the new businesses is 4U Bubble Tea, which moved into My Brigadeiro’s previous storefront next to Starbucks. The shop sells drinks, including colorful bubble teas and slushies, and an assortment of snacks from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. I personally love bubble tea, and couldn’t wait to write this review.

What is bubble tea?

Bubble tea, also called boba, originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. It consists of tea, milk, and either tapioca pearls or bursting boba at the bottom. The drink comes in many different flavors, each with a distinct color, and is served with a wide straw big enough for the boba to pass through.

1: Taro Milk Tea – Silky and sweet

This is one of the most popular milk teas that 4U makes (alongside Thai Milk Tea and Matcha Milk Tea) and the drink is a lavender color with black tapioca pearls at the bottom. It tastes light and creamy, and has hints of vanilla and a tiny bit of blueberry (although I might have just tasted that because of the purple color). Taro is a root vegetable related to sweet potatoes, but in the tea it tasted more like vanilla with earthy tones. The drink was silky and sweet, but managed not to be too overpowering with its flavor, and the tapioca pearls at the bottom added a nice chewy texture.

My rating: 10/10

2: Mango Slushie (ordered with half sugar) – Bright and summery

This drink tastes like fresh, non-artificial mango. However, it was quite sweet even with half sugar. There are small pieces of lychee at the bottom, and the subtle floral flavor of the lychee mixes well with the mango. The drink reminded me of summer and I totally recommend it.

My rating: 9/10

3: Daifuku (mochi) – Absolute heaven

These are my favorite of the food items I tried. The rice flour dough is wrapped around a bean paste filling, and each bite is perfectly sweet. The ingredients may sound savory, but the mochi, despite the beans, taste like dessert! They are soft and chewy on the outside and the thick filling has small pieces of red bean which makes for a perfect texture. Definitely recommend these.

My rating: 10/10

4: Grape Gummies – Surprisingly good

I definitely had some reservations in trying these. I’m not a huge fan of artificial grape flavor – it reminds me of getting teeth molds at the orthodontist – and as soon as you unwrap one of these gummies there is an overwhelming smell of grape. However, the taste of the gummy is much more subtle than the smell, and surprisingly good. I was also happy to see that they are gluten free, and one of the main ingredients is real grape juice. The texture is slightly chewy but not waxy, making it more of a jelly than a gummy like Fruit Snacks are. I liked them a lot, but would not recommend them to anybody who doesn’t like grape flavor.

My rating: 8/10

Overall I was impressed by both the drinks and snacks I tried, and I highly recommend that everyone go and check this store out. There are a variety of drinks that they sell, with or without dairy, and from my experience all are worth buying (even though they are a bit expensive at $5.25 each). The snacks are also super fun, and there were so many more that I would have tried if I had the chance!