Clutching at Pearls: A Chaotic Review of Spokane’s Boba Spots

by Mara Bech

All the way back in November,  I had a pressing question: where can one find the best boba tea in Spokane? Boba tea, or boba, as it’s often referred to, is a sweet drink of Taiwanese origin that has recently grown in popularity in the U.S. It consists of a sweet, usually milk-based tea and small, chewy tapioca pearls, served cold with a wide straw. 

To solve this problem, I visited 9 different establishments offering boba tea. 

(For the sake of this article, I’m using “boba” or “boba tea” to refer to the drink itself and “tapioca pearls” to refer to what’s in the drink to avoid confusion.)

While I didn’t order the same drink every time (hence the chaos), I had 5 set criteria I took into account when analyzing each business: the aesthetic, tapioca pearls, tea, customization, and value. And now, dear readers, I present to you a comprehensive guide to the boba landscape of Spokane, Washington.

Poke King

Taro milk tea with lychee jellies at Poke King

Located on Grand, Poke King is the closest boba shop in proximity to LC. Not to be confused with Poke Express on 29th, they offer poke bowls and a large selection of boba drinks. At first glance, their menu looks limited. However, they offer eight different jelly/boba selections and spectacular prices – $5 for a 20 oz tea with the first topping free. I’ve ordered their Butterfly Lychee tea with tapioca and their taro milk tea with Lychee jellies – both tasted fresh and tapioca pearls that, while not showstopping, were well-cooked. In terms of value, this is the place to go. Poke King may not be the coziest or the cutest boba shop, but its location in relation to LC is unbeatably convenient. 

Bocopop

Pandan latte with tapioca pearls at Bocopop

Bocopop is the furthest boba shop from LC (all the way out in Liberty Lake), but they’ve got a wide selection of specialty flavors and drinks, offering jellies and tapioca pearls for drink customization. I got the pandan latte with boba – this is the only boba shop I’ve ever seen that offers pandan flavor, and it did not disappoint. They also offer specialty coffee drinks and a small selection of food, such as bagels and Taiwanese pastries. Their customer service is fantastic, and their shop is decorated with art made by happy patrons. Overall, if you’re headed to Coeur D’Alene, it’s absolutely worth a stop!

Revival Tea Co. 

London Fog tea with tapioca pearls at Revival’s Phoenix Cafe

Revival’s Phoenix Cafe downtown offers a very limited boba menu – 10 drink options total – with unique flavors and additions. If you’re looking for a very customizable experience, it’s probably not the place for you. If you’re looking for an aesthetic experience, however, it’s hard to beat. Their downstairs tasting room has a spectacular atmosphere, comfy chairs, and games to play with friends. 

I ordered the London Fog tea, which was $7.50 for 16 oz. I strongly feel that Revival’s drinks are boba-inspired as opposed to a traditional boba tea experience. It’s a photo-worthy tea, but the tapioca pearls were overly soft. In addition, due to the cheese foam, it felt like there were only a few sips of actual tea in the cup. They do offer four drinks with jellies, but it’s a set menu, so there’s not really any opportunities to create your own drink. 

Revival also offers regular tea and coffee, a few toast options, and acai bowls. 

Their downtown location and aesthetic decor makes for an excellent date spot, but the prices are on the steep side for what is really a below-average boba experience.

Sage’s Portal

Matcha tea with tapioca pearls at Sage’s Portal

Sage’s Portal is an RPG board game cafe, and that’s probably why it felt like the boba was an afterthought. I ordered the matcha with tapioca pearls and it…was not fantastic. There were matcha powder clumps at the bottom of the drink and the boba was slightly undercooked. The store and space are super cool for the purpose that they serve, but if you’re not there for the games there’s certainly better boba to be found close nearby. 

Black Straw

Jasmine milk tea with tapioca pearls at Black Straw

Black Straw is located out in Spokane Valley and is a full Chinese restaurant in addition to their boba drinks. I was impressed by the amount of true tea drinks they offered – they have original, Jasmine, Okinawa, Hokkaido, Nagasaki, Thai, oolong, and matcha teas available! They also have many dairy-free options for fruit tea enjoyers, with all drinks coming out to around $6. While the space isn’t the most aesthetic, Black Straw arguably offers the closest thing you can get to a traditional boba tea experience in Spokane.

Poke Express & Boba Tea Time 

Thai tea with tapioca pearls at Poke Express & Boba Tea Time

Poke Express & Boba Tea Time in Lincoln Heights has been my go-to boba location for years. They have 10-punch cards that you can turn in for a free drink – for a boba addict like me, this is an excellent deal. In addition to milk tea, they offer smoothies, slushies, and green/black teas. My favorite orders are the original milk tea at 75% sugar, their mango slushy, their matcha slushy, and the thai tea. Their milk teas use non-dairy creamer, so there’s no actual “milk” involved. I will say that most of the flavors taste a little artificial or overly sweet, but overall it’s a solid boba experience, complete with the plastic film on the top of the cup that you can stab your straw into. Their service is lightning-fast, so this is the spot to be for boba-on-the-go.

Tea’s Company

Matcha lattes with oat milk and tapioca pearls at Tea’s Company

Located in River Park Square, Tea’s Company is another middle-of the road boba shop. I ordered a matcha tea with oat milk and tapioca pearls and was pleasantly surprised. The matcha was on the grassier side, which I didn’t mind, but the boba was slightly overcooked. Their location is convenient for downtown adventures, but since they operate within the greater River Park Square space, there’s not really a dedicated seating area.

Tastea

A (nearly finished) matcha latte with tapioca pearls at Tastea

Tastea is a new addition to the Spokane boba scene, located on Grand just a few minutes away from LC. I ordered a matcha tea with tapioca pearls and was underwhelmed. It’s not bad, but it isn’t showstopping, either, and prices are on the high side – you can get a large drink at other shops for the same price as their small drinks.  They have a decently large menu, but the main appeal of Tastea is their cute, quiet, and comfortable environment – it makes for a nice spot to chat with a friend.

Uoni 

A maple thai tea with cheese foam and tapioca pearls and a brown sugar matcha latte with tapioca pearls at Uoni

Oh, Uoni, the Goldilocks boba shop of Spokane. Less than 10 minutes away from LC with cute furniture and a beautiful menu with customizations galore. Out of all the boba shops on this list, Uoni was the only one that inspired a moment of silence to fully appreciate the flavor profile of the drink. This is due to their brown sugar tapioca pearls, which are fresh and perfectly cooked in a brown sugar syrup. I ordered their brown sugar matcha latte with oat milk. Matcha tea is tricky to get right, and Uoni blew me away with theirs – a perfectly smooth yet still strong flavor with the perfect amount of sweetness from the tapioca pearls and oat milk. Their prices are on the higher side, but it’s worth it. Thanks to their myriad of drink options, terrific tapioca pearls, and aesthetically pleasing space, I crown Uoni the winner of the (unofficial) Spokane boba gauntlet.

Final Rankings

Best Aesthetic: Revival Tea Co. 

Best Boba: Uoni

Best Tea: Black Straw

Best Customization: Poke King

Best Value: Poke King

Best Overall: Uoni

Special thanks to tasting buddies Theo, Maile, Ella, Jordan, and Declan!