It’s definitely no secret that boba is becoming more and more popular for young adults and teens – as it should be – but how do we know what’s the best boba around for a college student? 

There have been more and more boba tea shops opening up due to the overall trend of boba tea for the past few years. It’s a great funky addition, even in a smaller city like Portland. 

I took it upon myself to figure out what are the best boba tea shops in and around Portland. As a college student, I know it’s difficult to get around and to be able to spend money on fun things like boba, but with midterms coming up, we all deserve a little treat. 

Locations:

1. Uncharted  | 662 Congress St, Portland ME

2. TayTene Cafe  | 863 Broadway, South Portland ME

3. Boba  | In the Maine Mall – 364 Maine Mall Rd, South Portland ME

4. Lecha  | 502 Stevens Ave, Portland ME

          I first went to Uncharted on Congress. The distance from SMCC to Uncharted is about a 10 minute drive, and depending on the time of day, about a 20 minute bus ride. 

          The atmosphere of Uncharted was very welcoming and calm, and the staff was friendly. There is a good amount of seating in the cafe and there were some fun books and board games you could enjoy. Definitely a good place to study or get work done.

The boba options were very good and fun. There were some traditional options such as a Thai Milk Tea called “The Black Pearl”, and also some fun options with cool flavor combinations such as a Passionfruit Jasmine Tea with popping bubbles called “The Point Nemo”.

          The most expensive regular sized boba drink was $6.75 and the cheapest was $4.50. So overall, the prices weren’t half bad. 

My overall ratings for Uncharted would be:

Taste: 5/5

Distance: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Atmosphere: 5/5

I then went into TayTene Cafe on Broadway. The distance from SMCC to TayTene is about a 6 minute drive, and depending on the time of day, about a 20 minute bus ride.

The atmosphere of TayTene was calm but also a tad boring, but the staff was friendly. There was some seating, but there was less seating than Uncharted. 

The boba options were pretty standard but good. There weren’t a lot of fun options, just mostly singular fruits or flavors. 

The most expensive price was $5.95, and the cheapest was $4.95 which are also pretty good prices for a boba drink. 

My overall ratings for TayTene Cafe would be:

Taste: 3/5

Distance: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Atmosphere: 3/5

Then I went into the Maine Mall to go to Boba. The distance from SMCC to Boba is about a 13 minute drive, and depending on the time of day, about a 45 minute bus ride.

The atmosphere of Boba was busy but lively. It’s in the middle of the Maine Mall so the main seating is in the food court, even though Boba isn’t in the food court. 

The boba options were very good. There were normal shaken milk teas, frozen milk teas, and refreshers. The flavors were pretty standard and good even though there weren’t very fun flavor combinations. 

The most expensive drink was a $8.85 frozen milk bubble tea, and the cheapest was a $7.75 shaken milk bubble tea. Though those would be $1.00 cheaper if you did not add the tapioca bubbles. 

My overall ratings for Boba would be:

Taste: 5/5

Distance: 4/5

Price: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Lastly, I went to Lecha on Stevens Ave. The distance from SMCC to Lecha is about a 16 minute drive, and depending on the time of day, about a 17 minute bus ride, and then a 15 minute walk after that.  

The atmosphere of Lecha was very friendly and fun. The cafe itself is very vibrant and trendy. There’s a pretty decent amount of seating around the room and also some seasonal seating outside. This is also a good place to study or get some work done if you do well in a lively place.

The boba options are very fun and exciting, there are some traditional options such as a “Milk Tea”, fruit flavors such as Peach and Lychee, refresher options such as Dragonfruit and Mango, and also some specials such as a “Cotton Candy Cream Soda” and “Strawberry Mango Tea”. 

The most expensive price was $6.50 which is the price of all the beverages with the tapioca bubbles added and the cheapest was $5.75 for all the drinks without the added boba. 

My overall ratings for Lecha would be:

Taste: 5/5

Distance: 4/5

Price: 5/5

Atmosphere: 5/5

Overall, all these boba options are good and Portland is lucky to have them. My final ranking of these 4 boba options when figuring in taste, distance, price, and the atmosphere are:

1. Uncharted
2. Lecha
3. Boba
4. TayTene Cafe

See you at your friendly neighborhood Boba Shop!!