Poppers Tea

"Boba tea be poppin’! A coworker told me about this new boba tea place in Northwoods Mall and I knew I needed to try it out. Truth be told, I don’t know much about boba tea and all the varieties but I had a good time at Kungfu Tea so I figured I’d give Popper’s Tea a shot. So, on a rare day that Tim and I both were off work and were free to hangout, we hit up Peoria for nerdy shenanigans and to try out some boba tea. Popper’s Tea is located in the food court of Northwoods Mall. While we didn’t make a beeline to get our drink on, we did hit it up after a stroll through a very depressing mall. We reminisced on stores that were there and stores that we missed and stores that are still there. I was in the mood for something with caffeine so Tim and I ended up ordering the same thing: Vietnamese Iced Coffee with tapioca boba. We didn’t start drinking them until after we left the mall as we needed to book it over to Panera for a nerd meet up with another friend. But what awaited us was every bit worth the money. I don’t know all the ingredients that go into a boba tea, let alone a Vietnamese Ice Coffee one but man… was it sweet and delicious. It was actually almost too sweet but never crossed that line. This definitely was a drink to sip versus my usual chugging. I’m still not 100% sure what makes up the boba balls but they were fun to sip up and then chew. Their mouth feel and consistency were similar to a grape but more chewy. Tim even said he preferred it a bit more than Kungfu Tea and he really likes that place. It’s an old saying that malls are mostly dying out in America and I believe Northwoods is heading that direction. Walking around the mall was depressing and even though it was a Thursday afternoon, it felt devoid of life. With that in mind, if you want to try this place out, get there sooner rather than later just in case they or the mall shutters it’s doors."

"I ordered a boba here to be able to get a cup of water. I asked for the water and the cashier said okay and rang me up for one which cost 99 cents. I was fine with that but when i asked for the water after he handed me the drink he told me “no water”. Just feel scammed since he still charged me for it."

"Delicious milk tea with a patient and polite staff. I was satisfied!"

"I've been twice now and it won't be my last visit. The staff are friendly, and both drinks I tried (taro smoothie & mango green tea) were both really delicious and the perfect amount of sweetness! I will be back again soon."

"i was excited to try this new boba place in the area, but i was disappointed. the tea didn’t have much flavor at all, it tasted very watered down. definitely my least favorite in the area (pho noodle house and dang are much better)."