Our go-to: Milk tea

Milk tea, boba tea, bubble tea: The sweet drinks Frolickers slurp on the hottest days

Seriously, May?! It’s not even officially summer yet, and we’re already melting. That means that milk tea, boba tea, bubble tea — whatever you want to call it — is pretty much always on the brain. Here’s what Frolickers turn to when we need to simultaneously drink and chew some sweet, icy deliciousness.

Chrysanthemum pu-er milk tea with grass jelly at Taste Tea, $4.50

I’ve always loved chrysanthemum tea — as a kid, I drank it out of the little yellow single-serve Yeo’s juice box. This drink from Taste Tea tastes exactly like that, except in a milk tea version. I get the chrysanthemum pu-er milk tea with light ice at 100% sweetness and add in grass jelly for 50 cents extra. I love that the grass jelly adds a fun texture and a mild flavor that goes well with the sweet floral taste of the milk tea. I have yet to find another boba place that has this flavor, so until then, this is my go-to. — Cavina Quach 

3221 Waialae Ave. • Kaimuki • 732-9888 • https://www.facebook.com/TasteTeaInc/

Coffee milk tea with coffee jelly at Teapresso Bar, $4.79

Teapresso’s coffee milk tea is my cure-all for a caffeine fix that’s also a refreshing drink. It’s made with a toffee Assam tea base, cold brew coffee and non-dairy creamer. The toffee and coffee flavors are subtle but there. I choose 100% sweetness and add coffee jelly (50 cents extra) for additional texture, which makes it even more refreshing and fun to drink. — Kelli Shiroma 

1088 Bishop St. • Downtown • 537-5488 • http://www.teapressobar.com

Jasmine green tea with cheese foam at Mr. Tea, $5.75

I am a devout Mr. Tea drinker and usually try everything new that they offer. My latest milk tea kick is this jasmine green tea, 50% sweet with cheese foam. I know, it sounds pretty dank and to be honest, it kind of is. After you stir the salty-creamy cheese foam into the perfumed green tea, it strikes all the right chords of a proper milk tea. It’s foamy, with just a hint of sweetness backed by that salty cream cheese foam. It reminds me of the milk teas I’d get in SoCal … but better! — Thomas Obungen 

1450 Ala Moana Blvd. • Ala Moana • 721-9766 • http://www.mrteacafe.com

Milk tea with boba from Coffee or Tea?, $3.75

This is the OG milk tea spot in Honolulu. Coffee or Tea? is probably the best at getting the tea flavor to come through in their drinks. The original milk tea has the perfect level of sweetness and it’s creamier than most others. This cafe’s boba is just the right level of chewiness and isn’t too sweet. — Jason Chin

1960 Kapiolani Blvd. • McCully • 942-4357 • https://www.facebook.com/cothawaii/

Teapresso milk tea with small boba from Teapresso Bar, $5.29

Teapresso Bar on Piikoi is my go-to milk tea shop. The parking isn’t very easy to get in or out of, so I usually park at Ala Moana to do a few errands, then make my way over. I always get their most popular drink, the Teapresso Milk Tea, which is a combination of Assam and hoji, with light ice, 50% sweetness and small boba (50 cents more). I’ve noticed that Teapresso is one of the few milk tea shops that offer the small boba, so I take advantage of this whenever I can. They use organic ingredients, and you can really taste the difference that the freshly brewed tea makes. — Corina Quach 

510 Piikoi St. • Ala Moana • 591-1840 • http://www.teapressobar.com