Join the Boba-lution and suck it up.
That's what Vi and Hoa Luong, owners of Noble Collectibles and CafÇ O, say.
They have opened a store that they want to be like a Starbucks for the younger generation. The grand opening was June 7.
"(The young) generation is more sophisticated," Vi Luong said. "They're not afraid to try something different and new."
So, to attract more young people and to make their drink company more creative, the Luongs said they wanted to make the drink fun and even revolutionary.
The Boba Tea Company is a small beverage store the Luongs have been researching for more than ten years. They said they had been looking for exactly the right tea to mix and sell with the company's original drinks.
Boba Tea is a mix of tea and boba, sometimes with milk or fruit flavoring. The bobas in boba tea are small tapioca balls that have a slightly sweet taste.
The Luongs said they wanted to create something with an emotional attachment for the customer.
They don't just offer tea with boba. They offer slushes and smoothies, and they have a menu full of flavors like honeydew, lychee, mung bean and watermelon that customers can use to create their own originally flavored slush.
Lily Pineda and Laberta Thompson, both Albuquerque city employees, were on their lunch break on grand opening day of the Boba Tea Company when they decided to stop in for drinks.
Pineda, who said she has been visiting CafÇ O, where the boba drinks were first sold by the Luongs, at least three or four days a week since she discovered the drink.
Pineda said she tries a different drink every time, but her favorite is the green apple slush.
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"It's a good drink," Thompson said. "Especially for lunch, because it fills you up. I'll have one of these and I don't have to worry about eating lunch."
Dea Valenzuela, a junior at Sandia High School, was purchasing a pineapple, orange and peach boba slush, and said her friend told her she had to try a boba tea.
"My friend, she just always comes here and she always tells me, 'Let's hang out there,'" Valenzuela said.
To further create the atmosphere of fun and creativity, the Luongs hired an interior designer for the store, and the result is a contemporary look.
"I want this to be something that gives you the same feeling as putting on your favorite dress or favorite outfit," Vi Luong said. "You feel good. That's how I want people to feel. You just come in here, have a boba and just feel good."
