Albert T.
Yelp
Seattle-Area Boba Shop Review #101
We visited Junbi Matcha after eating lunch in the area. While still pretty new, this shop seems to be well run with friendly staff and plenty of open seating indoors. Even though it was right after lunch on a Saturday, the place was completely empty and we got our drinks quickly. Considering how new the place is, I expected it to be more popular.
Jasmine Green Tea, Less Sweet, Less Ice, Whole Milk w/ Boba ($7.75) - This drink is probably okay for lactose intolerant people - the cup is around 90% jasmine tea and they only add milk to about the top half inch of cup. Not worth the 75 cent upgrade to oat milk in my opinion. At less sweet, this drink isn't nearly sweet enough, being close to 0% sweet at other boba shops. The jasmine has very full bodied flavor, very flowery, but also has an overbrewed bitterness and astringency that the small amount of milk isn't able to mitigate much. It's still very fragrant and is definitely a strong jasmine tea. Due to the astringency, more sugar is required to help offset things a bit. We actually had to get the sweetness adjusted twice - first the bobarista put in about an extra half ladle of syrup, which still wasn't sweet enough. I then asked for two ladles in one of the plastic water cups to titrate. Adding about 1/3 makes the drink equivalent in sweetness to perhaps around 40% at other shops and adding 2/3 raises it to perhaps 66%. With that much sugar, the astringency noticeably decreases while the jasmine flower flavor still dominates. Note: they use simple syrup at Junbi, so it's much less harsh than fructose syrup but isn't as sweet.
The boba served at Junbi is pretty great for a place I didn't expect to have boba at all (given that most Matcha specialty shops don't have toppings). It's perhaps a tad firmer than perfection, but still has plenty of bounce not to mention a smooth coating. The boba is marinated in syrup, albeit not long enough to create a strong sweetness level, which allows more of the interior molasses/tapioca starch flavor to come through.
Milk Tea Rating (after adjustments): 4.5/5
Boba Rating: 4.5/5
Cold Matcha Latte, Less Sweet, Less Ice, Oat Milk w/ Boba ($8.50) - Junbi is one of the few Matcha shops in Seattle which doesn't whisk matcha to order. Instead, it's pre-made and poured out from a jug. This means there's no frothiness since the drink has settled, but it's still plenty tasty with the typical grassy notes and slight sweetness. The drink is about 75% filled with milk (so definitely not great for the lactose intolerant) before the matcha is measured out and poured on top. There's still a bit of chalkiness from the matcha powder throughout, although it's mostly smooth, and there's almost no bitterness at all but the drink is still astringent. Due to the characteristics of the drink, less sweet is okay. I'd still probably go for regular sweetness in the future though. I would say the matcha latte is not the highest quality, but they make up for that deficiency with value. This drink comes in a 22oz cup, whereas most other shops in and around Seattle are the same price, but only give 12 or 16oz. Whether that's worth the quality hit is up to personal preference.
Milk Tea Rating: 4/5
Boba Rating: 4.5/5
The newest matcha place to open on Capitol Hill, Junbi brings a more classical boba shop experience vs. most others in Seattle. Drink size is far more generous than competitors, although quality seems to be a tad underwhelming. Still, if I'm looking for value, I wouldn't mind returning.
Bathrooms - One unisex room that requires a key from the bobaristas
