Albert T.
Yelp
Woah, for once an actually legitimately good Kung Fu Tea franchise post-Covid. I had almost written off this chain but decided give this location another try for the St. Patrick's Day special. I actually have in my history that I visited here on three separate occasions, once in 2019 (pre-pandemic), and twice in 2020 (post-pandemic), with some scathing notes stating that the boba was rock hard all three times and giving the place a tentative 1/5 score.
I remember back on my very first visit the place was completely full with customers sipping on drinks and hanging out in store. If I remember correctly, this was the only second wave-type chain boba shop in the entirety of Metro Detroit at that point in time, so it kind of made sense. For my most recent visit over the weekend, this Kung Fu Tea location, now with way more competition, seems to be primarily a takeout shop.
I ordered via the app, expecting that the drink would be ready by the time I reached the store. When I got there, I found out that apparently at this store you still have to notify them before they start making the drinks. It only adds an additional 5 minutes or so, so it's not really an issue.
Regular Pistachio Almond Slush ($5.95) - We just got this to try it out since I had to buy two drinks for the deal. The strong artificial almond flavor really punches you in the face, while the pistachio quietly dances in the background. Otherwise, it's a pretty normal slush texture. The sweetness is on point at 100%. I personally wouldn't get this again because there are other drinks I prefer, but I think it's a perfectly drinkable cold treat. (3/5)
Regular Matcha Milk Strike, Large, 50% Sweet, Less Ice w/ Brown Sugar Wow Boba ($7.40) - I originally ordered the sesame matcha, but the store was out of sesame mix so I had to change it to the normal matcha. The matcha here has the distinctive kind of grassy and earthy flavor of a culinary matcha, which is appreciated given that some other places use an almost flavorless green powder in their matcha drinks. The drink feels thick and creamy even though there's no milk cap on it. Again the sweetness is perfect at 50% (I'm surprised that the app didn't allow me to adjust from 100%, but I asked the owner to tone it down the 50%). The boba, which is very inconsistent between locations, is actually pretty good here. It's soaked in a brown sugar syrup, giving it the characteristic brown sugar taste, and allowing the exterior to generate a bit of a sticky texture. The chew is just a bit too hard, but overall it's the best I've had from KFT since the pandemic began. (4/5)
Bathrooms - One unisex, pretty spacious, bathroom in the back.
This was the only good experience I've had at a KFT since 2019. To be honest, I don't think I would go here again, but that's because there are other newer boba shops in the area I prefer. It's still a solid, albeit not outstanding, shop to visit to quench any boba craving.