The creamy, flavor-infused milk tea travels through my straw, followed by a small, chewy sphere of tapioca. These are just two of the possible components used to make one of my favorite drinks: boba tea.

Without knowing I was just a pop, sip, and a chew away from deliciousness, I stepped into the cozy atmosphere of the Yumchaa bubble tea shop at South 74th Plaza, Omaha NE.

Inside, the setup was relaxing. People sat and conversed while they drank their tea, and music played softly in the background. The seating ranged from high stools, to regular chairs and tables, to couches, reminding me of a coffee shop. 

To make the scene even more inviting, board games were stacked in the corner, that any visitor could grab and use. In fact, there was a pair happily playing Jenga while they waited for their drinks.

The green-walled, large windowed room was a comfortable one. Yumchaa is a place where you can sit and relax, do homework, talk to friends, or just hang out for a good amount of time. Looking at the menu, I struggled to choose what I wanted to try. There were so many options, ranging from milk teas to fruit teas, and popping bubbles to tapioca and jelly bubbles. 

Even though every single thing on the menu sounded amazing, I settled on two drinks. One was matcha milk tea with mango popping bubbles and the other was a brown sugar bubble with milk tea.

The worker at the cash register was very patient and kind, helping me to understand what everything was and ultimately being the one to recommend the drink I bought. The friendliness of the staff made me feel even more welcome and comfortable.

Next, it was time to wait. The service was a little slow, but the final product was worth it.

The drinks were set on the counter and I got increasingly more excited to try them as I plucked two pink straws out of the can also filled to the brim with yellow and green ones.

The matcha milk tea looked basic compared to my other drink. It was a muted green with bubbles, which at first glance seemed black but were actually orange, settled on the bottom.

The brown sugar milk tea was even more impressive. The milk looked creamy, even through the plastic cup, and a mixture of brown colored flavoring made the drink look like a work of watercolor. At the bottom sat the black tapioca bubbles, completing a very satisfying drink-ombre.

Finally, it was time to taste the gorgeous drinks.

The brown sugar milk tea was disappointing at first. The milk tea itself lacked much flavor and it seemed like I was just drinking plain 2% milk. This is how it was until I thoroughly mixed the drink, and while the flavoring was better, it still came up lacking.

However, the tapioca bubbles were the perfect texture. They were easy to chew and, although they didn’t taste like anything in particular, perfectly complemented the creamy milk. 

At the bottom where there was more flavor, I was able to get a few perfect sips, where the delectable taste of brown sugar, reminiscent of caramel, slipped across my taste buds and left me wanting more. 

Had there been more flavoring to ensure every sip had this satisfaction, the brown sugar milk tea likely would have been one my new favorites.

The matcha was even better. The creamy milk tea was consistently sweet and tasty, leaving just a slight grassy aftertaste behind.

The mango popping bubbles were mainly what I came for, and they delivered. With only a slight amount of pressure, they delicately exploded, leaving a delicious mango jelly in my mouth. 

The flavor was subtle but sweet- just the right amount of sweetness to not overload, but enough that I definitely enjoyed tracking them down with my straw to eat. 

All in all, both teas were amazing and I was very impressed with all the pops of flavor, friendliness, and bubbles all around me. I had been excited when I entered the store and, as the door closed behind me, even more excited to visit again to try as many more combinations as possible.