By Ryan Slattery
Boba tea is having a moment. The popular Taiwanese drink–made with tea and tapioca balls (or boba)–has flourished across the U.S. and especially Southern California. The sweet treat, which is available in a near endless amount of varieties and flavors, is especially refreshing on a warm sunny day.
One such shop to find it is Boba “N” Tings. Located in Reseda, California, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, this boba tea house is truly one-of-a-kind. Paying homage to not only to the art of creating your own drink, but the Japanese-inspired Boba “N” Tings goes beyond, doubling as an anime house that carries many rare collectibles including ones only available in Japan.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of boba, anime, and collectibles–the real exclusive stuff. I love the culture,” says owner Michelangelo Falcon, as he talks about the decision to open the store. “We decided we wanted to launch a boba shop that doubles as a creative house.”
What Falcon alludes to when he says creative house is he’s looking to create a brand and franchise Boba “N” Tings and the characters associated with it. Falcon has drawn the shop logos and took pen to paper to create its mascot as well. It’s a panda named Ting that Falcon (who calls it his spirit animal) has tattooed on his body.
“Our goal is to create a world for Ting,” Falcon reveals. “We think of it as his shop. It’s where he invites all his friends to come and make drinks and just hang out.”
Falcon jokes but he does have plans to incorporate his original cartoon character among the famous Hello Kitty, Funko Pop, and Bearbrick collectibles shelved all over the store. He says he plans to create friends for Ting. Perhaps a pink-dyed husky modeled after his own dog or a chicken character as a mascot to a second shop he’s eyeing that may sell chicken wings. He wants to sell Ting merchandise that include t-shirts, plushies, keychains and enamel pins.
“Ting ties into the culture we’re trying to create,” Falcon says. “We want an environment that kids have fun coming into. Ting is based on friendship. Like all of anime culture, he’s about the people you love and the people and things you want to protect. It’s just about being true to yourself.”
Of course, the collectibles–and freebies like stickers and pins when you buy a designated drink–along with Falcon’s artistry are only one part of the story. It’s about the boba. And Boba “N” Tings delivers above and beyond with quality drinks guests seek. They’re loaded with flavor and that unique boba-bursting texture fans crave. And while traditional drinks like matcha green tea and tiger milk tea rule the menu, customers to the two-year-old shop have the ability to build their own drink, which Falcon says most opt to do.
Between the flavored teas, choices of milk, decadent sweet drizzles, fresh fruit, popping pearls, and fruit jellies, Falcon says there are more than 3,000 combinations of drinks a customer could create. The drinks are available in three sizes (16-, 24- and 32-ounces) so the bigger the drink the more loaded it can be.
“People love our build-your-own option,” Falcon says. “They really get to be as creative as possible. Just really pack it in. This is your cheat meal and your cheat snack all in one.”
For more information visit: bobantings.com
