When Nina Tran sampled drinks at all the local Boba shops and those in other states, she consistently experienced a similar taste because everyone uses a base of artificial sweeteners and syrups. She shared this with her husband Pete Nguyen, who has 30 years of experience in his family’s restaurant business, and the idea for 102 Boba was born.
They are committed to using fresh fruit and real ingredients like fresh taro, but their most important ingredient is the infusion of creativity evident in their original offerings.
Drink categories range from coffee, yogurt drinks, smoothies, fresh tea, milk tea and specialty drinks. With names like Taro Tornado, Match Twist and Sunrise Sunset, Pete and Nina take pride in each artisanal-crafted drink which is full to the brim. A plastic top allows for easy stirring or shaking. Our personal favorite is their Crème Brule creation!.
“Three years ago, we came up with the vision for our Brooklyn Center shop and we took our time to find the perfect shop that would be very welcoming, providing a clean and modern environment that we plan to decorate seasonally,” explains Nina. “We had a soft open on February 14th, so I created an Instagram station colored in red with hearts. Now I want to bring blue spring flowers to our Boba shop and I’m starting to plan the next theme…hopefully this will bring our customers back consistently to enjoy our nook or relax on our comfortable couch.”
The delightful creature in the 102 Boba logo is fashioned after Pete and Nina’s white Pomeranian dog. “We named our dog Boba when we got him several years ago—even before we fully hatched our plans for our Boba shop,” says Pete.
Boba is a one-of-a-kind pet and 102 Boba, a second-to-none shop. They source the very best black tea and have created their own blend of other natural ingredients that make each of their 42 drink options truly delicious. They will soon add more drinks and offer food. By mid-May, expect Binsu, a shaved ice treat, topped with seasonal fresh fruit.
