Since opening on Sept. 9, T-YUMMÌ has been serving Mississippi State University students and Starkville residents Vietnamese cuisine and bubble teas out of its shop on Highway 12. While the restaurant offers food items such as phở, many people go for their extensive list of boba, or bubble teas.
Boba is a delicious Tawainese-originated drink that made its way to the U.S. during the 90s. According to foodandwine.com, boba’s popularity spread from Taiwan all across the world, and grew to include more toppings such as jellies.
I have personally loved boba since first trying it a year or two ago. Before T-YUMMÌ came to Starkville, I would get my boba fix at the Asian Market. That being said, I was incredibly excited to try the boba at T-YUMMÌ.
My favorite thing to order is not traditional boba, but the popping boba with fresh tea. However, for this review I tried several of the drinks on the menu at T-YUMMÌ so that I could have a well-rounded review and description.
The first time I went to T-YUMMÌ I ordered Vietnamese coffee with coffee jelly. Normally I would have just ordered the Vietnamese coffee on its own, but the person at the register recommended I add the coffee jelly.
If you have never had Vietnamese coffee, it is basically drip coffee with sweetened condensed milk poured over ice. I have been drinking it for years at my local Vietnamese restaurants back home, and it is one of my favorite treats. Though I have had Vietnamese coffee dozens of times, I had never heard of coffee jelly before. The coffee jelly was in little squares and chewy like a gummy bear. It was sweet and so delicious, the serving was large, and though a bit pricey, it was the perfect after-class treat.
Another drink I tried was fresh tea with rainbow jelly. It was fruity and fresh and the gummies added a fun aspect to it that went beyond just a fruity tea. It was refreshing and was not too sweet.
Sophomore landscape architecture major Laurel Kelton also made a visit to T-YUMMÌ. She got the honeydew milk tea with boba, and her overall rating was a 7/10.
“I thought it was really good. I probably should have gotten a different flavor, but I really enjoyed it. I have been wanting to go again ever since,” Kelton said.
Junior psychology major Catherine Sims tried the strawberry milk tea with rainbow. One aspect that stood out to her was just how many options they had.
“I really enjoyed how many options you could choose from. With so many choices, there is something for everyone,” Sims said.
My last visit I got the brown sugar milk tea with U.S. boba, which is basically just the traditional tapioca pearl boba. It was less sweet than the other drinks I tried, and overall pretty tasty. Since the drink is so creamy, it was difficult to drink all of it, but I tried to make sure I finished it since it was over $6, which is pretty high to spend for one drink. Though I am more of a fruity tea type of person, the creamier milk teas are delicious as well.
While my main review was concerning the drinks, they also serve Vietnamese food at T-YUMMÌ. I ordered the spring rolls and was not too impressed, and I have heard similar accounts from others who have tried it. While I definitely recommend T-YUMMÌ for the drinks, I do not recommend it for the food they have there. It was bland and the meat in the spring rolls tasted like it had not been seasoned at all.
If I had to give an overall rating for the drinks, it would be an 8/10. Though a pretty high score, the reasons for deductions include just how pricey the drinks get, on top of how the wait can sometimes be a little longer than ideal. This, of course, does not diminish the taste of the drinks and how much I enjoyed them. Ever since trying it, I have gone back multiple times craving it, especially the delicious Vietnamese coffee.
Mississippi State University student Shali Rader enjoys boba at T-YUMMI on Friday afternoon.
