This fall, the USC Village received a long-awaited — and some might say necessary — addition to campus: a bubble tea shop. Yoboseyo Superette, despite its highly anticipated opening, already faces fierce competition and knowledgeable critics. After all, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, USC is situated in the county with the most boba shops per resident.

Equipped for busy, on-the-go students, Yoboseyo Superette boasts lightning-fast service. While there’s a line curving down the block for Cafe Dulce a few doors away, customers are served immediately at the new boba store. In the middle of an outdoor study session when all students need is a caffeine boost, this is a far more convenient option than its neighbors.

The menu is a perfect size, with the drinks divided into three categories: milk teas, matcha and signature drinks. Each section contains five to six drinks, so customers have various choices without the options being overwhelming. Yoboseyo Superette says no to spending extraneous time poring over a giant menu, as seen at popular chains like Vivi Bubble Tea.

On the topic of choice, the only non-dairy alternative is oat milk, so customers are out of luck if they’re die-hard almond, coconut or other vegan milk fans. Expect to pay around 25% more for a plant-based drink, as the oat milk costs $1.50 extra to add on. Additionally, their mix-ins — including the somewhat necessary brown sugar boba, crystal jelly, or even pudding — cost 75 cents on top.

Most importantly, the drinks themselves. Prices hover around $5-$7 without add-ons. This price is pretty standard for a boutique bubble tea despite the drink’s inexpensive ingredients.   

The milk teas, which include ubiquitous flavors such as Thai and Jasmine tea, were memorable, which is impressive since these drinks abound in every other store — like strawberry banana to a smoothie spot. The classic YBSY House Milk Tea with brown sugar boba was the clear standout. Made with “house-blended Organic Assam & Ceylon,” the tea flavor was bold without overpowering. Commonly, drinks like these tend to become just sweet milk, but this one was much different. The boba was very soft but chewy, which might be good or bad, depending on one’s preference.

The fruit teas, however, were a stark disappointment. It was unclear which tropical fruit gave its name to the “Ancient Tropics” tea, but it essentially tasted like sugar water. The tea flavor did not come across as anything distinct, and the standard sweetness we ordered — one can customize their sweetness level — was closer to candy, rendering the drink far less refreshing than expected.

Despite what was previously said about the price of the drinks being standard, customers might gawk at spending $5.50 on tea, water and ice. In the case of severe dehydration, one might be better off going to the fridge at the Target across the street.

The matcha lattes were fairly middle-of-the-road. They do the job without reinventing the wheel. The matcha powder tasted relatively high quality, with no visible clumps, so it was whisked well. Although the perfect sage-green color was promising, if the customer prefers a strong matcha flavor, this might disappoint them. It is also important to note that Yoboseyo Superette uses the same proprietary blend asDulce, so this might still satisfy fans of Dulce’s matcha without the time to wait in line.

The coffee was startlingly poor. The cold brew had a distinctly acidic, unpleasant taste. It was not clear whether this note was coming from the cold brew or the milk itself, but the sourness led the tasting team to be unable to take more than a few sips. It’s nice that Yoboseyo Superette wanted to expand its selection to cater to everyone, but this category did not measure up to the others. Lesson learned: a boba shop specializing in milk tea will probably not make the best coffee, and that’s okay. That’s probably not what most people go there for anyway.

Yoboseyo Superette will undoubtedly fulfill students’ boba craving while running to class, mainly because it’s the only option. The staple flavors you know and love are done nicely, but their signature drinks veer off the path. This store will offer students a quick drink without too much hassle, but with the hefty price tag, we recommend sticking to the left side of the menu for a surer bet.