Every so often here at Nightborn, we pause for some tea and travel the world through books. This week come celebrate some of our favorite boba spots in Northern Phoenix and read a quick review of The Zunis: Self Portrayals by the Zuni People.
Tea Stop
Pandan waffle and green Thai tea (c) ABR 2019
Tea Stop is my favorite boba spot in Northern Phoenix. They have perfected sweet, milk tea flavors and their boba is the freshest and the most flavorful. Personally, I almost always get their green Thai tea, which I can’t suggest enough. If I try to describe the flavor though… I don’t have the words! It’s kind of like a toned-down version of the more common, orange Thai tea that is found in most boba shops. I do get that flavor of green tea as well, but I am not sure if that’s my imagination or not, due to the color and name. What I can say though… is that if you like Thai tea, and matcha, you are gonna like this! The boba is very flavorful as well- subtle, but you can pick up a hint of honey in every bite. Also, they are fresh and soft, definitely a little chewy like all boba, but they never have the hard center of the less fresh boba.
The rest of Tea Stop’s teas and drinks are also amazingly good. And if you aren’t huge on intense sugar, they can certainly handle orders adjusting the sweetness. I usually go “half-sweet” and I love how the flavor of the milk and tea comes forward more when there is a little less sugar. They also have lots of drinks with fresh fruit, and in the summer there is a selection American iced teas/lemonades that are super refreshing. Honestly, if you like tea, you aren’t going to make a wrong choice here. Everything they do with love and the quality is super high. Tea Stop has a few snacks as well. In particular, being the dessert fiend that I am, I like their Pandan Waffle; it’s green and it is delish.
I can’t talk this place up enough. If you like boba, be sure to give Tea Stop a try.
4015 E Bell Rd #132, Phoenix, AZ 85032
Dingle Berries
(c) ABR 2021
Dingle Berries is, in my opinion, a creative and lovingly crafted tea shop. If you are looking for fusion flavors, this is your spot, and particularly because they have brought horchata (a sweet, milky Mexican drink, if you aren’t familiar) onto the scene along with some sweet American flavors, like cheesecake. In particular, I think bringing milk tea and horchata together is an ingenious mix, and a great way to experience the wonder that different cultures coming together can provide. Also, if you are into activated charcoal, they do have that as an addition option.
That being said, the Whoa-chata, which is what I got when I went there (horcata+milk tea) is very very sweet, so you might consider asking for half sweetness. Also, I think that the boba at Dingle Berries is pretty nice- and it felt fresh. It was soft and chewy, but not with that harder center that you get when the boba is revived. But while I believe it was a honey boba, it didn’t have quite as much flavor as I might have hoped. Perhaps with a less sweet drink, the boba would have shined more readily.
(c) ABR 2021
In terms of décor and character, Dingle Berries has a very fun Instagrammable vibe. And I mean that in the best way. They have a really cute corner of the store with a little plush seat, a Good Vibes neon sign, and printed pictures of celebrity mug shots. It’s just the right kind of odd to delight visitors, and I’ve seen many a picture of people posing in that spot. It might seem silly, but I love the way that Dingle Berries has created multiple levels of enjoyment for visitors.
If you enjoy unique flavors and like a good flavor, Dingle Berries is for you!
3624 E Bell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032
Boba Day
(c) ABR 2021
Boba Day has traditional milk tea flavors as well as juices, smoothies, and ice cream. The milk tea in particular, is pretty good, and well worth the visit, but of my three favorite spots, this is the one that I would rank the lowest. Their tea has the wonderful, smooth flavor of black tea, and I really like the intensity of the flavor at the back of your mouth- similar to the delicious smell of coffee. The boba here felt the least fresh to me of these three lovely little shops; they were flavorful but the texture of the boba reminded me of the less fresh versions that you might find at a shop that microwaves pre-made stuff. It’s that harder center to the boba that makes me think it’s just a little less fresh.
(c) ABR 2021
Besides tea, Boba Day also has smoothies and ice cream, so if you are looking for a boba treat but traveling with someone who prefers more American treats, this is a great place to compromise on.
4839 E Greenway Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Travel Via Books: The Zunis: Self Portrayals
by the Zuni People and translated by Alvina Quam
The Zunis: Self Portrayals came from a project that the Zuni people led with the purpose of preserving their stories for the long-term and which involved their storytellers. Due to this, this is one of the most unique books that I have had the opportunity to read because it’s a book about the Zuni People by the Zuni people and for the Zuni people. Reading this reminds me of delving into other cultural, folklore texts like the Illiad and Beowolf. In other words, this is a book that you can tell means a lot more to people who are familiar with the folklore, the culture, and context of the stories, and it offers a window into stories that are being recorded in a genuine way.
That can make reading this book a little difficult at times (as a non-native), but as with other cultural texts that include elements of folklore, I think it is more than worth the bit of confusion to learn more about the stories, lore, and spirituality of the Zuni people. (If you aren’t familiar, the Zuni people are indigenous to the southwestern United States, in particular, modern day New Mexico. I’d highly encourage you to check out the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center website to learn more about them).
If anything, I would love a version of this text with some footnotes giving more context to the stories included in the book, but as I said, I get the feeling that The Zunis: Self Portrayals is more for Zunis than otherwise. So, I’m not sure if footnotes would be helpful in that regard, nor am I saying they should be a priority or a necessity. Just that I would have loved, as an outsider, to read them and learn even more.
If you enjoy learning about the culture of the places where you live and/or visit, I would suggest this book for anyone planning on immersing themselves in the landscape of New Mexico. The Zuni people have called the southwest home for thousands of years, and gaining a little insight into their perspective is both interesting and essential to exploring their ancestral home. Whether you are looking for a book to read while staying home, or you are planning on visiting New Mexico in the future, I’d highly suggest The Zunis: Self Portrayals. Just come with an open and curious mind, and enjoy the stories that the Zuni people have graciously shared with the rest of the world.
Leave a Reply