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THE BOBA TAIWAN POINT SYSTEM

The Boba Taiwan Point System is the method and technique Boba Taiwan uses to as objectively as possible deduce the value and quality of a boba tea store, as well as give a relative overview of the boba stores in Taiwan. The Boba Taiwan Point System is ranked on a scale of 1-100 and is one of the most trustworthy and reliable methods of deducing the quality of a boba tea store in the world. The Boba Taiwan Point System is divided into two portions: the Quality of the Boba Tea (QBT) and the Quality of the Store (QS).

Quality of the Boba Tea (QBT) (Scale of 80 points):

  • Quality of the Pearl (Scale of 40 points):

    • Chewiness (level of sustained, elastic resistance): 1-10 points*​

    • Hard/softness (level of non-elastic resistance): 1-10 points*

    • Relative size: 1-2.5 points

    • ​​Amount of Pearl (relative to Volume of Drink): 1-2.5 points

    • Lumpiness (clumps of sticky boba/how many times a clump of boba jams the straw): 1-5 points (two minor lumps count as one major lump and account for point deductions)

    • Taste (or sweetness level): 1-5 points

    • Spherical quality and perfection (of pearl): 1-5 points

  • Quality of Tea (QS) (Scale of 40 points):

    • Sweetness (concentration of sugar): 1-10 points*​

    • Milkiness (concentration of milk): 1-10 points*

    • Concentration of Tea: 1-10 points*

    • Aftertaste (taste lingering after swallowing tea): 1-5 points*

    • Wateriness (concentration of water): 1-10 points*

Quality of the Shop (QS) (Scale of 20 points):

  • Delivery Speed (how fast the order is processed and delivered is largely dependent on the number of customers being served, as well as the quality and type of bubble tea being made. Speed is tremendously relative, and so generally, shops will be awarded with a 3-point average, out of five points. Points will be given if a shop is significantly faster in delivery than other shops, and docked if the shop is significantly slower in delivery than other shops): 1-5 points

  • Quality of Store (whether the store is well maintained, based on factors of cleanness, quality of organization, and the overall ambiance of the store. As a largely relative and subjective factor, stores will generally be awarded 3 points in this quality. Points will be given if a store is exceptionally clean, organized, and has a significantly more pleasant atmosphere than other shops. Points will be docked if a store is abnormally dirty, disorganized, or has a significantly less pleasant atmosphere than other shops): 1-5 points

  • Quality of Service (level of professionalism/friendliness of the server) (as an extremely subjective factor, as servers vary largely from store to store, day to day, regardless of the quality of the bubble tea itself, stores will be given 3 points for good or bad service. Points will be given or docked very rarely in cases of extremely able and professional servers or exceedingly rude and unprofessional servers): 1-5 points

  • Quality of Utensils (cup, straw, bag, and design) (the factors relating to the quality of the cup include the ability to insulate and keep the drink cool, resistance to crumpling and tight grips, and the ease of the handler holding the cup. Factors relating to the quality of the straw include the ease of poking the straw through the plastic covering into the drink, the circumference of the straw relative to the size of the boba, and resistance to deformation after excessive slurping and biting. Factors relating to the quality of the bag include the size of the bag relative to the size of the cup, amount of elasticity in the handles of the bag, and other additional factors. Points may be given if the bag is environmentally friendly or special in some other way. Factors relating to the design are largely subjective and will not be considered unless exceptionally positive, such as promoting human rights, or negative, such as sexually explicit or graphic): 1-5 points

Other factors include the price of the bubble tea. Because price varies from store to store (quality of the store), area to area (rural to city), and year to year (inflation), it will not be considered unless it is significantly different from other stores. Points can be given if the price of the bubble tea relative to its quality is considerably different, with a maximum of 5 points. Therefore, in theory, the maximum points given to a boba store is actually 105 points.

*Note: As you may observe from the above statements, the words 'significantly', 'considerably' and words much like it are used excessively. This is because human taste largely differs because of background, race, age, gender, etc. Therefore, there is no perfect level of 'chewiness', 'hardness', 'sweetness' and the like. The points are only given by the most objective subjective view through a point system that attempts to place insignificance in each factor so that the outcome may be as objective as possible.

Points
Equivalence
1
Not chewy at all (stale or syrupy)
2 - 5
1 - 2 chews to digest in mouth
6 - 9
3 - 4 chews to digest in mouth
10
5 - 6+ chews to digest in mouth (very chewy)
Points
Equivalence
1
Extremely hard (cuts in half) or too soft (melts in mouth)
2 - 5
Too hard or too soft
6 - 9
Slightly too hard or slightly too soft
10
Just the right amount of hard/softness
Points
Equivalence
2.5
Perfect size for straw and mouth
2
Slightly too big or too small for the straw or in general
1
Too small or too big for the straw or in general
Points
Equivalence
1
More than a third of pearl or tea left in the drink
2
A little amount of pearl left, or a little amount of tea left after drinking
2.5
Just the right ratio of tea to pearl so that there are no leftovers of either ingredient
Points
Equivalence
1
5+ lumps in the drink
2
4 lumps in the drink
3
3 lumps in the drink
4
1-2 lumps in the drink
5
No lumps at all in drink
Points
Equivalence
1
Terrible taste
2 - 4
Bad or little or no taste
5
Wonderful taste
Points
Equivalence
1
Flat and abnormal shapes
2 - 4
Slightly inconsisten throughout drink
5
Consistently perfect spheres throughout drink
Points
Equivalence
1
Extremely too sweet or no sugar at all
2 - 5
Too sweet or too little sweet
6 - 9
Slightly too sweet or slightly too little sugar
10
Perfect sweetness level
Points
Equivalence
1
Much too much milk/no milk at all
2 - 5
Too much/too little milk
6 - 9
Slightly too much/too little milk
10
Perfect milk to non-milk ratio
Points
Equivalence
1
Extreme amounts of tea or no tea at all
2 - 5
Too much/too little tea
6 - 9
Slightly too much/too little tea
10
Perfect ratio of tea to non-tea
Points
Equivalence
1
Terrible aftertaste (often with chemical properties)
2 - 4
Too sweet/too bland/bad tasting aftertaste
5
Perfect or good aftertaste
Points
Equivalence
1
Extremely watery/no water at all
2 - 5
Too watery/too little water
6 - 9
Slightly too watery/too little water
10
Perfect amount of water in drink
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