Second Cup

Best taro boba in town! Hands down! Boba was actually real soft and chewy!
Well a day after leaving this comment above I change my mind about the boba being fresh walked in this morning bought a taro boba taro was great! But the boba was completely hard in the center and chalky!!! It’s like they served me boba from yesterday!!! I dint try the drink until I left and was already in sparks. Very disappointed! Who does that? Old boba from yesterday! Nasty!!! :/

I am a neophyte when it comes to bubble tea. I just know I enjoyed what I had.
The owners of Thai corner opened this little shop and have reused the existing coffee shop setup very nicely. Nothing fancy, but it is comfy and light and welcoming.
The young lady behind the counter was very friendly and helped me pick out what I wanted. The tea was a little sweet for my taste, but I enjoyed the flavor and the tapioca balls were very tasty. They were also very filling and I was not able to eat them all. I liked the milky, fruity flavor with the tea note underneath the sweet. It was a nice treat to have on a hot day.
I will plan to come back and try a different flavor.

Time: 4:37pm/98°F sunny
Purpose: In town for business related meet up. It was quick and brief as I wanted to head back to SF asap. This place was also on the radar had it bookmark as place to get a boba drink nearby.
Ambiance: Like most near by downtown Reno shops. They’re old looking usually like pawn shop like or vintage collectable places. This shop feels like it went through both. Vintage with no effort to add more comfort. For what the business offers, the place doesn’t match. It starts out with checkerboard floor, ceiling fan set medium speed, couple of high tables/​chairs, two lounge high backs, window corner seating with various pillows/​rollers/​paddings for added comfort. Faux oil like paintings hung on walls with AC high above. Most furnitures here are mismatched. Looks although they went to 3 – 4 secondhand shops to locate matching resemblance. Counter area with acrylic pastry boxes, tip jar, mezzer grinders, utensil/​condiment station, boxes of bag teas. It just feels so generic as it was unbearable sitting there with a low grade drink on hand. First sip and you’ll know you’ve been had.
Staff: Short pinay girl said hi when I walk in. I said haaaaai back, but don’t know where voice was coming from. The height of counter was masking her. Finally spotted her. She didn’t seem to care if you buy something or not. No enthusiasm just moping around. Weather may be the culprit here, warm and muggy leading to moody attitude. She question me if, I was going to a purchase or not. That’s a bad start already. You should never begin with a line like that. Told her, I’m gonna buy something let me settle down with my business materials on hand. Geeeesh, I just got here!
Cleanliness: Grade B-​, some areas are not as clean. Cushion pillows near front window had stained spots. Lounge chairs had springs about to puncture through. Feels too low once seated, getting up from it, a problem.
Eats/​Drinks: Green tea boba $ 4.25. This drink was the worst I ever had in my life of drink boba. It was made from powder. Every flavor listed were in mini tubs with labels written out. The pearls were stuck together like super glue. Trying to suck it up gave my lungs a good workout. With hot weather on top of my effort, it felt like thick air while inside the place. Pearls were stuck and won’t go up straw. Had blow hard and clear straw. It went back in cup then second attempt to suck it up, but no avail. End up tossing it away. Pearls with caking center and slimy congealed exterior tells me overcooked and kept in liquid for a period of time. Drink itself was all color with no flavor of green tea. No matter how many scoop they use no flavor at all.
Main Features: Boba drinks any flavor set price $ 4.25, four flavors to choose from.
Products/​Services: Muffin, danishe, oatmeal, donut, cookie, bagel, hot chocolate, Mexican chocolate, matcha/​chai latte, iced blended drinks, thai iced tea, frappé, espresso, cappuccino, latte, mocha, drip. Tea by Two Leaves, Chai by David Rio. Boba-​honeydew, green tea, taro, strawberry.
Punch Lines: Calm vibe, kitschy décor, snooty service, off putting, nothing out of the ordinary, sleeper, quite bland, not as great, go elsewhere, pricey, limited boba flavors, no substitution, vintage furnitures, cushion padding/​seating, package baked goods, casino/​hotel, Greyhound terminal.
Tradeoffs: Powder boba drinks with prices exceeding more than the well known branded places. No machine cup sealer just cup/​lid can’t tilt cup, messy issue.
Final Thoughts: I have to give them credit for having guts to open a boba place in that part of town. There are no asian population in that area or even a school nearby. No kids equals no income and no fun. The ones that do go are mostly stumbled upon or drop off by bus to casino trips. People that knows boba goes opposite end of town for their boba fix. For $ 4.25 I can get me a better version at i-​Tea or ShareTea back in the bay area. Not sure why the name Second Cup? This was my first cup and I’m not coming back for my second cup to find out after this experience. No thank you!

Second Cup, in the location of the late I Bean Grounded, on Second Street is the newest enterprise of the owners of Thai Corner, located on the same block in downtown Reno. It is a small, intimate location, with seating at the front, and high tables along the wall opposite the counter. Second Cup provides a variety of coffees and teas, and specializes in Thai coffee and bubble tea. The service is pleasant and fast, and the restaurant is open, inviting, and tastefully decorated. The bubble tea, which can be ordered in one of four different flavors, was nicely balanced and not too sweet. It had a generous supply of «bubbles» which were very tasty. Second Cup is definitely worth a visit when in downtown. They are a welcome addition to the Reno coffee scene.