Sip Boba’s name emerged as the family taste-tested Megan’s concoctions, which include Supermoon Milk, with lemongrass-infused butterfly pea syrup, and Ube Milk, featuring a purple yam from the Philippines that lends nutty and vanilla notes. | Photo by J. Adrian Wylie
Saline native Megan Stevens holds fond memories of teenage ventures into Ann Arbor with friends. Frequent destinations were Pinball Pete’s on South U and nearby Bubble Island, then the only boba spot in town. Though Bubble Island succumbed to the pandemic, the boba business had staying power: you’d run out of fingers tallying the places in town serving bubble tea, as the Taiwanese trend has gone global and corporate.
The density hasn’t daunted Stevens and her husband, Aaron Stevens: the thirty-something couple have turned a shared bubble-tea passion into a mom-and-pop shop with their own recipes and a thirst for neighborhood connection. Sip Boba Tea House is in a former eye-care office next to Izzy’s Hoagie Shop on W. Stadium, within walking distance of the home they share with their sixteen-month-old son, Mack.
“We thought if we can provide a quality product, I know the community is gonna be receptive to us from what we’ve seen from other locally grown businesses,” Aaron says. The former insurance agent wrangled three long church pews to line the walls of the 1,800-square-foot storefront they refurbished with a modern, neutral design with plants aplenty, including a fiddle-leaf fig that basks in the windowed southwest exposure.
The pop of color comes from the drinks themselves, free of premade powders and fructose sweeteners. Megan says their house-made syrups are cane-based, including the brown sugar cooked with the tapioca pearls twice daily. Almond and oat milks provide a dairy-free alternative to the whole milk they otherwise use.
The name emerged as they taste-tested Megan’s concoctions, which include Supermoon Milk, with lemongrass-infused butterfly pea syrup, and Ube Milk, featuring a purple yam from the Philippines that lends nutty and vanilla notes.
The bestseller so far, particularly with kids, is the multi-hued Cosmic Lemonade with passion fruit popping pearls. Grown-ups tend toward the house-ground Dalgona Dirty Chai topped with whipped coffee. They’re partnering with local roaster Dozer for the slate of coffee drinks.
Another innovation is the boba kit, a $40 portable package with a half-gallon choice of drink and two toppings, along with cups, lids, and wide straws. “We want to make boba not just an experience where you come in, grab, and go,” Megan explains. “We want it to be part of your graduation party, your baby shower, your weddings, whatever it might be.”
Sip Boba Tea House, 1928 W. Stadium. (734) 249–1222. Tues.–Sat. 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. & Mon. 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Got a retail or restaurant change? Email marketplace@aaobserver.com