Since Tiger Sugar’s 2017 founding in Taichung, Taiwan, the international boba tea chain has expanded to numerous locations around the world.

The Dinkytown location is the chain’s most recent opening. It offers an order and go boba experience as well as a place for college students to get their hands on delicious bubble tea made with Tiger Sugar’s handcrafted syrups.

While lines have shortened since Tiger Sugar’s opening weekend, during which crowds snaked along the sidewalk of 14th Ave. SE to grab a drink and for the possibility of a free prize, customers can still expect a slight wait upon ordering. Each drink is made to order with careful precision and attention to detail. However, it’s worth the little bit of extra time in line.

In fact, University of Minnesota students Hana Al’Absi and Camille Samuelson found it worthy enough of a wait so much that they made the trek three times over the course of the last week. The friends spend their free time reviewing Twin Cities eats via a shared Instagram account. They gave Tiger Sugar a perfect rating out of ten based on their system which includes service, quality, taste and ambiance.

“If you’re a fan of brown sugar boba, Tiger Sugar is definitely the best,” Al’Absi said.

Tiger Sugar’s signature drink is a brown sugar bubble tea with a cream mousse. Every drink is delivered with an assortment of amber “tiger stripes” running down the sides of the cup, providing a stellar photo op. Employees recommend shaking the drink thoroughly (post-Instagram shot, of course) before drinking for the best experience.

While the aesthetic appeal alone of Tiger Sugar’s drinks is an instant selling point for many customers, the flavor just so happens to be on par as well. It’s a rich concoction, between the creamy milk, various-sized tapioca pearls delivering a velvety mouth-feel and the thick brown sugar syrup tying it all together.

“It’s so good,” Thao Nguyen said, waiting in line with the friends she’d brought to try out the chain. “I think it’s their brown sugar. The quality and taste of it is a little bit different from others I’ve tasted before.”

For those wondering what differentiates the chain from the many other boba shops near campus — of which there is no shortage — the answer lies in its ingredients. Tiger Sugar uses “a proprietary 8-hour method for cooking syrups and tapioca pearls,” according to their website, that makes for a steady flow of intentionally crafted drinks.

“The drinks are delicious. I’m really excited we’ve got a Tiger Sugar here now,” Molly Buckley said, who’s had the chain on her radar since seeing photos from the Las Vegas location a couple of years ago. Buckley said the drinks lived up to the expectations she’d set ahead of time. “Honestly, it makes me realize I need to come to Dinkytown more often.”