Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bars Review

Shao Mei & I-Mei boba ice cream bars

Shao Mei bar

Shao Mei bar, interior

I-Mei bar, interior

I-Mei bar

Fro-yo girl here. I first heard about boba ice cream bars last year. They kept selling out, so I didn’t track any down. Fast forward a few months and the boba ice cream bars are now easier to find. I found three different brands at 99 Ranch Market in Alhambra, CA. No, they don’t contain yogurt.

Shao Mei is the most popular boba ice cream brand. A rival brand, I-Mei, produces a similar product. Both are Taiwanese brands. I-Mei calls their product Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Ice Bar. Both offer 4 individually wrapped bars per box. They were even priced the same, $7.99/box.

Shao Mei Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bars: The bar had a deep brown marbled appearance and a prominent brown sugar scent. The first bite surprised me with contrasting flavors and textures. The exterior was an icier brown sugar shell. The interior was white, rich, milky, and creamy. I also bit into a boba which was sweet, soft, and chewy. The tapioca pearls were chewier than I expected. The flavors meld together in your mouth like a sip of a creamy brown sugar boba drink. I didn’t detect any tea flavor. Still, I really enjoyed the different textures and flavors. Yes, I would buy them again. One bar is 154 calories, 5g total fat, 16g total sugars, 25g total carbs, and 1g protein.

I-Mei Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Ice Bars: The bar had a lighter brown marbled exterior. The brown sugar flavor wasn’t as strong and tasted more like caramel than brown sugar. The interior wasn’t as creamy as Shao Mei’s. The bar was firmer and chewier because it had a lot more boba. The tapioca pearls were chewy and soft, though not as soft as Shao Mei’s. Also, Shao Mei’s bars were more flavorful. One bar is 160 calories, 5g total fat, 17g total sugars, 27 total carbs, and 1g protein.

I’d give Shao Mei 4.5 out of 5 stars and I-Mei 4 out of 5 stars. They’re both good!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

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