Tou & Mai

I originally visited Tou & Mai when I first moved to Michigan. Back then, it was one of only a handful of boba shops in the metro and the only one within city limits. As such, they didn't have much competition and were a little more lax with their drink construction than a typical boba shop. I have it in my notes that on that visit, the drink I had ranked in the bottom 10%. Well, nowadays, there are boba shops popping up on every street corner* and since Tou & Mai is still open, I figured they must have improved. Hong Kong's Finest ($7.59) - We subbed the herbal jellie with boba. Given the name of the drink, I expected a Hong Kong-style milk tea, but this is anything but. The barista also assured me that the drink isn't very sweet. I'd say that's a bit far from the truth - this drink is quite a bit on the sweet side and I regretted not adjusting it down. The tea taste is barely perceptible over the amount of condensed milk and sugar added. Unlike a proper HK-style tea, the kind of bitter/astringent punch of a strongly brewed tea is not apparent. The drink isn't bad, it's just too sweet and not something I would consider a HK-style milk tea. The boba is surprisingly decent. Unlike my previous visit, where the boba was rock hard, on this visit, the pearls had a nice chew on the exterior. The interior is still on the firm side, but it isn't terrible. (3/5)Although I still consider Tou & Mai to be a slightly below average boba shop, I can see that they have improved. If you're in Metro-Detroit and you want boba, you could do worse.Bathrooms - No customer accessible ones that I could see.*Okay, technically even now there are only two boba shops in Detroit proper, but there are a ton in the suburbs.

I was a black ice tea lover now I love green ice tea! Always a fun time and great service! Ambiance is welcoming!

Stopped in here for an afternoon pick-me-up before heading out to the airport. This small shop is family owned and operated, and has the feel of 'neighborhood favorite' as soon as you walk in.For starters, this spot has a variety of sweet and savory snacks for purchase. Some of the snacks on the shelves were very familiar to me as I grew up eating them, and others were your standard snacks for the road. Also, there are really cute pieces of handmade jewelry for sale which after conversing with (who I learned later was the owner) the barista -- I learned that his mom hand makes the jewelry so they could sell them in their family business. Love it!Next, let's talk about what I ordered. I chose the Durian Smoothie and it was legit the real deal. Now, Durian is generally not a popular choice because of its unusual stench but you will learn to love it with time. The smoothie was so creamy and had the perfect consistency of what Durian mixed with ice and cream should look and taste like. Definitely a 5/5 for me just solely on my drink.The owner was friendly and we were able to exchange small talk about life, family, and business venture ideas. Told him he should open another shop because the concept is dialed in. I'm happy to see this small family owned business keep the boba, coffee, and smoothie scene alive in midtown Detroit.I'll be in Detroit a lot in the new year, so I look forward to becoming a frequent visitor!

I love this little shop! They have so many fun packaged snacks, drinks, and trinkets. There's so much to look at, very cute. The staff are always very nice. I love to get boba and sit on the chairs they have outside.

Four of us got the "Hello Hello" (Halo Halo inspired dessert) and one of us got the peaches and cream frozen treat. All were happy! Service was friendly and quick-very good attention to the building of all Hello Hellos-FULL of goodies!!! Yum! I have had two here and both were made with love. I really like the white cubes (coconut? Lychee?) and green jellies-floral... I do not know what every thing is, but I'm grateful that they have a really good variety. Such an interesting and fun dessert! I looked forward to it as it was my birthday and it was my "cake"! They gave me a second cookie in my dessert to make it even more special! I am a Michigander and am just fine with an icy dessert in January- especially when it is this epic! I hope everyone goes here and enjoys something new and extra special. I like bubble tea as well, but try something new! It's worth it!They have a bunch of cool imported snacks for purchase as well (chips, candy, frozen stuff, noodles...). A definite stop in the D for something refreshing in the summer too!

Super clean, cute location with speedy, friendly service. We all loved our drinks! Would recommend and return.

I ordered Taro root. It was bad, I didn't like it this time. What happened?So disappointed

I love coming here after-school the boba tea here is good. The staff are very nice and friendly and quickly get your orders to you.

Very late review - Even on a cold winter day, we had to have boba. This was a great Yelp find. We ordered the Thai tea and Taro. Both drinks were good.

Detroit is usually late with any major food trends and it's no different with bubble tea. Though the Asian communities in Madison Heights/Warren/Sterling Heights are blessed with plentiful bubble tea options (Ding Tea, Kung Fu, OneZo, Kuma, Quickly, Bambu, etc), there is a clear void in Downtown Detroit. I was hoping Tou and Mai would've been the one to take the reigns and become king of bubble tea in Downtown Detroit. Truth be told, my T&M experiences have left me controlling my bubble tea cravings for when I'm back in Madison Heights. Don't get me wrong, T&M provides all the bubble tea menu mainstays, toppings, and even specialized Asian desserts like the Filipino "Halo-Halo" named "Hello, Hello". They even have a small bodega-like shop inside, showcasing unique Asian candies and snacks as well as staple items, and boutique goods from local purveyors. But each and every one of my 3 visits have left me saying "meh". I've gotten the mango real fruit smoothie with boba and lychee jelly twice and each time I've regret-sipped all the way home while I begrudgingly drove by Bambu and Kung Fu as they mocked me and said, "told ya so".Maybe one day, a truly impeccable bubble tea place will finally settle into Downtown Detroit and dominate the market and get the whole damn city addicted to bubble tea. It just isn't now. Not yet.