Restaurants & Bars

Boba Pearls Improperly Handled At Fredericksburg Tea Shop: Health Inspection

A health inspector reported 14 violations at a Fredericksburg tea shop, including two involving mishandled boba pearls.

Michael O'Connell, Patch Staff

Posted Thu, Jul 3, 2025 at 1:23 pm ET|Updated Thu, Jul 3, 2025 at 1:26 pm ET

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Rappahannock Area Health District inspectors reported finding health code violations at nine of the 20 Fredericksburg food establishments they visited June 16-26.

At Kokee Tea, an inspector reported finding 14 violations, including two involving the preparation and storage of boba pearls, which are used to make boba tea.

The inspector observed boba pearls being kept in a crock pot at 131-132 degrees F rather than the required 135°F (57°C). During the inspection the operator plugged in and turned on the crockpot, according to the report. The inspector told the operator either to sell or discard the boba pearls within four hours.

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Cooked boba was also cooling in a covered stainless steel container on the sanitizer drainboard, which was vented and relocated to the walk-in cooler to cool, according to the report. The inspector discussed cooling methods with the person in charge and recommended following any of these methods in order to cool boba properly.

Placing the food in shallow pans
Separating the food into smaller or thinner portions
Using rapid cooling equipment
Stirring the food in a container placed in an ice water bath.

Sometimes, the follow-up inspection only considers the most important "priority" violations.For every observed violation, the inspector provides a specific corrective action that can be completed to rectify the violation. Sometimes these are simple, and violations can be corrected during the course of the inspection.

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The Virginia Department of Health only recommends restaurants have their permits suspended when "the continued operation of the foodservice presents a substantial and imminent threat to the public health."