Woongjin barley tea: A Korean chilled tea that is perfect for the summer heat. No calories or sugar, but is slightly sweet and had a deep herbal flavor. Begins very mild but has a robust aftertaste. Thirst quenching and very refreshing. 3.5/5.0
woongjin korean drinks tea barleytea recommended hmart barley 3.5
Yaya Tea Clean Clothes kiwi and mango fruit tea with boba: This Little Italy-based tea shop has mixed fruit tea flavors with bizarre names like “Blue Blood” and “My First Car.” I ordered one of the weirdest ones, a mango and kiwi fruit tea called “Clean Clothes.” Somehow the tea managed to be simultaneously super artificial tasting yet also incredibly diluted, with a sweet yet sour flavor that reminded me of those Chinese jello snacks and Jolly Rancher candies. The boba was similarly subpar - overly hard and lacking any taste. Definitely the worst... (read more) 1.0/5.0
avoid nyc drinks bubbletea yayatea clean clothes kiwi mango fruit tea boba 1.0
Yifang Matcha Brown Sugar Bubble Tea: I was delighted to come across the Taiwanese bubble tea shop Yifang in Shin Okubo, the Koreatown of Shinuku in Tokyo. I wish I were able to read the menu of fruit tea options, but I had to go by the pictures and decided to try their matcha latte with brown sugar, a drink that has a fixed amount of sugar (unlike some other menu items, where you can adjust how sweet you'd like it to be). I did find the drink to be sweet for my taste, but the combination of bitter matcha with sweet brown suga... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks tokyo taiwanese boba bubbletea yifang matcha brown sugar bubble tea 4.0
Yifang Taiwanese Fruit Tea Lugu Oolong Tea: My good friend and bubble-tea expert Mace recommended this Bay Area spot specializing in Taiwanese fruit teas. Yifang's small to-go shop is adjacent to Berkeley's campus and certainly would have become my go-to spot if I stilled lived there. Their Lugu Oolong tea was super refreshing and clean, with a floral oolong flavor followed by a hint of peach. I added the aiyu jelly, which was well worth it; lightly sweetened, it had a slippery texture with just the right amount of gelatin. Luckily,... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended Berkely yifangtaiwanesefruittea lugu oolong tea 4.0
Young Tea Roasted oolong tea with grass jelly: This small tea shop in Seattle's Chinatown / International District is just a few steps away from their impressively sized Mitsuwa Market. It takes pride in its traditional Chinese herbal teas, and it comes across clearly in their drinks. The oolong milk tea I had was just right: more tea than milk wth just a bit of sweetness at 50%. The grass jelly was one of the most memorable I've had, with a silky texture and slightly bitter flavor that complements the sweet tea. Highly recommended! 4.0/5.0
recommended tea milktea grassjelly seattle drinks youngtea roasted oolong grass jelly 4.0
Young Tea Rose Green Milk Tea with Boba: Young Tea is a local Seattle tea chain that started off in the International District and now has a location in Wallingford. They brew a wide variety of loose leaf tea, catering to customers that want multiple options for their oolong (e.g., red, rock, golden lily, or high mt.). I really enjoyed their purple rose green milk tea, which had an ideal combination of punchy herbal green tea flavor with an aftertaste of floral rose (not quite as pronounced as the purple-pink mixture might sugges... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks seattle milktea youngtea rose green milk tea boba 4.0