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Extra Special Teas

4.4 (17 reviews)
Open 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Services - Extra Special Teas

Community Service/Non-Profit

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michelle b.

Great tea shop in Great Barrington, where they will make you hot tea, iced tea and bubble tea. You can also buy loose tea. Really cute inside. Staff are very friendly and helpful.there is casual seating in front and another room in the back.

Avoid bubble tea...
Yaran S.

2 stars for the cute interior. 0 star for the bubble tea. My friends and I were very excited to try this place because it is almost impossible to find a bubble tea spot in the middle of nowhere. We ordered taro and mango bubble tea, which took 10 minutes to make. I tried both and they tasted bad. Very watery, little tea taste, just not right... I have very high standard for bubble tea, but even my American friends did not enjoy it. Disappointed:(

Jacob S.

I'm a big fan of tea shops. I love the vibe and the space to just relax. Extra Special Teas (EST) has that, and it's all for a good cause. A non-profit, EST gives all of its proceeds to an organization that provides vocational training to young adults with special needs. They have a wide range of teas, both plain and "fancy", as well as baked goods (which I haven't tried). I've been here twice (in two days) and have tried two different variations of rooibos. They were both very good. My one qualm is that they don't have just plain rooibos. However, the employees are very nice and helpful with picking out teas. Highly recommend dropping in and giving EST a try.

Extra Special Teas interior
Annie B.

A delightful tea shop in downtown Great Barrington. Super reasonably priced-- hello $3.50 bubble tea. Also, cute baked goods for folks with allergies (e.g., gluten free, vegan, etc). Fun decorations, friendly staff, and a good cause (hires folks with intellectual disabilities). They have around 50 varieties of tea-- black, green, white, herbal, both hot and cold. AND they have taro bubble tea, which is my absolute favorite. You can get it with whole milk, coconut milk, or almond milk. It's a generous portion (very cold, no ice unless you want it) and delicately sweet. It's a fun and relaxing place to hang out (see the pictures of the fun decorations).

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3 months ago

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29 days ago

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1 year ago

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5 years ago

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1 year ago

Awesome people, awesome food and even better place. Just go there and be amazed. Kind, beautiful delicious.

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

The teas are good but not my favorite. the large selection is a plus. It's not bad or anything, i've just had better.

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

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6 years ago

Cute tea shop. Mango bubble tea and tea was unfortunately very watery with little taste. Chai tea was also watered down with no taste.

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7 years ago

Excellent English Breakfast tea and friendly service. Great spot to sit back and relax and enjoy the day. Will return when back in town.

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9 years ago

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Review Highlights - Extra Special Teas

Fun decorations, friendly staff, and a good cause (hires folks with intellectual disabilities).

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Boba Train

Boba Train

4.3
(4 reviews)
0.1 mi

Anyone who knows me and knows I love Boba!! It is one of my favorite drinks!! My son gets his hair…read morecut near boba train so I spotted it while walking around. They have a wide variety of drinks. They also offer cookies, croissants, and other fun items that you can purchase like tea. I have been twice now and both times were pretty busy, so you can expect a few minutes wait time. The staff is very nice and you can tell they work hard. The drinks were so good! The next time I go I will definitely have to try the pastries.

Was excited to try it. I was sadly disappointed, but I'm hoping to leave some critical feedback,…read morehope they take it, give it another try, and update it if they make improvements. First the ambience was lovely, but air was too warm and stuffy. The cookies and baked goods are in a self-serve cabinet, many shelves low down, which my toddler immediately got into. This should not be an option, and just in general baked goods should be served in a sanitary way, not in a self-serve case. They did look good though. But most importantly to me, the bubble tea.... I asked for "less sweet," but it was still so grossly sweet that I had to throw most of it away ($8 plus tip.) The tapioca balls themselves were much sweeter than most I've had. They were also still warm, which I've never experienced, and too soft on the outside but too chewy on the inside. We were there early in the morning so maybe they weren't ready yet? Anyway... please make the tea less sweet. I'll try it again and ask for "no sweet" since I think the boba will make it sweet enough anyway, but I'm concerned with their sugar level it still may be way more sweet than I'm looking for. I have had many other bobas that are far less sweet. Also, not quick. Good luck! Will try again later.

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Boba Train
Boba Train
Boba Train

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Shiro kitchen and Asian market

Shiro kitchen and Asian market

3.3
(68 reviews)
1.0 mi
$$

So we normally come here when we are around the area. The last time was about a year ago. Sadly to…read moresay the food has gone down much in quality and taste. The gyoza was kinda hard and did not taste very fresh. I mean it is definitely frozen packaged ones. Honestly I know that everything as just store bought and made. The portions were not very large. Orders this chicken curry bento and it had about two little chunks of chicken and a lot of onions and some sauce. This was self serve kinda place, but if you needed an extra bowl or anything it was very hard to get. Place is older and tables are never cleaned. I had two wipes with me and had to just wipe down the table and it was honestly pretty gross. Sad to say that you are better off going to a super market and buy a ramen pack and cook it at home. Would probably taste better.

When we first moved here two years ago we didn't know anything about Shiro. It was when we were…read morecoming out of the pandemic and, like most restaurants, they were trying to find ways to exist. Initially, there was a sign outside that side they repaired computers and cell phones. Our son and daughter came to try out the food and they raved about the Ramen. Since then we have been back regularly, especially when the weather calls for a warm meal, and have introduced many friends and relatives who were equally thrilled with the find. The menu is limited but two of the options are vegan and everything is cooked to order. The broth in the vegan tonkatsu is aromatic and flavorful. The pork tonkatsu is a big hit with the non vegan crowd. They also have a wonderful Asian market with sesame oil and lots of hard to find spices and ingredients. And mochi!

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Shiro Salads
Shiro Salads
Shiro Salmon
Shiro Salmon
Shiro kitchen and Asian market

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Cozy Boba Tea

Cozy Boba Tea

4.8
(6 reviews)
41.8 mi

This place lives up the cozy name for sure. More of get your tea to go then sit in. I found service…read moregood, since they very quick and made to get my order just right, since I wanted less ice and sugar with my tea. Also let me tell you, this place price are way cheaper they bubble tea places in my area. Definitely a plus for that. The strawberry bubble tea with strawberry pop was refreshing and delicious, definitely worth the trip on a warm spring day traveling.

We stopped in to try the new place in town. We were going to Stop and Shop and noticed the sign…read more I got the Mango Passion fruit with green tea. It came with strawberry boba. I liked that they don't load it up with ice. I hate when they do that (looking at you Starbucks !). The taste was super light but it was refreshing and dairy free. Hubs got the coconut one and that was really good! It's mostly coconut which is great but they add evaporated milk which is why I went with the fruit tea. If they would make it dairy free I would be ALL OVER IT! The taste I had was super yummy. I am so happy to have a boba place near home and I hope they have great success!!! I think next time I'll talk to them about making that coconut drink completely dairy free, it was much better than what I ordered. The women at the counter were super nice and friendly. Their service is great. The shop is cute and super clean. I hope they get in some gifts and snacks. I also like to support local

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Matcha boba milk
Matcha boba milk
Thai iced tea
Thai iced tea
Mango passion fruit green tea

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Mango passion fruit green tea
The Whale Tea Ramen

The Whale Tea Ramen

4.0
(54 reviews)
37.7 mi
$$

With the cool New England fall weather upon us, we wanted a nice bowl of ramen to warm us up. We…read morewent to visit Whale Tea on Halloween. After seeing the menu, I decided to try their chicken katsu instead while my fiancé tried the beef ramen. We also got two medium bubble teas. Both drinks came out first. For mediums, they were pretty small (especially with a $7 price tag). I will say though, my creme brûlée oreo tea was incredible. I absolutely loved the flavor and the oreo in it. Still pricey but at least it was good. My fiancé ramen came out shortly after and we weren't too impressed. The beef broth was a muted color which looked more like miso. He said the noodles were sticky and pretty soft. I waited about 15 minutes until my chicken katsu came out (we were the only ones in there so it wasn't busy) and it looked promising... Good crunch but seems like chicken thighs were used as there was a good amount of fat in it. It quickly became kinda inedible because of how much sauce was covering the whole dish. I'm a sauce girly and love my condiments, but this was just so excessive. I asked for a box to go and maybe my fiancé will finish it later lol. The girl was so sweet and even offered MORE sauce to go, but i quickly declined. Overall, may be back for the teas if it's payday. Would not try the food again.

This place took 40-45 min for me and it was not worth it! I would rather drive to New Haven for…read morefresh soup dumplings. My cousin wanted to go bc she was craving the popcorn chicken. Nothing special about this place an even the fruit tea was not good. The price you pay and the drive you take; I rather ate McDonald's chicken nugget happy meal. skip this unless you live near by

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The inside
The inside
Popcorn chicken
Popcorn chicken
Creme Brulee Brown Sugar Milk/Milk Tea (Come With Tapioca) /

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Creme Brulee Brown Sugar Milk/Milk Tea (Come With Tapioca) /
The Whale Tea

The Whale Tea

4.4
(17 reviews)
63.6 mi

300 locations world wide... unbelievable!! Australia, Singapore.. London...with over 7 locations…read morejust in Connecticut. They specialize in fresh fruit and milk bubble teas. They use natural ingredients, fresh fruit ..fresh milk and none of the powder stuff which is what sets them apart. Some of their signature drinks are crème brûlée series, whale crystal series... But I wanted to get what I had gotten last week, "strawberry milk tea with boba".. but I didn't know if it was with milk tea or just milk so we ended up with one each... it tasted so good.. almost like blending fresh strawberries with milk and with the warm boba to chew on ... extremely delighted!! However I did not like the one with milk tea as much.

Whale Tea at UConn is a specialty boba tea shop on or near campus that has developed a steady…read morefollowing among both students and people in the surrounding area who make it a regular stop. I found the space clean and the interior with enough character to make it a comfortable place to sit for a bit rather than just a grab and go counter. The brown sugar boba is the signature item. I tried it and the tapioca pearls were chewy in the way that good boba should be, with enough body that they held up through the drink rather than dissolving into something gummy by the midpoint. The brown sugar flavor came through clearly without being cloying. The broader menu covers fruit teas, milk teas, and slushes with a range wide enough that most preferences are accommodated, and customization options for ice level and sweetness allowed me to dial in the drink to my preference. The ability to order without boba if that is not your thing is worth knowing if you are new to the format. Service was friendly and the staff were welcoming in a way that made the shop feel approachable for a first time visitor. Order accuracy has occasionally been an issue, and online orders do not always get flagged as ready in the app when they are, so checking in at the counter if I have been waiting longer than expected is worth doing. Pricing runs over ten dollars per drink, which adds up quickly for a group, and the shop is closed on Wednesdays, a detail worth confirming before making a specific trip. For boba in the Storrs area, Whale Tea sits at the better end of what is available locally.

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The Whale Tea
Entry view
Entry view
The Whale Tea

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Extra Special Teas - bubbletea - Updated July 2026

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