Happy to see small businesses continues to thrive through this pandemic. Such a cute tea shop... amazing to see it's all fresh ingredients used for their tea. We got a few teas to try... the Taro/Ube is decent - can definitely taste the taro. Also got the Summer Melon... which didn't taste like any kind of melon... over powered by coconut milk. So yea, I had a big cup of tri-colored coconut milk. The Mango Colada is "meh"... make up you mind kind of drink... are you a slush? Or a fruit drink? Odd mix. Finally... as a Hong Konger... how can I NOT try their HK Milk Tea? Wow... this one needs to be removed from the menu. I'm not sure if the individual actually knows how HK Milk Tea really tastes. It lacks the "bitter", the "smooth" and the "true essence" of what an amazing HK Milk Tea tastes like. You can't just call a cup of tea "HK style" just by adding condensed milk... seriously, don't ruin it. Enjoy if you really have to. Otherwise skip and head to the Whale Tea. Better option. #yelplife #traveladventures read more

See all

I think I may have found my favorite boba spot in CT. Loose Leaf Boba is truly a standout as they use no powders, artificial flavors, or corn syrup. This quality and dedication to their craft clearly shows in their drinks. For our first time, we tried the visually pleasing Strawberry Matcha and the Alishan Oolong Milk Tea. The strawberry compote they use is entirely homemade and was a wonderful complement to the strong matcha (which is also organic and ceremonial grade). The oat milk we picked served as a perfect vessel to unite those two flavors. Our second pick, the Alishan Oolong Milk Tea did not hold back in terms of tea strength and was by no means watered down. As a fan of more "al dente" boba, Loose Leaf cooks the pearls to just the right consistency and soaks them in honey as well. Both drinks were gone in minutes. After talking to the store owner Marques, it sounds like the Banana Foster is also another top recommendation. This place is so good we have already decided to come again next week for more. You have got to try this place out! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Strawberry Matcha and Alishan Oolong Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Was really excited to attend the soft opening for this family-run venture. After experiencing some outstanding boba joints in Queens I would have to say this place is unique and definitely holds its own against some of the upper echelon spots I visited. As usual with new businesses I like to give a few days just in case they need to work some of the kinks out but this spot knocked it out of the park right away. Can't wait to come back and try some of the other items on the menu as well. At the moment the bananas foster is my go-to. Good luck! read more

See all

I'm absolutely in love with this place! Right across from the Yale art museum, this is in a prime location to go and visit to get yourself some yummy boba tea. I normally don't ever eat my boba balls because they have a weird texture, but not Loose Leaf's boba! Idk how they make theirs but they're flavorful and delicious. I sampled 4 of their drinks and highly recommended the taro, strawberry matcha, bananas foster, and my absolute fave, the colada. I live a half hour away and am very tempted to drive back down this weekend for more. read more

For reference, this is supposed to be a milk tea. Everytime I order here, it is extremely watered down. The regular non milk teas also taste very diluted. This is usually the last place I'd recommend for people around New Haven. However, I'll add an extra star back since they have non-dairy milk options like oat milk and almond milk for those with dietary restrictions/allergies unlike most other places nearby. Seriously, go to any other place for boba if you're not lactose intolerant read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Watered down milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Lovely new bubble tea shop in New Haven! I like that they use real milk (most bubble tea chains use powdered milk!!) and that their ingredients in general seem to be high quality. It's not the best bubble tea in the world but it's still good bubble tea!! My only qualm with them is that their standard size is 24oz. Only their matcha drinks come in a smaller size - 16oz. I wish their drinks were smaller. Definitely recommend! read more

See all

This place is amazing in terms of food, service, and ambiance. The boba is perfectly soft and the bingsoo is so fresh and delicious. I am really happy they opened an authentic bingsoo place in New Haven! read more

Great boba!! I love the strawberry matcha. Wish there were more of these places in this area. Can adjust sweetness level, which is great. Lots of seating and cute neon signs to take pictures with. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Pandan Pina Collision - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Great boba place. On the pricier end but that's what you get for good quality matcha! Came here in 2022 and I believe I ordered the Matcha Iced Tea. Will come back if I ever am in town again. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - I believe this was the Matcha Iced Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

The strawberry matcha has my heart. I've been a huge fan of Boba Guys in the city, but ever since they closed in the city, I have been craving a strawberry matcha boba. I always get it with 75% sweetness and oat milk. Something that sets Loose Leaf apart from the other bubble tea places is the quality ingredients that they use. I love that they support other local places but using their products. The dairy milk comes from Arethusa. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Thai Hard Fifty 50 and Strawberry Matcha Latte - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Last nightly, I had a major sweet tooth. I ordered the Strawberry Matcha Milk Tea (lychee and boba toppings) and the Thai Milk Tea (with boba toppings). Being a Bubble Tea Brat, I would say that this place is good. Although, the Matcha Strawberry Milk was a tiny bit too sweet for me. It's a delicious drink, just please order your sweetness level to a middle - minimum for that drink. The Thai Tea was great as well, the boba and lychee jelly really enhanced it. I can tell this place uses authentic and high quality tea. You can taste the authenticity in their bubble teas. I love the plastic cups/mugs they also give us. They are high quality, durable, and spill-proof. I would come back to try more teas! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - I ordered the Strawberry Matcha Milk Tea and the Thai Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

The boba is definitely higher quality if compared to other options in New Haven but I cannot justify the price. This drink was $7.17, which is honestly the most I've ever spent on boba. This specific drink, strawberry matcha latte, tasted more like strawberry jam than matcha. The boba definitely didn't taste like it was soaked in honey, even though it's "honey boba". I've had better but given that it is better than what there is in the area, I do recommend it. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Ugh I hate that the drinks here are so damn good. I accidentally ordered online without realizing how long the line was and how long each drink takes and looking around this wasn't your typical boba shop clientele. So i expected some overpriced offbrand watered down crap and a waste of my time. I still stand by that waiting 30-40 min for two boba drinks with maybe 7 people ahead of you is kind of unacceptable and a waste of time. It makes me resent even more that the drinks are like ridiculously good. It looks like they have an espresso machine type set up but it's used to brew tea over evaporated(? condensed?) milk. The resulting drink is like the perfect balance of tea flavor without the astringency and a light milkiness. 30% sugar was perfect for me. The boba we had was the perfect texture. I They definitely make every single drink to order and some of them are pretty complicated, not to mention all the customizations They had 3 people making drinks and at least two of them were 100% hustling 100% of the time. It is what it is, i guess. I got pretty impatient after 40 min bc I did not expect to wait remotely that long, but even at the end of that I had to admit the drinks were just that good. Not sure I'd do it again though if there was more than like 1 person in line. read more

I was looking for a place open late to sit and do work on my computer for a bit, and I chose this place because I love bubble tea and ViVi had no seating. Loose leaf had several tables outside and inside, and they have free WiFi too if you ask for the password. My Purple Roots was delicious-- it was a blended drink of taro, ube, and condensed milk. I substituted for almond milk and vegan condensed milk slwhich was free!!! However, I wish the specialty drink prices were listed on the menu-- I was a bit surprised that one boba drink came out to be $7 before tax. Overall, amazing customer service and very clean, calm place to enjoy some boba!! Some cool neon signs too :) read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Purple Roots with boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Loose Leaf Boba is my new "bestea". In the last 4 years, of all the places I've visited in the Nutmeg state, Loose Leaf Boba reigns supreme. I'm so thrilled that CT finally has a boba spot that does milk tea justice. That the brand has already built a name for itself on the West Coast is just the cherry on top. Although a handful of items weren't available yet (the store owner told us they'd just opened for a soft opening this week), what was available is totally worth it. We'd made the trip from West Hartford for Loose Leaf so we weren't leaving without a drink. We opted for the Strawberry Matcha latte (w/ oat milk) and the Alishan Oolong Milk Tea (w/ oat milk). The boba was also perfectly chewy and steeped in honey. What I love about Loose Leaf Boba is that they are all about real, authentic flavors. Every syrup is made in-house. They don't use any powders or artificial colors. And of course, the tea is steeped fresh. It's so obvious when a drink is done right and I guarantee that Loose Leaf Boba l does it right. The matcha tea was perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the strawberry compote. I loved the matcha + oat milk combo. The Alishan Oolong was everything I'd been looking for. We finished our drinks before we made it home and are already having boba withdrawals. I envy the Yale students who live within walking distance of Loose Leaf Boba, but I'm so happy for the store owners. New Haven truly is prime real estate for a boba spot and I think we all know that if there's one thing students are willing to spend on, it's boba. Cheers to the opening of the first East Coast location of Loose Leaf Boba! I cannot wait to be back! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Alishan Oolong Milk Tea w/ Oat Milk and Honey Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Very cute shop! My Hong Kong milk tea with boba was AMAZING. Only minor complaint is the wait time but it is to be expected with such a popular new business. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - One of their backdrops - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Updating my review to 5 stars. This is the best bubble tea place in new Haven. The location on Whitney Ave is also great, albeit a little empty feeling. Tip: you can often get great deals on Snackpass. Recommended: any specialty drink (this place is so creative and delivers on the flavor)! Strawberry matcha (as good as boba guys as you'll get, without going there)! Regular matcha, the 50-50 options with non-dairy condensed milk, taro ube smoothie, and the classics! You might have less luck with leaf teas which are then cooled (sometimes under brewed). But the staff on High St are great and willing to talk about the options with you! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Matcha iced latte with oat milk and boba. Delicious. Recommend half sweet. - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Loose Leaf Boba is a nice addition to downtown New Haven. It's right next to the Yale Center for British Art and the promenade so I can see many people coming here for a sweet escape once everything fully reopens. The staff still wears masks but now that the mask mandate has lifted patrons aren't required to, but most did and people kept their distance while dining in. There is a gender neutral (single occupancy) restroom and 8 double seat tables indoors, and three double seat tables outdoors. Now that that's out of the way, the actual food: The location is a bit small, especially in comparison to Whale Tea and I can see it getting cramped with people in towards the end of my visit but ordering was simple enough, they have your standard boba offerings in the form of all the milk teas that come in 16 and 24 oz (regular and large) but also some custom offerings that only come in large (24 oz). They offer whole milk, soy milk and oat milk as subs. Everything is made fresh (no premixed powders) and aside from the honey boba (not a gimmick, it's made with honey) and cheese foam (kind of a no brainer) all other toppings are vegan. Toppings are extra, which is on par for the area. My friend got the strawberry matcha tea with honey boba which is their most popular drink and probably the most instagramable NHV tea since the Blue Crystal. She enjoyed it. Usually I get a milk tea to see how they stack against other places but Black Sesame Ginger Latte was calling my name and it didn't disappoint. The ginger was subtle but also complimented the black sesame nicely, which added a rich element to the latte. I had a bit of FOMO seeing all the strawberry matcha teas being doled out but overall was satisfied with my choice. Being a California chain I had high expectations and they didn't disappoint. It was extremely solid. Reserving a star to see how their standard offerings stack against whale tea's, especially once they get all of their toppings in stock again. read more

See all

Made a big order this evening, twelve boba milk teas. The boba itself is excellent and is not hard or overly chewy unless one leaves it for too long, and the 25% sweetener is just right (I can't stand overly sugary tea drinks). It's nice to get tea that actually tastes like tea and not just milk and sugar. The amount of ice is appropriate as well...it's not just a big cup of ice with a tiny bit of beverage. While I like the large size, it's too much for my little ones! They end up sharing one and still have some left over. The location has clear distancing protocols in place; service from the employee team was excellent. They even put everything into a plastic delivery crate for me to bring back to my car (parked a block away) since cardboard drink holders don't stack that easily. I made a 45 minute round-trip drive in the rain to pick this up and it did not disappoint. I'm looking forward to the new location which will be a very short drive away! FYI, I moved here recently from Southern California, where I was spoiled and had every good tea place in a fifteen minute driving radius, including 7 Leaves, Omomo, Class 302, Red Straw, Champion, along with the franchises (Lollicup, Tapioca Express), plus lots of friends who made it at home. And yes, I did get an order from their Long Beach location back in 2018 when I was up near the LBC for a school music event. Delighted to find a place here in Connecticut that "gets it" from a boba milk tea perspective, as I just don't have the time to make it at home! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - An order of twelve! - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

We were sad to come here and find out they ran out of basically all the toppings such as boba and lychee jelly! However, with the national boba shortage as well as coming an hour before closing time on a Saturday, I can understand why this happened. We ended up ordering the matchacado smoothie as well as the pandan pina drink. The matchacado smoothie is made of matcha and avocado, which paired surprisingly well together! One can evenly taste the earthiness of the matcha and the creaminess of the avocado. The sweetness is enhanced by a splash of condensed milk! Surprisingly, this was my favorite drink out of the two drinks we ordered. The pandan pina drink is what initially attracted me to Loose Leaf Boba! It's made of pandan, coconut milk, and pineapple puree. Definitely a refreshing treat especially during the summer! Upon the initial sip, it tastes refreshingly wonderful and sweet! But as I drank more of it, my impression of the pandan pina drink went from a 10 to a 5. I ended up only finishing about half of the drink before becoming tired of it. I would have loved to come to Loose Leaf Boba and try their drinks at their peak, but who knows how much their boba/lychee/other missing items would have improved their drinks? Overall still a great treat while in CT! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Pandan pina - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Great new addition to New Haven. They have a lot of unique drink options and it took me awhile to decide but I ended up trying their Hong Kong milk tea, half sweet, no boba. It tastes really fresh. I'm definitely coming back to try their other drinks. I really like their lid too. I tested and it's definitely spill-proof. I know it's something simple but it's definitely worth noting. Other boba places have the plastic covers for lids and once you poke your straw through, there's no turning back. read more

See all

Best boba I've had on the East Coast! The texture of the honey boba was just right and really tasty. They also have so many unique options like Banana Fosters milk and Pandan Pina collision--both were delicious. For choice of milk when applicable, there's no up charge for oat milk, etc. which was great. Wish I could come here more often! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Banana fosters and Pandan Pina collision - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

This was such a cute tea place! Went while walking around Yale campus and had to check it out. The matcha here is good, I got 50% sweetness and oatmilk and even then it was a little sweet so I would def tone it down more in terms of sweetness (but thats just my preference). My friends got the loose teas (berry, jasmine green, and oolong) and they really liked theirs too. This is a great place to go to if you're in the area, it's hot outside and you need a cute place to cool down, study, sit and chill. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Iced Matcha Latte - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

Amazing isn't the word. I get the banana foster with oat milk, boba, full sweetness and cheese foam on top about 4x a week. I rotate between Wallingford and new haven location. It's heaven in a cup. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Banana foster boba tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

It was my first time here and probably won't be my last. There are so many tea spots popping up around New Haven so I'm not surprised Loose Leaf took over where Froyo was for over 10 years. I got the Thai Milk tea, with whole milk (I'm lactose haha) and I chose the third level of sweetness with honey boba. I enjoyed it thoroughly but I do wish the signature drinks came in the smaller size. Only Matcha does. Le sigh. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

See all

What a great addition to New Haven! This is by far the best place I've ever tried for milk tea. All of the flavors were so fresh, and you can tell there's nothing artificial in these drinks. I especially love that they source their milk from Arethusa. My personal favorite was the banana foster, which I know is one of their best sellers. read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Left to right: Banana Foster with Boba, Strawberry Matcha Latte, Hong Kong Milk Tea with Grass Jelly, Mango Colada - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Best boba in New Haven, and maybe anywhere! Strawberry matcha is my favorite but a lot of good options.

Boba in New Haven can be a scarce commodity, and good boba is a hard find in any city across the US. Loose Leaf is one of those places--a rare blessing with some of the best ingredients I've tried in boba since I first discovered what it even was all those years ago. It's one of the most consistent, delicious, and convenient boba locations I've been to. It's a small store (you might pass by it unknowingly on your walk around downtown), but you won't regret stepping into and trying your first bite into those glorious, mouth-watering honey boba balls. Am I exaggerating a little bit? Probably. But in a new town where I didn't know a single person before arriving, Loose Leaf has quickly become a new but familiar favorite of mine that I'll keep coming back to time and time again. read more

See all

Overall: Beautiful shop located in downtown New Haven right across the street from Starbucks. They have a great menu selection, and has lots of potential. Service: This is the main reason why I couldn't offer them more stars. We have been here two times, the first time on their opening day and the next time a week later. The employees working there seem to not know how to work the registers at all (not properly trained). Furthermore, it felt that they weren't familiar with the menu items they had available so it made ordering a bit more difficult. Food: My first experience in terms of drinks was better then first time I went. The second time I went, they had nothing available essentially. They had to make the tea on the spot (which took quite a bit of a wait) and the drink ended up tasting like water and milk with some boba. I think they can definitely improve in terms of this. The tea needs to be brewed first (not on an on demand basis). Another thing that caught me a bit off guard is that they claim to use the Oatly brand of oat milk but instead use something else (just something I think should be pointed out). Price: Great! Will I return: I will but prefer other boba shops in town. read more

See all

Definitely worth the hype in every way! Never had a better boba in my life, and it looked so pretty! The staff is really good at helping you pick out the right sweetness and flavors for you. There is so much you can change and customize that every visit feels unique! Excited to go back again! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Drinks were just ok and the girl at the cashier register is not friendly and seems so impatient when taking our order.

It's alright? I mean, if you've had boba in any place other than New Haven, this isn't going to impress you. The options are hipster and honestly misses a lot of the basics (the homemade grass jelly somehow contains gelatin and doesn't actually taste like grass jelly). Edit: the homemade grass jelly actually does NOT contain gelatin (vegans/vegetarians rejoice!), although I still think it's a bit firmer than what I'm used to. See the review response for an in-depth explanation of what Loose Leaf is aiming for. There is, however, an ongoing 50% off deal on Snackpass, which makes this one of the most affordable boba places in New Haven for you bobaphiles out there. I wouldn't pay full price for this, but ~$3.00 per drink is alright. read more

Very good experience over all, the staff was very helpful and friendly, the place was clean and the drinks delicious and ready to have more! read more

Loose Leaf Boba - Thai Milk Tea Strawberry Matcha Latte - Bubble Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut