I used to be obsessed with Taste Tea growing up and to see how much it's fallen off over the years is so heartbreaking. I ordered the classic black milk tea as I usually do and although i ordered it to be 50% sweet it tasted like straight sugar water and powder. The aromatic flavors of the tea just aren't there anymore. As disappointed as I was, I still kept going back to give it more chances but it's just disappointment after disappointment. The service was okay. There was a new employee getting trained and his trainer was being really passive aggressive towards him. Just bad tea and bad vibes now. There are better tea places on the island, Taste Tea is not it anymore. read more

I always wanted to try milk tea. I was in the area so I decided to go for it. It's in the same shopping center as Longs and Times so lots of parking. Taste Tea fronts Waialae Ave so you have to walk toward the front of the building. Being new to trying it, I asked the girl behind the counter what's good? I told her it was my first time. She said to look for the tea leafs to the side of the drink. Those are the drinks that are recommended. After looking at the menu I decided to get the brown sugar milk tea. She assured me that it was a good choice. I chose the large size and she asked me if I wanted any add ons and I went with coffee jelly. She told me to try the tapioca so I said ok. Next she asked me about my sweetness level. She told me 100% is really sweet so I took 50%. I wouldn't know how it compares to other places but I enjoyed it. They also sell Snow Ice which I think is shaved ice. There were a few claw machines and a few tables to sit there as well. I took pictures of the menus. read more

See all

Drinks are consistent. Service is ok. They are not the friendliest. Ambiance is nothing special. We only order drinks and leave.

Worst boba i've ever had. and i've had boba in nebraska so yes ik what bad boba is. They must think im a fuck ass hummingbird since I ordered 70% sweetness and this tastes like straight sugar. I'm surprised i haven't passed the fuck out from how sugary this is. just straight syrup. Waste of my money. Could've had a starbucks or something and not nauseous af. Not taking this review down until i get a refund read more

Refreshing drink in Kaimuki, Honolulu, Hawaii... This location of Taste Tea is on the corner of 5th Avenue and Waialae Avenue. When you park at the Kaimuki Shopping Center, you'll have to walk out to Waialae Avenue where the entrance is situated. It's kind of awkward, but it works. This shop has been here for a long time. The interior is quite spacious with a bunch of claw machines on one wall. There are nice murals on the other walls! Service from the young adults was friendly and efficient. No complaints here. I ordered a Peach Iced Tea (with Taiwan Spring Tea as a base) - to compare with a peach iced tea that I recently got from a more expensive brand name place. I liked this Taste Tea version because I don't need little pieces of fruit in my Tea. It was just plain and simple - and more cost effective. I just needed a drink in this 80°F February weather! LOL! read more

See all

Went back and got the Lychee Iced Tea with a green tea based (can choose between green, black, chamomile) and wow was that refreshing!!! Good combination of tart, sweet, and smooth. Oh and for this drink I recommended 100% sweetness with big boba. Boba Pearls absorb the sweetness while not distracting me from the lychee green tea taste. Would definitely get it again! Huge shout out to the worker for recommending the green tea base. read more

See all

Wow lots of options! For a non boba tea drinker it was a bit overwhelming trying to figure out what to order. Luckily the help was nice and patient and at 8:00 pm on a Monday night it wasn't busy at all. Friend got the blended strawberry milk tea and I got the blended honeydew milk tea with small tapioca balls. The blended drinks only come in large. I was happy to learn that only their lattes contain milk so no problemo for us lactose intolerants! Not being experienced with these types of drinks, I don't have much to compare this to, but I feel like it was a little too much tapioca and not enough blended drink for me. Also got a few pebbles of ice but the blended part was nice a smooth. I think I liked my friend's strawberry better. Wanted to try the snow ice but it was late at night and I wasn't hot . Maybe another time. I felt old coming in here. Maybe because there was a bunch of high school students hanging when we entered? Maybe it's because there are 3 schools in close proximity to this place and I could picture youngsters wanting to come here after school? Maybe it was the UFO catcher type grabbing machines in the place? Maybe because I am not versed in Boba and had no clue what to order? Prolly for all those reasons ! Love the easy parking in the back. Walk around to entrance on Waialae on the other side of Fairwood and Pho. read more

See all

Tasty for Taste Tea! The number of times I've passed here especially waiting at the stoplight I've seen this place and always thought of seeing the layout of this place. It's so not what you'd image...in a great way thinking that it's slightly below street level and yes you access the entrance on Waialae not through the parking garage, but the artsy wall is quite impressive. The dungeon-ish space is brighten with the feeling like you're at Kewalo Basin Park with the view of Diamond Head in the background chilling on a tree swing is a clever touch. The other wall is a great art as well though there a few folks sitting there that I seriously do respect not taking any pictures so you know I need to be back to capture that image as it's stunning as well. I got my usual favorite Winter Melon Spring Tea with Coconut Jelly and this will be my breakfast drink tomorrow morning but I did take the moment to chill here which there are decent amount of seating to do so and with some outlets to keep you plug in getting work done here is a breeze. The staff is amazing, and being close to many schools they also have snow ice I'm sure is popular, another great find to see that they have cold brew Black and Spring Tea already made is a great item to grab and go...tearrific! Thank you! read more

See all

I've been gone here multiple times and every time after I drink a milk tea from here I don't feel very good and end up with a sore stomach later that day it happened just this last week after I got a jasmine milk tea with no sugar and boba. Not sure why it happens but it could be quality of the ingredients or something because when I go to other boba shops this does not happen to me read more

This place is disappointing AF. Ordered pickled mango tea and asked if 0% sweetness was possible. Front girl said yes. Received the drink, it's 100% sweet. Didn't want to go back as the attitude of father and daughter team seemed annoyed. Not going back. read more

About $6 for an iced drink that was as lukewarm and bland as the place itself. Dingy, dirty, hot, smells like standing water. Midday and the AC was off, no food or anything in the display case, bored looking workers doing the bare minimum, no info displayed about accessing the WiFi. I tried to be courteous and was going to ask if they wanted to pour my drink out rather than having a nearly-full cup of liquid in the trash. The employee made eye contact with me and promptly walked away as I was approaching. In the trash it went. read more

I pass by this Tea place many times but today decided to check it out. I'm not use to this kind of Tea places fancy words for all kinds of drinks. I didn't know what to order so I just stuck to a simple ice coffee They had drinks with ice cream with shave ice with all kinds of topping . I just wanted something plain I guess I'm showing my age. I ordered a iced coffee and what I thought was neat they tell what number of sweetness you want and there's a chart from 0-120% . My coffee was strong even with 70% of sweetner I forgot to add milk. I guess this kind of tea place is not for me. I'll stick to my Starbucks I read more

See all

Amazing taste, fantastic value, fast service, many options, great staff, and tons of free parking. I cannot recommend Taste Tea of Kaimuki highly enough. I have visited this location dozens and dozens of times, and I have never been let down. Whether you order ahead or jump in line when you arrive, they are super fast at making your drinks. They have tons of teas, shakes, blended drinks, and so many extra toppings! We love the ice cream milk tea, original milk tea, brown sugar, and all the blended! So cheap and so good! Please try them out if you're in need of a delicious, cheap boba drink! read more

Taste Tea - Ice cream milk tea and coffee milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I usually come to Kaimuki Shopping Center to run errands since Longs Drugs and Times are in the building with Cookie Corner and McDonald's is across the street by Sacred Hearts Academy and Servico Dealership. Sometimes, I eat at McDonald's and get an unsweetened iced tea, ice cream or local breakfast platter. Other times, I get Taste Tea depending on what I'm feeling to eat for the day. It's a much smaller Taste Tea than the Kapiolani/Ala Moana area location but the customer service is always excellent. They try to get my name right, which like Starbucks is not spelled right most of the time. The orders come out fast with the correct sized boba straw and napkin. I always enjoyed that Taste Tea has small boba, I often prefer it to the normal sized one and that I can lower the sweetness level usually now 50 to 30% sweetness. I still need a pump of sugar in my coffee and teas but I lower them to one or two for Starbucks as well. The variety of add ons is great, I like the pudding because I have a foodie weakness for custard anything especially pies and egg tarts. The aloe jelly, coffee jelly, matcha jelly are add ons that I like to get when I'm not in the mood for boba at all. Their classic milk tea, jasmine green tea milk tea and brown sugar milk tea are my favorite. Hana Tea still makes the best brown sugar milk tea but this is comparable as is The Alley in Ala Moana Center. Having the variety of choices and the excellent customer service is the best part! You can always park by Longs Drugs or Times in the shopping center then just walk over to the corner by the crosswalk, you'll see the Taste Tea sign to your left. But after school gets out especially at Sacred Hearts, St. Louis, and St. Patrick's schools. This place gets packed from all the students wanting their food after their school day is done (same can be said for the nearby McDonald's). So go early when they open or after the school rush has left for an easier time to get your boba fix. You still have to wear a mask you're when indoors, they didn't have a people limit when I went there were about four guys ahead of me ordering their boba but they were in and out quick. It was like I had the dining room area to myself, it was nice. But I took my mask off while actively drinking and trying to get most of my boba through the straw. They have a loyalty card, I have like five loyalty cards now because I put them in a separate coin wallet and forget to bring it with me sometimes but they always give me a new one and said they can combine them all for me. Support local businesses like this one especially during these pandemic times. One of my favorite boba shops on the island. Thank you for always the excellent customer service! Thank you for the delicious milk tea and add ons! Thank you for the good relaxing place to enjoy my milk tea with AC! read more

See all

Taste Tea has once again raised their prices... I ended up paying over $7 for a Honeydew Milk Tea with Boba. The milk tea was fine at first, but after twenty minutes or so, the powder started collecting as sediment on the bottom of the cup. Yikes. I ended up throwing it away because of that and because it was a bit too sweet even though I got it 25% sweet. The boba was okay, though. Inside, there are a lot of cute claw machines for plushies on the side. And there are a bunch of square tables with outlets for people to work. The internet was fine and there is parking available at Times or Longs Drugs. But the restroom is super sketch... When I went inside, it was super dirty and smelled horrible. It also looked like there was mold on the toilet and the walls. I ended up going up to Longs in order to use the restroom... read more

This location is easy to find and pretty convenient when running errands. Their drinks are tasty and the boba is pretty good. I usually get a lychee black tea at 70% there but once in a while I try something different and like it. Be careful of going there when school lets up though. A lot of the kids head over after school and so it can get busy. They're also currently only letting four people in at a time to allow for social distancing. read more

First time here and got the pickled mango with lychee jelly and boba as per the cashier's recommendation between the two choices I was debating on. Loved it!!! Much mahalo for the recommendation! read more

Taste Tea - Pickled mango with lychee jelly and boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Business is located at Kaimuki Shopping Center 1st floor. The entrance is facing Waialae Ave. There are parking on 2 floors. On menu, shaved iced was not available. I was craving Taste Tea because the location by Kapiolani is temporarily closed. My favorite is strawberry black tea with grass jelly and milk tea almond joy. I usually get regular sweetness, For strawberry flavor with black tea, I wanted extra flavor. Get 1 stamp for every $2 drink purchase. Gather 20 stamps and get $4.00 off next visit. read more

Taste Tea - Menu - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Boba quality 10/10. Flavor great. I wish my blended taro milk tea was blended a little more because it still had some ice in it. Pickled mango tea was so yummy! Super fast service. read more

Taste Tea - blended taro milk tea and pickled mango tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The most delicious boba and the customer service was amazing! My son dropped his drink, spilling half of its contents and cracking the cup. I came back in to see if they could just give me a new cup with the remainder of what was left and they made him a brand new one without me even asking. The owner was so kind. I ordered the Taro 2.0 and the flavor was on point! read more

Taste Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

Taste Tea every weekend? Yeah, you can call me a fan of them. What I like about Taste Tea is the flavor of their milk teas and the options they have available. I probably don't need more sugar, but ice cream in your MT tastes even better. This location is also good because of the parking from the shopping center. Service is also pretty fast and friendly. They also recently added a brown sugar boba MT. I only wish they would add an ube one! Then it'd be even more awesome! They used to have a shave ice bar, but they don't really have it any more. read more

Honestly... this is my girls go-to spot for milk tea with boba (brown sugar and taro). * The employees are courteous and efficient... which honestly is the reason we come here vs other boba places. * Their prices are really reasonable-which is rare to come across since boba shop locations have blown up. + they have a rewards program... awesome for frequent boba fans like our fam. * The location is super convenient, next to J. Hara in the Kaimuki Shopping Center, entrance on Waialae Avenue. We will continue to be regulars and hope that this shop is here to stay. read more

One of my favorite boba spots on the island!! I appreciate the affordable and reasonable prices, quick service and perfectly chewy boba! Lychee is also on point. read more

I went there a long time ago and it was fine. Went there a couple of months ago and they didn't have any of the flavors I wanted. Went today and ordered a large blended Coconut/Taro smoothie(wiht boba). I was informed that they dont mix flavors to which I replied Huh? I have had that same order there in the past. I paused for a second to give the girl a moment to process it, but only got a blank stare till I said " Okay then...never mind then" and left. Guess I did not comply with their flavor rules...sheesh SMH I have made these at home and the process is very simple, put some water, ice and flavored powder in a blender and abracadabra! delicious treat. Not sure how putting two different flavors in the blender could be a problem. Come on people, are we trying to lose customers? We can buy the ingredients on Amazon and easily make this at home for a lot less money. Work with us here! Just sayin read more

When I want to show a little love to my friends and family during stay at home, I drop by Taste Tea to get them a sweet treat and bring boba into their life! Nothing can stop ABGs from getting their boba fix. It's always a quick and easy experience at this place. You can call in your order or come in person. It's never too busy and enough space for people to social distance as they await their orders. Get the stamp card, when you're buying for many people it's easy to wrack up your next free boba! read more

Taste Tea - Classic milk tea, honeydew milk tea blended, and black tea with no milk. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So enjoyed my visit with server Nathan. Very knowledgeable about what shop had to offer and the drinks were spot on delicious. Kudos to Taste Tea! Oops, this review is for the Waipahu location. read more

Taste tea is one of the most consistent boba places on the island! But even more impressive than their drinks, are their staff. A couple months ago I had just picked up some drinks and exited the store when they slipped out of my arm! The drinks shattered on the ground so I began picking up the broken cup pieces outside. Little did I know, the staff were inside re-making my drinks! They brought them out to me (add ons and all) and told me not to worry about cleaning up the mess. I tried to go back in and pay them for the new drinks, but they insisted I take them without paying. I was so impressed with their customer service, (especially during covid when I'm sure they were hurting) that I will continue to chose taste tea over other boba places. read more

Taste Tea yummylicious boba drink! Brown Sugar Milk tea is a thumbs up for me. There located next to Scared Heart school. read more

Taste Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Does its job when you need a boba fix. I do like that they offer you a taste before hand in case you want it sweeter/less sweet. I haven't tried many flavors since I'm not a fan of sweet drinks. I know you can customize it but so many the flavors just seem sweet. I'm basic and get unsweetened tea or the cold brew coffee with boba. The boba is always on point here, which I appreciate. I've also done work here a few times. I love that they have outlets so if you need to get a paper done or some reports, you can plug in your laptop and go for it. They also have a bathroom which is nice. Its a little grungy in there though; just forewarning you. After school hours can be a pain. It's loud and crowded. Bring headphones. Otherwise this place is decent. read more

The drinks were good, however, we didn't care of the customer service. My friend mistakenly picked the shave ice thinking it was a drink so when she changed her mind, one of the girls working looked really irritated. We hadn't paid yet and hadn't started making the shaved ice so the looks and "so you didn't want the shave ice" in a snappy tone wasn't necessary. read more

So yummy!!!!! I love love boba and I've tried quite a few. The pickled mango with lychee jelly was AMAZING. Such an amazing flavor that I really don't think I've found in boba before. The taro smoothie was also so delicious. We got each drink at 70% and 50% sweetness and could've gone lower honestly they were pretty sweet! read more

Very nice boba shop! The classic milk tea and the almond joy tea were delicious and the guys behind the counter were super fast and kind!

Love coming here for my boba cravings. They make it to order and are able to cut the sugar down to a level you'd like! The boba is chewy and fresh, not soggy. They have good customer service and enjoy coming here! read more

Cute place. Quiet. Nice staff. Delicious drinks. I was lazy ordering juice. But enjoyed it completely! read more

See all

So delicious! Mango Snow Ice with Boba and frozen mango SO delicious!!!! Why aren't you here yet???? Great friendly service !!! read more

Taste Tea - Mango Snow Ice with Boba and frozen mango !!! So freakin' delicious!!! Highly recommended great service!!! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This Taste tea is located on the street side of the building that the kaimuki Longs and Times are in. It's a bit awkward to park in the lot and walk all the way around the building to the entrance, but I guess that's why they cater mostly to students from sacred hearts and St. Louis. The menu board is nicely drawn. It's also a bit confusing. Apparently, the menu offerings are the same as the ala Moana location. They offer those powdered milk teas with boba. I think these are cheaper than teapresso, but I think it tastes too powdery and artificial. Will I be back? Probably not. I like going across the street more for real tasting ingredients and easier parking. Also, there was the whole 2014 incident: http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/hawaiinewsnow/pm_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=od:EbSvW5pv I mean, I pay my taxes, I think others should,too... read more

Tried a bunch of tea places and I think this is my favorite. They have a lot of flavors and feature special ones too. Also a lot and add ons. The price is about you would pay at other places. The Kaimuki one is super convenient with tons of parking. read more

Taste Tea - Strawberry chocolate milk tea with pudding add on. Lilikoi cheese cake - you have to try this! - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Customer service wasn't great but it wasn't bad, pretty decent. The store looked pretty clean and roomy, the painting on the wall was really cool. I've been to taste tea in Kapiolani, but never at this location. My mistake in not sampling my drink, but I thought it would taste the same as other Taste Tea's I've been at because they've always tasted the same. I ordered a winter melon milk tea with big boba and lychee jelly, and I got it extra sweet. EXTRA SWEET, but my drink tasted so watered down. My boyfriend also go a taro milk tea with big boba, and it came out as an unusual color. It came out looking like a dark purple, and didn't really taste like taro. The boba was also really mushy like. First and last time coming here, which is disappointing because it's so close to my university. read more

Taste Tea - Tasted watered down - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Employees are always very nice and helpful. This store is cute and cozy, good for a quick sit and chat. They serve local snack drinks. I recommend boba with any drink to add a nice chewy texture. read more

Taste Tea - New mural and seating area - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Still open during this whole CoronaVirus shutdown! Today I picked up a brown sugar milk tea with boba, it was delicious! This is my go to drink of choice. I get it with regular sweetness and it's pretty sweet. Be sure to pick up a tea and send them some local business. read more

Taste Tea - Brown Sugar Milk Tea with Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii