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    Tea So

    4.2 (105 reviews)

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    TEA SO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Tea So

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    Christina S.

    Tea So is a super cute little local spot. I drove by the small building many times not realizing what was inside, but I am so glad that we finally took time to stop by. The outside looks kind of like a house, but inside is a cozy cafe. They have fun art and flowers on the walls and cute tables tucked along the walls. The vibe I got is that it is a great spot for a cute date or chat over a milk tea and sweet treat. I ordered a regular milk tea with boba and an egg waffle. As a milk tea connoisseur, I must say I was impressed! The milk tea was nice and creamy with a good tea flavor and the boba was pleasantly chewy. It was a bit reminiscent of a HK style milk tea. The egg waffle was also good. It was crisp on the outside as it should be and tasted good! Overall it was a good experience and an excellent option for milk tea in CV.

    Inside
    Ruth O.

    I actually ordered the same thing this time, the mango sago. When I got my drink there was no sago. I went back in super confused, they apologized profusely and said they don't offer sago anymore and they just use crystal boba now and forgot to tell me. Not a huge deal but I think it would be useful to change the menu. The prices are very steep but the drinks are good. The fresh mango in the drink is good. They seem to be installing some Japanese claw machines. The service is very polite.

    Jaane F.

    We found a great place to hang out for egg puffs and non-caffeinated drinks. We got taro egg puffs, a fresh taro latte with no ice & no sugar, and purple rice as the topping. Both are absolutely amazing. The drink was made with fresh taro instead of powder. The egg puffs were crispy and flavorful! They also served other types of egg puffs. So we definitely will come back to try out other snacks. The staff is friendly too. They have their parking lot.

    Hours and menu
    Ellie M.

    I was in the area shopping around downtown Castro Valley and was craving a Thai tea. I pulled up Yelp and found this place within walking distance. I walked in and to my surprise it was empty. I was able to walk in and place my order quickly. The person taking my order was friendly and quickly made my drink. My drink was perfect, not too sweet, and my favorite extra boba. The inside of this establishment is aesthetically pleasing and very tidy! I definitely recommend if you're looking to grab a quick boba drink.

    First off, I just wanna say the customer service was AMAZING. Very patient workers who took good care to make my drinks. I ordered the brown sugar milk tea and it was really good. The flavor is different and unique to the location. The atmosphere was amazing with fun vending machines and very cute nails. WOULD come again.

    Sesame Egg Puffs
    Karrie L.

    I got the brown sugar boba milk tea. Boba is not comparable to the chain boba places maybe because they are constantly making boba. Their boba is not as chewy. Texture is more on the soft side. I would give 3 stars for a passing boba drink. BUT The egg puffs is the bomb! I tried the sesame flavor and the original flavor. Both tasted really good and crispy. I would give 5 stars to the egg puffs. There is outdoor as well as indoor seating which is a plus for ppl w dogs. There are some parking spaces in the back but not a lot.

    Classic Original Milk Tea and guava grapefruit tea
    Tiffany C.

    Been here a few times and have enjoyed the drinks. The first time I came, I tried the purple yam peach gum latte and quite honestly, I didn't care for the combo of ingredients and flavor. Thankfully I've been able to come back a couple more times since then. There is quite an extensive drink menu and unique. Their brown sugar milk teas and regular milk teas are different from most milk teas. There is a rich tea flavor and you can taste that the tea is fresh and authentic. Even my mom liked the milk tea, and she usually doesn't care for milk teas. I would say it's perfectly sweetened as well. The boba are different from what I've tried before. They seemed a bit oddly shaped and more chewy yet flavorful than other places...perhaps it's the way they prepare it since it sounds like they try to caramelize the boba I really loved their guava grapefruit tea! It's super refreshing and is seriously one of the best fruit drinks I've had. You can taste a generous amount of real bits of grapefruit it in. I felt like there was so much care and energy that went into the drink. It's the real deal and you can tell they definitely use quality tea, cane sugar and real fruit. It doesn't taste like the artificial cheap syrup flavors that some places use. A bit of a warning though... don't drink this in the evening unless you want to stay awake! I only drank maybe 1/5 of the drink but the tea was so strong that it kept me up until 4am! Only downside is that it's bit more pricey for the drinks here but considering that it's more authentic and quality ingredients, it makes sense it would cost more. The staff is very nice and helpful. I appears to be a family owned business, so it's nice supporting a small business like this. Parking is in the back lot but it's a little tight and small to get in and out of, so we like to park nearby instead on the street or in another nearby lot.

    Kiosk
    Ruk G.

    I didn't order food at this location. I used the kiosk to order since there was no counter person at the time. I ordered Thai tea boba one of the most popular items on the menu. After I finished paying, the lady at the front counter appeared and informed me that they just ran out of it. What a bummer!! She turned around and offered to substitute for other item. I asked for honey lemon tea which was higher price and I informed her that I would pay the difference. She insisted that she would make it with no extra cost. How generous she was. The ambiance is very family like cozy and relax. I will stop by again to try Thai tea which I missed my chance and other items. The desserts also looked very yummy. Not a through capture this time. Let's the pictures shows more.

    Strawberry Smoothie, Passionfruit Tea, Premium Oolong Milk Tea
    Sarah B.

    BOBA Addict Review- I really wanted to like this place as I like supporting local small businesses but honest truth this place was only okay. First of all theres no front parking i had to park at the bank next door. And second they didnt have any fruit toppings which i always love with my fresh tea. They didnt have any avocado shake either! but the indoor decor was verrry cute which is important to have. I also got their dessert/puff not sure what it was called but havent tried it yet. ORDER: Strawberry Smoothie with boba (hubby did kill it but the boba had a weird taste at the end of it) PassionTea with Lychee popping Olong Mik Tea (Boba - no weird taste at the end, Lychee Jelly, and Grass jelly). Will i b back? Maybe if i am in the area only....

    Shaved Honeydew Snow Ice $6.75
    Tu-Anh N.

    WHEN: Monday @3pm PARKING: All Free! If you can't find parking right in front (which we did) they have thier own parking lot in the back, where thier outdoor patio seating is. The last time I came here was right before the pandemic and it looks like they've relocated the place to look even nicer! We got our usual: SHAVED ICE - HONEYDEW - $6.75 2 Toppings of Choice: Lychee and Grass Jelly. This already will have some condensed milk as the default topping. This is SO refreshing and the sauces snow really is so soft. This can easily be shared with 1-2 others. I highly recommend giving this a try! I was happy that not only do they have outdoor seating (4 tables with umbrellas$, they even have a high chair available for toddlers. Inside there is room for about 3 parties. I'm really happy with the new shop makeover and glad the shaved snow is still the same: yummy and refreshing--especially since it was super hot out!

    Hand Crafted Brown Sugar Boba Milk
    D L.

    Great tea and service! Love the claw machines, we won a super cute teddy bear. Don't forget to look out for the small parking lot, if you blink, you might miss it, but it's very convenient. You can also park across the street if needed and there is street parking.

    Various pastries
    Lon H.

    This establishment is tucked away and if you're not paying attention, you may miss it like I did the first time. It has a parking lot in the back, but the entrance is not big. It's a quaint little house with front and back doors. This place may have "tea" in its name, but what's often overlooked and under appreciated are the hand made pastries. My wife makes similar pastries so I have an idea of how much effort it takes to make them. My favorite ones are the purple yam mochi and the salted egg yolk. If you're only here for tea, then you're missing out on what's truly unique about this place. Don't tell my wife, but I think this place makes better pastries (shhhhh...). The teas here aren't shabby either. I've always complained about milk tea places with weak teas. This place has very strong teas. They differentiate themselves by providing premium teas with a strong flavor. I got a premium oolong milk tea and the tea definitely shined through. Can't believe I forgot to add bobas. What a rookie mistake lol The owner Fiony told us that she just added a new fence to make the place stand out more. I like it - a cozy feeling. Love to support mom and pop shops like this. Certainly will be back!

    (Left to right): mango sago, Premium Oolong Milk Tea, Hand Crafted Brown Sugar Boba Milk
    Yeang-Shin P.

    Nice local boba store! We came by on a Sunday mid day and it wasn't too busy. There's plenty drink and snack options for everyone! I won't mind coming by here from time to time when I'm in the area. They also have outdoor sitting and their own parking lot.

    Mochi filled puff pastry.

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    Business owner information

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    Fiony L.

    Appreciated your detail review! thanks for all the nice pictures :)

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    Business owner information

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    Fiony L.

    Hello Howard, appreciated your detail feedbacks!

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    5 years ago

    Brown sugar premium oolong milk tea, durian mochi puff, match mochi puff. Drink and puffs were just ok. Overpriced puffs though.

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    Page 2 of 3

    Ask the Community - Tea So

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    San San Tea House - Please check out Rose Oolong brew tea with purple cloud foam Excellent drink and super nice staffs.  Highly recommend!!

    San San Tea House

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    We got the rose oolong tea to try and it was well made! Boba was quite fresh and chewy…read more The space is very quaint so they have a few tables and chairs for out side seating. Overall, the place is friendly and hits the spot for a boba run!

    My teen and I were craving some matcha on our way to get groceries and found this spot on Yelp ofc!…read moreSan san is located in the small shopping center off Williams, right before you get to the schools. Parking is a little weird and very limited but luckily for us, we found a spot on the side of the building. There were two young ladies working the store and the menu is basically posted everywhere. My daughter and I immediately gravitated to the banana matcha latte. We also saw they had yummy croissant pastries available, so we decided to give that a try. What we got: 1. 2 banana matcha lattes- 4/10 the matcha was okay but we tasted no banana to it besides the slices of banana. The pudding tasted like regular vanilla. Overall just not what we were anticipating. 2. Brown sugar boba milk? - 0/10 This was just milk with a bit of brown sugar syrup. (See pic) I actually dropped this off to my other daughter and she said she just couldn't drink it. 3. Strawberry croissant- 8/10 This was actually good. The strawberries with the jam and whipped cream were very good. Don't get me wrong, service was fine. They also had a few great items but the actual drinks were mid. I think the matcha needs to change or maybe making it more paste like could help boost the flavor. The brown sugar latte was just not it.

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    San San Tea House - San San Signature

    San San Signature

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    Pro Tip: This teaspoon offers samples by the register and you can ask for small samples of their…read morerecommendation before ordering. Everything is sweetened at 50% so you can gauge what you may like in your own drink. I've been coming to this teaspoon since they took over the Quickly that occupied this space. Let me say this was one of the best things to happen to this area. This particular teaspoon sets the standard high on efficiency and quality of their products. I can't remember ever saying my drink tasted wrong or took too long to make. The workers are always on top of their game. You can also save some time and order online through doordash. They're usually very quick with online orders. We usually get either the lychee on lychee, peach oolong or the guava sunset. As mentioned, their drinks lean on the sweeter side even at 50% so if you want something more light definitely opt for 25% sweetness and less ice. For fruitier drinks I usually opt for crystal boba but honey boba works too if you want a chewier texture. Overall can't wait to be back and highly recommend.

    Photos
    Teaspoon - Very good. Perfect for an afternoon hot beverage.

    Very good. Perfect for an afternoon hot beverage.

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    Black sugar assam

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