i-Tea

I was worried that the drinks would take forever and that the service would be nonexistent. I’m so glad that I was wrong! I was visiting a friend today and she’s been wanting to try the tea here. I’ve been to the South Bay one and I almost feel like this one is better.
Even though they’re swamped with customers in the middle of the day, they take the time to answer all of your questions and make sure that your order is correct. And while we were busy catching up, they brought our drinks over to us– straws in hand. I know, it’s just boba. But it’s a delicious, cold drink and the service is amazing! I’ll be back if I’m ever in the area again!
I ordered the mango sago, which I love because it’s delicious and the size is really generous. It’s much more of a dessert than a drink, so just keep that in mind if you don’t want something super sweet. Also, they are a very busy business so they may be sold out of things. Maybe not have your heart set on anything too firmly. But it’s not a bad thing since they have good drinks. I wish we made it to happy hour though– $ 2.95 only! Thank god I don’t work near here anymore lol

Been here twice and it’s already become my favourite bubble tea shop. The bubble tea is cheap, tasty, and the ability to adjust the amount of sugar and ice you get in your drink is always welcome.
Monday-​Thursday 5−9pm and Saturday all day is happy hour. Most of their menu is sold to you at $ 3 at this time. Awesome!
My preference is to get milk tea. Fortunately for me, most of their milk tea selection already comes with tapioca. This means there’s no need to spend an extra 50 cents on tapioca! $ 3 for ~750ml bubble tea is amazing.
Both times I’ve gotten the earl grey milk tea, which was very very tasty. The tapioca is chewy and sweet. Unfortunately, I would like if they added more tapioca in the drink, but it’s a very minor issue.
Great bubble tea for low prices. 5 stars!

right in the middle of financial district sits a Taiwanese Bubble drinks little shop on Kearny and Bush.
prices are between $ 3.50.
many varieties to choose from.
they do happy hours with $ 2.50 off each drinks.
good place to stop by when you’re in around Financial District or Chinatown.

We went on a weekday during winter break around lunch time. There was about 5 or 6 people in line ahead of us. The line goes by pretty fast and it gives you time to choose a drink if it’s your first time there. If you have trouble choosing a drink (I was struggling) they have a list of their most popular drinks on the back of their paper menu.
I was most excited to try their tofu (doufufa in Cantonese) and red bean drink since I’ve never heard of putting tofu in a drink. The tofu was soft and silky while the red bean had more texture which gave you something to chew on. The red bean was pretty sweet so keep that in mind when choosing what percentage sweetness you want in the drink. It definitely was special but I am a boba lover… The texture of the red bean was not enough to satisfy my craving for yummy chewy boba.
My boyfriend got the 3G milk tea which consists of boba, grass jelly and egg pudding. They actually forgot to put the grass jelly and egg pudding in his drink so we had to go back. They made him a brand new drink right away.
Overall, I feel that everyone would be able to find something they liked here because of the large variety of drinks they offer.

I’ve only been here once, but I’m already hooked. This is the best bubble tea I’ve ever had, hands-​down. Their ingredients taste fresh, and the bubble tea is a perfect creamy-​ish consistency that I like. You can also customize it however you want with toppings, ice level, and sugar (pretty standard across bbt shops).
I’ve also tried their curly fries snack was a delicious guilty pleasure. The only thing I don’t like is that they’re closed on Sundays. :(

I wanted to ballz in my mouth!
Tapioca balls that is. I’ve never been to an iTea, so I figured I’d check it out. I got here Wednesday, January 6^th around 2:45pm. I got my tea about 15 mins later.
C5 Earl grey milk tea: boba ($ 3.95), add Grass jelly (+$ 0.50), Coffee jelly (+$ 0.50)
I got it 30% sweet which was perfect for me. I’ve never been to a tea place where I had to choose the ice level. I asked what was normal and the cashier said 80%. Since it was so cold, I decided to get 50% ice instead. I actually preferred this as there wasn’t any ice left when I finished the tea, so it was easy to finish all the toppings.
The toppings were good. The boba soft and chewy. The grass jelly light and silky. The coffee jelly dense and firm. I asked if I could get my tea with less creamer, but unfortunately, the tea is pre-​mixed, so they couldn’t give me less cream. I found myself wishing my tea wasn’t as milky, so I could taste the tea flavor more.
Remember to get the loyalty card. Buy 9, get one free.

One of my co-​workers is alwaaaayyysssssssss raving about this place so I decided to try it on my lunch. I went in at about 6:20pm and there was a short line.
Its pretty small inside, but its nice. I had originally ordered chocolate-​hazelnut milk tea but the cashier had misheard me and gave me hazelnut milk tea with pudding. The milk tea alone was super tasty!!! However i wasnt i fan of the pudding. I had never tried it before so it was pretty weird. It tasted good but i didnt like that it felt like you were swallowing a slug!(lol) But again the milk tea alone made up for it. Also it was happy hour so my drink was only $ 2.95 =)
I had originally came to try their popcorn chicken but they were all sold out):
But i went for the curly fries which were good! (you really cant mess those up) But was a bit pricey coming out to $ 5.50.
They have options to customize the sweetness and level of ice for your drink and have stamp cards! I really enjoyed the tea here and will definitely return.

Walk by I-​Tea frequently and there wasn’t a line at 5:45pm so I walked in. They did have happy hour specials. Most drinks are $ 2.95.
The woman helping me was very knowledgable and answered all my questions. With such a big menu, I didn’t know what to order and she made some recommendations.
I ordered the Taro milk tea with 30% sugar and 30% ice. It tasted good but I didn’t like the bits of taro floating around. And there was a huge chunk at the bottom. The reduced sugar and ice was perfect for me. Will stick to the 30% but will try another drink.

I was first introduced to boba tea by Chinese grad students at University of Michigan, as they often reminisce about a boba stand close to Peking Uni. I-​tea really took this Taiwanese invention to the next level. Two of the most common complaints concerning boba tea are dilution with too much ice and the tea being too sugary and powdery. I-​tea can address both complaints by allowing you to adjust the amount of ice and sugar. In addition to the typical dark tapioca balls, grass jelly, lychee jelly, or pudding can be added as the chewy component. My strawberry tea even came with fresh cubes of strawberries. How can you not love sweet refreshing tea accentuated with chewy cute tapioca balls that you suck up using a giant straw?

Get the tofuhua drink here! It is milk tea with slightly sweet soft tofu and red bean. I’ve never had it before but I loved the texture of the tofu and it was super good with just 50% sugar. We came during happy hour and it was only $ 3.
There’s some clean seating inside and the service is really friendly. There’s tons of other unique teas and toppings. This will be my go to place for boba in the area!

Thank the boba gods i-​Tea has set up shop near Financial District! I’ll be completely content if i-​Tea is as good as it’s going to get around SF. It may not beat a place like gong cha or ten ren in freshness, but it most certainly reigns supreme (in my taste buds) for milk tea shoppes in the one mile radius (with the possible exception of Boba Guys which I am too lazy to walk to).
A large size comes standard and with their $ 2.95 happy hour specials that conveniently start right when everyone gets off of work, how is i-​Tea not flooding with stampedes of boba lovers?
5 stars for SF boba.

I am so glad i-​Tea opened its doors in the Financial District. I work very close to i-​Tea and its become one of my favorite bubble tea places. They have a large variety of drinks with various toppings, and the best thing about this place is that you can customize the sweetness level and ice level. I usually go with around 50%-80% sweet depending on my mood, and 30% ice. My favorite drink here so far has been the panda milk tea. The combination of the texture of agar jelly and tapioca is amazing! I’ve also noticed that their drinks have a high concentration of tea in it, which is great for that caffeine boost. The tea also tastes like it’s high-​quality and you don’t find that in many bubble tea places.
They have happy hour every Monday-​Thursday, 5 – 9 pm, and all-​day Saturday. All drinks during that time is $ 2.95 except for the H-​series. They also have a $ 5 credit card minimum so plan accordingly. If you’re unsure about what to get, they have a list of their most popular drinks on the counter. Also, be sure to get a stamp card!

Finally got to try this place, I have been eyeing this place since it been open, super close by my office. When I told my boyfriend lets try this place, he was super excited cause he been waiting also. Great minds think alike ;)
Space is very small just like any place in fidi. I ordered their Jasmine Milk Tea with grass jelly and my boyfriend had the Roasted Oolong Kreama with Boba and Egg Pudding. We also ordered the Takoyaki and Curly Fries.
The Jasmine Milk tea was pretty good, very smooth, however I had better grass jelly at t4, so far no one has beat them with the grass jelly game. They didn’t have enough grass jelly, I guess jelly is really expensive these days LOL My boyfriend enjoyed it drink, it was smooth and just the right amount of sweetness. From 5−9PM ALL drinks are only $ 2.50! Super good deal :)
LOVED the Takoyaki and Curly Fries. Some of the best I have tasted for awhile and I am very particular with my fries. They were seasons well and had a creamy mayo drizzled on the top. Delicious, must order. I wanted to try their Popcorn Chicken, but they don’t have it yet :(I guess next time I’ll have to come back!

YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I-​Tea in the SF Fidi area! WHOO HOO!!!
I live near the i-​Tea in Oakland Chinatown and I have a hard time ordering from there due to my work schedule, hard to deal with parking and the loooong lines during the weekends.
i-​Tea is one of my favorite boba milk tea spots! I love their Panda Milk Tea because it has the regular black pearls AND white pearls! WHITE PEARLS!!! I’m also in love with their Kreama drinks! They are super good!
They let you customize the sweetness level AND ice level! That means more tea flavor and no chance of your drink being watered down by ANY ice! YESSSSSSSSSS!!!
They also have Happy Hour on Monday — Thursday, 5−9pm and all day Saturday! $ 2.95 per drink during happy hour, except for their H series drinks.
I tried giving them my stamp card from their Oakland location and got shot down. Since the store is a franchise, they do not stamp other location’s cards.
I highly recommend this boba milk tea spot! It’s my favorite in the SF FiDi area and I’m sure it’ll be yours too!

I got the fresh taro milk tea and it was delicious. I tasted real bits of taro! Yum! I got it with regular black boba but I think I would get it with agar boba. I haven’t seen this topping anywhere else and I really like the texture (a little harder than black boba)
You can choose your choice of % sugar and ice here. Come on a weekday, no line!!!
I have to try their kreama flavors next time.

Hands down the best authentic boba in town! I wish I tried this boba place first when I arrived in San Francisco so I could’ve had it every day until i left haha. Not joking!
I ordered from their milk tea menu (which their most popular for) and got the taro milk tea with honey boba while my fiancée tried their mango pudding milk tea. Can I say bomb dot com?!
I absolutely loved the chunks of taro with honey boba! I normally get a snow type of boba but this boba blew any boba drink I’ve ever had out of the water!
You can change the sweetness percentage and the amount of ice percentage as well. I got my taro milk tea at 100% because I’m a sugar addict whereas my fiancée got the mango pudding milk tea at 50% sweetness. The mango pudding milk tea had chunks of mango pudding which was a nice change from the honey boba I normally get. It wasn’t as sweet as I like it but my fiancée loved that he could taste more of the tea flavor.
I am seriously so sad that my current hometown doesn’t have anything even remotely close to this. We don’t even have fresh fruit so going back home boba hopeless… sucks lol. Seriously wish I was sipping on a boba right now as I sit in the airport terminal waiting for my flight.

Mmmmm I’m so glad and surprised that they opened iTea on Kearny lunch street! I just tried the iTea in Milpitas the week before this one opened and was in glee when I walked by it!
I had a pleasant experience in Milpitas with their Hokkaido milk tea with boba and pudding! It was delicious and their popcorn chicken was yummy! You get the option of sugar level and how much ice you want. I love when a boba tea shop offers that.
They don’t serve ramen like they do in Milpitas but snacks they do offer!
Narrow boba tea shop and few seating tables. Nonetheless, sweet to the boba, delightful soul!

TL;DR: Finally! It is here!
Back in the day (a few years ago) when I started working in the FiDi, there little to no milk tea places to go to. Since then boba places started to pop up — Plentea, Boba Guys, ShareTea, Asha Tea House. Now we have i-​Tea.
On my tour of San Francisco tea places, i-​Tea was my favorite. They had many good offerings ranging from your standard milk teas, followed by fruit teas and a drink that gets its own category — Mango Sago!
Unfortunately mangos are out of season right now so you will have to settle with the other 50 offerings. Their ordering system gives you the flexibility to choose your sugar and ice level which is always a good choice as everyone has their own taste preferences.
In my visit I settled on a Hokkaido Milk Tea which had a Carmel flavoring to it accompanied by Boba and egg pudding. This is perfect for those who have a sweet tooth or if you tone down the sweetness level. If you don’t know what to get, you can pick from their top 12 drinks on their menu.
They have just opened but there were no kinks that I could see. Their napkins and straws were stocked up, the service was friendly (they brought my drink out to me) and the interior was clean with a few places to sit.
The one bad thing about i-​Tea is that I am now tempted to get a drink everyday since it is only a block away.

Wow, yet another boba shop has opened up along Kearny… let’s see how many we can add, haha. As a tea and boba lover, I’m not complaining! i-​Tea is two doors down from Plentea. The shop is small with only two tables for seating, but most folks come in, grab their drinks, and walk around or head back to the office.
They could really use a bigger menu that’s located higher up on the wall. As I was walking into the shop, I saw a sandwich board outside with a list of their most popular drinks, so I thought I knew what I wanted to get, but then I saw the full menu on the left side of the wall. The problem was, some guy was standing in front of it while he was waiting for his drink, so I was swaying side to side as I was trying to read it. The back-​lit board above the register and kitchen only has photos of some of the drinks.
Anyhow, I managed to decide on the Roasted Oolong tea that comes with lychee jelly. What’s neat is that they have a few drinks that come with the toppings, like a milk tea with egg pudding. You can also choose your milk/​tea and add toppings. The drink I got was $ 3.95 with tax. They move pretty quickly in the kitchen, so I didn’t wait long for the drink. As I was waiting, I smelled some of the teas that they have in little boxes on the wall. Check it out and take a whiff if you’re curious about new teas you haven’t had before.
Verdict — pretty good drink. I could taste the tea, which is always a good sign for me. I like my teas stronger. They put in a lot of lychee jelly too. Don’t forget to ask for a stamp card too!

Service eight minutes after closing? No problem.
My friends and I were welcomed into i-​Tea with open arms despite closing time. Our employees educated us on their menu and told us that they had just recently opened a couple days ago. I like that you can choose the amount of sugar and ice you want in your tea drink. My friends loved their drinks and they vowed to come back here again!
I would usually give a place like this four stars, but their service alone sets them apart from other tea places in the City.