Asha Tea House

Stopped by to grab a drink and was pleasantly surprised. The milk tea was really good, and the drinks came out fairly quickly. I ordered a matcha milk tea with boba, and the flavors were nicely balanced. The matcha wasn’t too bitter, and the boba had a great chewy texture. I also picked up a croissant, and it was surprisingly good. Light, flaky, and a nice little treat to go with the drink. It was an easy and enjoyable stop, and I’d definitely come back to try more items on the menu next time.

This tea house is supported by the sale of bubble tea and other tea-family sweet drinks served in plastic disposable cups and straws. The space is cool, but the vibe is ruined by poorly amp'd junk music that is more sound graffiti than music. They would be better off with ambient sounds or no music at all. But invest is speakers first. I know a thing or two about tea, so I wanted to enjoy some properly brewed Chinese tea while in Downtown Berkeley. I opted for Da Hong Pao (Great Red Robe), a generally wonderful tea from Fujian. I watched the staff brew it in a small pot; after steeping, they served it to me in 8 oz ceramic cup. Serving chinese tea to westerners in a way that works in can be hard. I prefer gongfu places where I can brew myself and get multiple steeps. Or places devoted only to tea and not tea infused drinks. That said, it wasn't a bad brew. But one doesn't get to linger over the tea, or enjoy the other aspects associated with traditional tea culture here. I won't come back unless it's empty, the music is off, or something else changes. If you want a fruit, milk or bubble tea, I would recommend. Head to Blue Willow, Far Leaves, or Teance if you want to drink actual tea. They could certainly do it here, but they can't do both starbucks-style tea and fine tea at the same time. It's a shame.

Nice tea house at Berkeley. They have another location at SF. We stopped by after lunch. Looks like it is a good place to study or work as I see many customers working on the laptop. I heard this tea house is pretty famous. it has nice interior and high ceiling. They also have one popup store inside when we visit. There are plenty of teas and match varieties. They also sell the match powder, tea leaf and Hojicha powder . They also have imperial Matcha powder. We ordered just cold matcha and it was good. it was not that strong. We will stop by next time to try other tea.

Had an absolutely delicious ginger Asian pear tea. Perfectly sweet and warm for a cold day. Would absolutely order again. Customer service also wonderful. One star removed due to price ($8.25 for a single small tea) and cup (leaky and had one of those awful clear plastic lids from a gas station)

Tried a few drinks and the matcha soft serve. The tea tastes fine but is overpriced. Matcha latte is powdery. The soft serve comes in a smallish cup and is not worth the price of $7. The aesthetics of the location is great and employees are nice.