i-Tea

Busy, quality tea drinks and happy hours throughout the week.
Only complain is the price, average $ 4.50/drink.

Avoid this place at all costs during happy hour on the weekends.
I love their honey brown rice milk tea, 25% sweet and less ice – this drink never disappoints and always hits the spot. It’s pricey at $ 4.25, and they took it off the happy hour list, but maybe that’s better because I can go when it’s not busy.
However, their popcorn chicken sucks. It’s dry and expensive.

Ode to iTea. A love this strong can only be expressed in a lyrical song.
Ok – call me crazy, but you other iTea lovers know what I’m talking about. Solid boba spot near home? Good drinks, good food, and *gasp, happy hour? Sign me up buttercup.
Favorites include: Panda milk tea (with grass jelly instead of Boba — their grass jelly is so good), Chrysanthemum tea, and when I’m feeling fancy, Mango Crystal. The popcorn chicken actually tastes like chicken (I mean, if you’re comparing it to other boba spots with popcorn chicken). It also comes with huge cloves of garlic which gives it a nice kick.
Pretty much, this is the only boba spot I’d wait out the door for and that’s saying a lot.

(A REALLY late review that should have been posted a long time ago, meaning I had it drafted. oops! Don’t let the amount of check-​ins I have fool you. I forget to check in sometimes haha)
After a couple of visits, I think it’s about time for me to review this boba shop. Simply put, it’s amazing.
100% isn’t too sweet and makes me stray away from letting myself indulge in who knows how much fructose other boba shops put in. Every drink I’ve tried was a good experience and the tea, let me tell you, THE TEAAAA. Oh my god I could drink it all day. It’s like their tea is brewed to perfection.
iTea is my favorite boba shop in the area. You’re taking too much of my money, iTea, stop it hahaha
This review will definitely be updated!

Over 80 drinks for me to choose from, so many choices, so many flavors. I could feel the deliciousness all over my nostril before entering. Drinks are tasty food are yummy. I-​Tea makes the most amazing popcorn chicken you’ll ever put in your mouth. It’s located at a great spot with easy parking. I-​Tea offers free wifi. For people who come here often, they also offer loyalty cards. The five stars is especially for the extremely welcoming cashier at the register. Slim, petite lady with glasses and a ponytail. Politely answering all the questions I have with the warmest smile like she’s painting a ray of sunshine all over her face.
I am probably going to come here at least 4 times a week, no kidding. Pretty impatient to wait in line during happy hour but I am more than willing to pay full price for these delicious drinks and snacks. Great customer service, extremely clean, acceptable choice of music, most importantly, great drinks and food. Hands down the best boba in Castro Valley/​Hayward, one of the best in the bay.
Highly recommend B6 Matcha Milk Tea with matcha pudding and red beans, H1 Matcha Smoothie with red beans, Matcha Smoothie without red bean, and Mango Frosty.
TL;DR: I think it’s great, therefore it’s great.

Itea is one of my favorite boba places in the bay. The drinks have definitely improved since it opened. The boba is always fresh and the texture is always on point.
My personal favorites are the mango sago, green tea creama with agar boba, and the black tea Oreo creamy.
They offer a variety of snacks like popcorn chicken, takoyaki, tea eggs and even ramen.
The place is clean and the workers are nice. I definitely recommend this place to any one who loves boba or wants a place to just chill and relax with their friends.

It’s dangerous having all these bubble tea shops opening in Castro Valley — seriously addictive stuff!
I can’t count how many times I’ve been here since it opened a mere couple of months ago. And I know I’m not alone. Especially during happy hour when all of Castro Valley seems to descend on this tiny spot behind the Wells Fargo bank on Redwood Road.
I would think it funny that the service team has a little powwow the minute before happy hour begins — except I’m actually the first in line of a legion of thirsty bubble tea fanatics that’s now 14-​person deep.
Ok, enough rhetoric — here’s the happy hour deal:
$ 3.50 snacks, $ 2.95 bubble tea drinks
We’ve tried:
*** popcorn chicken
*** tofu cake
*** curry fish balls
** takoyaki
* curly fries
* grilled sausage
The snacks are mostly fried, and heavy on the garlic and sauce — so be prepared.
For drinks — I’m constantly trying different drinks, so whatever suits your taste that day. My go-​to ones are usually the Kreama series or the Passionfruit Ai-​yu.
Oh, and they also serve ramen, but not during happy hour. I’m sure there’s better ramen around, but if you just need a quick fix that’s nearby, it’s decent.
Best part — it’s open late! So I guess I’ll see you there with the rest of CV!

A coworker of mine recently told me of a new boba spot that opened up in Castro Valley and explained that they literally carry everyone’s specialty drinks, that they’re a one stop shop that has every other boba spot’s special drinks. Which I found to be pretty much true and they certainly has an extensive menu. I’ve been here a total of three times, but twice this week already.
I always order at least two drinks each time (to make my trek out to Castro Valley worth it: P), and my favorite is definitely the roasted rice milk tea with agar boba and chia seeds. I don’t think I’ve seen this combination elsewhere before but it sure is deliciously addictive. It almost taste like a cross of oolong tea and genmaicha. Their oolong milk tea is great as well, but it’s a bit odd that it comes with litchi jelly as the standard add in. The litchi over powers the tea taste. I ordered their crema oolong tea the previous time and while the tea was good, the crema was a bit on the sweet side which made the drink a but weird when drank together. I got my mom their ginger milk today and tried a sip and it delicious even though it’s not quite my type of drink. I’ve only been here early in the day, around 10 – 15 mins after they open so I’ve never experienced long lines.
Also every time I go there, there are always a handful of people that orders their ramen. I’m assuming that it must be good? Will definitely need to try that one of these day.
I love this place and am super happy that they opened here. It’s definitely a better location than the one in Oakland Chinatown in that it has a spacious area with lots of seatings and plenty of parking within the plaza lot.

Seems like there are a lot of milk tea places in CV now, but my wife likes this one the best. The drinks that we’ve had have all been good, there’s a good selection of drinks to choose from (something for everyone!), and the prices are reasonable, especially at night during the happy hour!
I love the drinks here as well, but only four stars as I can’t stand the line on a Friday or Saturday night. We’ve come here twice and left without getting out of the car as the line is super crazy out the door. Guess that’s a good indicator that the place is good, but with other options in CV, I’d rather not have to wait so long.

Who knew! I-​Tea is now in Castro Valley~ It’s a great hang out spot for family and friends! They have a huge chest with a variety of games and a very spacious seating area. My friend called me out here to catch up and boy, did time go by fast there! We stayed for over 2 hrs.
We arrived around 3 on a weekday with just a few people ahead of us in line. They had an assortment of drinks and snacks to choose from. We ordered the Mango Sago and their Takoyaki. Let me just say their Mango Sago was not what I expected! As advertised, «Not just a drink, it’s a dessert» It legit tasted like 楊枝甘露! Hands down, it was bomb dot com.
The time we were there, it gradually got busier and busier. The tables began to fill and the line was almost out the door! :o I noticed a few staffs coming out from the back with bowls of ramen! It looked really appetizing *drools* Must try that next time I come! I also heard that during Happy Hours, snacks are $ 3.50 and drinks for $ 2.50. I’ll for sure be coming back for this deal~

I had no idea there was an i-​Tea in Castro Valley. I noticed it when I was parking to go to Wells Fargo. I haven’t been to the one in San Francisco. Every time I have tried to go the one in Oakland I can NEVER find parking. I-​tea in Milpitas is my favorite. I was here on a Monday around 2:30pm and I was the only customer. For some reason I always get the hokkaido because it taste like coffee. I believe they use the FiveStars program to earn points with free WiFi and happy hour from 8pm to 10pm. They also have a snack menu and ramen. The service was great because I was the only one there. I don’t know how it is when they are busy.

This i-​Tea is special compared to SF-​Irving Street and Oakland Chinatown locations because of a few good reasons.
1 — they have a good amount of seating available, which is good because it seems like everyone and their moms come here
2 — they have a food menu that appears to be expanding. Popcorn Chicken and other snacks are essential for milk tea shops in the suburbs, because where else are these asian families and teenagers going to hang out? They also have a TV that has been playing the Warriors games when available.
3 — Come after 8pm for their «Happy Hour» which has discounted the majority of their drinks to around 2.75ish and snacks to 3.50. This is a smart play in competing with the nearby T4.
About the drinks I’ve tried (Mostly the Milk Teas and Fruit Teas) they taste good and similar to other i-​Teas. The snacks were all very good and sizeable as well (Popcorn Chicken, Calamari, Rice Rolls). There’s ample amounts of parking because this plaza is kind of dead.
Personally I like i-​Tea options much more than T4, and this will be my go-​to for now. Whoever opened this location is smart because they read my mind and decided to open shop in an area that isn’t over-​saturated with milk tea places yet. This location is very close to San Leandro and Hayward, which is lacking in quality milk tea places.
Notes: Uses 5-​Star system here, no physical loyalty cards like the other locations. Also the trash can gets super full during HH.

It’s a love-​hate relationship: love for the blissful taste of decadent milk teas and well-​made toppings, hate for the additional dent in my wallet and that extra mile I try to run to ward off the sugar-​pounds. But still mostly love. obviously.
The lines can get super crazy, especially during happy hour when drinks (some exceptions) are $ 2.50 and snacks are $ 3.50. They charge an extra $ 1 for the morphing of cold drinks into hot, but are friendly towards no-​ice options instead. I like that there’s a decent-​sized seating area inside with complimentary wi-​fi, although seating can be impossible to find once school lets out or happy hour hits. and the noise level is phenomenal. Service is generally satisfactory and the drinks come out in quality time, but new staff seems to be trained daily, so some kinks are to be expected.
i-​Tea has become a new standard for me in the world of milk teas, and I’m especially a big fan of their quality teas and fruit drinks. I can taste the good quality loose-​leaf teas in their drinks, which is huge for me because I incessantly drink tea and my cabinet at home probably sports over twenty varieties. They offer great varieties, including oolong, alishan, tieguanyin, as well as the traditional jasmine and chrysanthemum florals. Their kreamas, unfortunately, still fall short of ShareTea’s version in my book, but that’s a personal preference because the version here tends to be much heavier and creamier, which isn’t (pardon the pun) my cup of tea. Snacks are decent, but I find them to be mediocre finger food every now and then instead of my go-​to.
Milk tea with grass jelly, 30% sweet and no ice:
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The tea used in this simple version of traditional milk tea is really, really good. It’s incredibly potent as well, which may be a little caffeinated for those who are sensitive to caffeine. I believe it’s a aromatic black tea, but the milk balances it out nicely, especially at 30% sugar. The grass jelly here is of the softer variety, which I prefer, although I wish it were a tad less sweet.
Honey brown rice milk tea with white agar pearls and chia seeds:
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This is another favorite of mine; the brown rice milk tea is reminiscent of the Japanese roasted tea with milk added in. I think the white agar pearls here rival those of Gong Cha, which is a first for me. Their texture takes a little getting used to because they’re a bit firmer and almost. crunchier. than regular pearls, but they go very well with this version of milk tea as the taste is milder. The chia seeds are also a nice touch, although they do tend to float at the top and so aren’t too prevalent until the end of the drink.
Mango sago:
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More dessert than drink, mango sago uses real champagne mango chunks interspersed between the mini tapioca pearls. Sugar and ice levels cannot be adjusted for this drink, which isn’t an issue because it’s not overly sweet and retains the temperature nicely because of the fruit. I fell in love with this drink when I first tried i-​Tea in Oakland, and it’s one I’ll continue to come back to.
Green tea with tofu pudding, 30% sugar and no ice:
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One of my favorite options at i-​Tea is their offering of tofu pudding as a topping. It’s phenomenal if you like the «tofu flower» dessert often offered at dim sum. The texture of the tofu pudding here is great; it’s softer than the grass jelly and retains all of its fragrant soy flavor, which pairs nicely with a lighter tea such as green tea. Another dessert in a cup.
Curry fish balls:
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I was pleasantly surprised by the curry fish balls here, as they were cooked well with nice texture. The curry taste isn’t that prevalent, so it may be a good option if you like lighter seasonings. I wasn’t blown away by this snack, but it was a nice filler between lunch and dinner.
Crispy calamari:
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I wasn’t a fan of the calamari here, although I appreciate that the snacks always come out piping hot. The calamari comes in a rather small portion size for the price, its breading wasn’t uniform, and the oiliness made me stop eating halfway through.
Popcorn chicken:
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A crowd favorite, I like that the popcorn chicken isn’t overly breaded or overfried. There are also fried basil leaves and garlic thrown in, which are nice touches. It’s a decent snack to pair with milk tea.

Finally! A boba place in Castro Valley that I can thoroughly enjoy without trekking all the way to Oakland or Fremont. I really liked iTea in Milpitas, so I was very happy to hear that another iTea location opened much closer to me.
Bigger than the Milpitas location, it offers more seating and space to order and enjoy your drinks and snacks. Just like other iTea locations, they offer more than your standard milk tea with pearls. Be prepared to feel overwhelmed by their menu – the combinations are endless. You can pick from a milk tea, to a fruit tea, to iced milk, and more. For toppings they offer grass jelly, ai yu, various other types of jellies, red bean, taro, etc.
My boyfriend ordered an Ovaltine iced milk for himself, and I had the 3G milk tea (boba, grass jelly, pudding). Both were delicious. The pearls were nicely chewy. My only gripe is that the drinks were a tad too sweet for me. Even at 50% sweetness, I thought they had mistakenly given me a drink with 100% sweetness. But no worries, that means I can just ask for 30% or 0% next time I’m back!
If you don’t feel like getting a drink, you should check out their snack menu. I’ve heard their basil popcorn chicken is quite delicious.

I love itea, its my favorite boba place. Imagine how excited I was to hear it opening so close to me!!!
The location is ideal with plenty of parking & it’s quite spacious and clean inside! The staff are very friendly and always smiling!
My favorite drink is the high mountain oolong milk tea with tofu pudding… Although sometimes, they don’t know what I’m talking about. Hehe.
Also: they should really think about bringing drinks to the table using a tray instead of wasting so many bag.

I’m impressed that there’s a legit place (and in CV) that doesn’t serve watered down, sugary drinks that a lot of boba shops are doing.
I tried a few things:
–Ginger milk: super spicy!
–Longan/​red date tea: Even with 50% sugar, it was still a little bit too much so I’d go with 30% or less.
–Fresh taro milk: I hate it when taro is so obnoxiously purple but regardless, this drink tasted good and had fresh taro chunks in it. The boba had the right sweetness and consistency as well.
Most of the drinks were $ 2.50 because of happy hour. What a steal!

Very impressed with i-​Tea and excited to have a solid boba shop close to home.
When I heard about their grand opening and $ 2 drink promotion, I set a reminder on my phone and made it a point to go (Is that doing too much for boba?). I came on Saturday night and was immediately greeted. Everyone I’ve encountered here was very friendly. I was surprised but happy that there was no line and no crowd.
During my first visit, my boyfriend and I got:
— Matcha milk tea with boba and matcha pudding: Solid choice. 50% sweetness was just right and their boba was perfectly chewy. I’ve never had pudding in my drink but I enjoyed it. The drink was not powdery at all.
— Honey brown rice milk tea with agar boba and chia seeds: This will definitely be one of my go-​to drinks here. I’ve always thought of chia seeds as mini bobas, but have never had it in milk tea. This was my first time having agar boba (aka white boba as it’s called elsewhere) and I think I like it better than tapioca boba. It has more of a crunchy/​jelly like texture and if it has fewer calories like I’ve heard then that’s a definite plus. The chia seeds and agar boba complemented each other. The balance of tea and milk was perfect. This was my boyfriend’s drink and I nearly finished it for him (oops).
I liked i-​Tea so much I came back the following day. Doing too much? I don’t know, but I wanted to sample more drinks at the $ 2 price tag. I will say that I wouldn’t hesitate to pay full price for their drinks! My boyfriend and I shared:
— Panda milk tea: It’s milk tea with agar and tapioca boba. I was impressed with their standard milk tea and couldn’t stop drinking. I would get all agar boba next time.
— Roasted oolong milk tea: Not my favorite as I didn’t like the tea flavor as much.
Other notes:
— During my first visit, they didn’t charge tax because it was considered a to-​go drink but the next time the girl charged tax even though they packed the drinks in a bag to-​go. Not sure how consistent that is.
— The interior is cute and clean so I can see why i-​Tea would be a good place to hangout with friends.
— I like that some drinks have pre-​selected topping combinations for one price. You can also substitute toppings to your liking!
Their five star system wasn’t active during their $ 2 drink promotion, but I have a feeling I’ll be racking up my five star points here. Definitely a fan!

Very excited to see Castro Valley getting more boba love, and i-​Tea is a great quality boba place! Higher than average.
We came for the grand opening, which had drinks at a discounted price, but I would gladly pay full price for these drinks.
We tried the fresh taro milk tea with tapioca and mango jelly with 30% sweetness and no ice. We thought the 30% sweetness was the perfect amount. Maybe you could even go with 0% and still be happy. The drinks were still cold with no ice, which was awesome.
We loved the flavor of our milk teas — you could taste every ingredient. The tea flavor was in the background, which I prefer instead of in your face. The texture of the fresh taro was a winner for sure, not gritty at all. I even thought the tapioca was good quality, and I don’t usually like tapioca very much.
I wish I had noticed that they have agar boba here, I love that stuff. Can’t wait to try the crema drinks as well. So happy that i-​Tea is in CV!
PS:
Fivestar reward system used here.
Happy hour is 8 – 10 PM, all drinks $ 2.50 (except H&K menu items), all snacks $ 3.50.

I was so excited when I knew that I-​tea is going to open in castro valley because I love their drinks, so after knowing that they opened I had to drop by!
Luckily line was not to long when I dropped by, but the wait for the drinks was a bit long. Since it was their grand opening, they have a special drink menu that all drinks on it were $ 2. That’s totally a steal considering the regular price ranges from $ 3-​$ 5.
I-​tea has to be one of my favorite bubble tea places. They are not skimpy on the toppings (while some places are), and you get to pick the ice level and sweetness. I like their egg pudding and the mango drinks (on the regular menu). This I-​tea also serves snacks. I got to try their popcorn chicken which was pretty good.
Can’t wait to come back when they serve their regular menu!

YAY for another boba shop in Castro Valley, 3^rd one! The place looks beautiful and there’s a fairly big menu available, food will be sold later on (with 5star check in for free drinks too). From ¹⁄₁₆ to ¹⁄₁₈ all drinks on the selected menu is only $ 2 with no limit on how many you can get. The place itself is very bright, open (good sitting area) and decorated with a cute Taipei 101 drawing in the back. Since it’s opening day, there were so many congratulatory flowers all over the store (and a roasted pig in the back, yum!!)!
There are a lot of people behind the counter and service goes pretty fast even with a long line. They had a bit of an organized messy way of arranging orders and drinks; even large orders of 8+ drinks went out fairly quickly. I’m pretty sure the mass order of drinks will only be for the special price and maybe occasions. There was a bit of confusion from time to time about orders and how to work the cash register, but I’d give them a bit to get use the rush before saying anything. What I’m super excited to see is a drink shaker behind the counter, will definitely have perfectly well shaken drinks if ever ordered!
Since the line was out the door and pretty much turned the little corner, it took us about 50 minutes to be in line, order and get out (not bad for the amount of people and orders there were). I always have to try the house milk tea and boba for every new place I go to. This has certain matched my standards and the size of the cups are huge too! There are options to choose the sweetness and ice level, even a 110% extra sweet one too (110% was woah, definitely perfect for someone who has a sweet tooth). The boba has a good chew and sweet flavor to it. I cannot be happier with my drink.
Final thoughts: BOBA FOR DAYS! Even when the prices go back to the normal menu price, you’d find me here getting my weekly fix of boba :)