On a warm Saturday afternoon, Cupertino Main Street bustles with people coming in and out of shops and restaurants. As cars wander around the parking lot, many visitors eventually find their way next to HEYTEA, where a flock of people enjoy their drinks in the modern outdoor seating area.
Founded in 2012, HEYTEA is a popular Chinese tea and beverage chain that has over 4,300 locations in over 300 cities worldwide. Over the past year, HEYTEA has opened multiple stores in the Bay Area, with Cupertino’s having its grand opening on Aug. 1. Other Bay Area locations include Sunnyvale and San Jose.
HEYTEA is famous for its fruit drinks and cheese teas. Personally, I was most excited to try the drinks with their signature cheese foam.
When I walked into the store, I was immediately greeted by the pleasant smell of tea leaves. The inside was packed and had little seating
After I placed my order of four drinks, the wait time was about 30 minutes, which was surprising considering the fact that there were more than eight employees working.
Cloud Matcha Latte
The first drink I tried was the Cloud Matcha Latte, which had cheese foam on top. The matcha was noticeably creamier than other stores, but was also a bit fainter.
The cheese foam wasn’t as intense as I imagined: It was saltier than it was sweet. Individually, the cheese foam and matcha tasted good, but together they didn’t complement each other.
Overall, I liked the matcha, but I would recommend a matcha drink with another foam such as milk foam or matcha foam.
Rating: 3.75/5 Falcons
Mango Grapefruit Boom
My next drink was the Mango Grapefruit Boom, which consisted of mango, coconut milk, green tea, sago and grapefruit pulp.
I couldn’t really taste the green tea in the drink, but it was still very cold and refreshing. I liked how the drink was made with coconut milk instead of regular milk or cream — it would be too heavy otherwise.
The fruit was fresh and the sago added texture to the drink. However, the flavor was the least interesting out of all four beverages because it was a drink concept I’ve seen at other boba places.
Rating: 4/5 Falcons
Kale Boost Tea
The third drink I tried was the Kale Boost Tea, which supposedly makes you feel full for a longer time after drinking it. It’s made from kale, grape juice, lemon juice and green tea, along with chia seeds for fiber and antioxidants.
When I first tried the tea, I was surprised by how fruity it was. In fact, I couldn’t taste any kale flavor. Even though I ordered the drink with less sugar, it was still quite sweet for my taste. Despite its surprising quality, the overall taste was not worth $8.
Sure, I could see how the expanding chia seeds could be filling, but they didn’t leave me feeling very satisfied.
I’m sure the drink has other health benefits, but the amount of sugar probably took away from them. I don’t see the point of going to a boba tea store just to get a mystery drink that just tastes like a combination of random fruit juices.
Rating: 2/5 Falcons
Supreme Brown Sugar Bobo Milk Tea
The final drink I tried was the Supreme Brown Sugar Bobo Milk Tea, which also had cheese foam.
I decided to get this drink so that I could fairly compare the quality of HEYTEA’s ingredients with other stores. I also wanted to see how the cheese foam would work with different drinks.
Even though I only ordered this drink to be a reference, it turned out to be my favorite. The tapioca pearls were the perfect texture — not too chewy and not too firm.
Like the other drinks, the drink also had a lot of cream, which made milk tea from other boba places seem more watery in comparison. The tea flavor wasn’t especially strong, but from its delicate flavor, I could tell that it was brewed from high-quality tea leaves.
As the brown sugar milk tea flavor was less complex than the matcha, I actually liked the cheese foam more on this drink than the first one. The flavors complemented each other well, and the cheese foam added more dimension to the simpler brown sugar flavor.
Rating: 4.5/5 Falcons
Overall, HEYTEA shines with its convenient store location. I would not recommend getting the Kale Boost Tea because you can make a healthier version at home for less money.
HEYTEA should definitely not be part of anyone’s daily or even weekly routine because of how indulgently priced the drinks are. While the tea it uses is higher quality than other stores, the prices are pretty steep at about $8 per drink.
I would recommend ordering the Brown Sugar Bobo to try the cheese foam, but other than that, the rest of the drinks are not mindblowing. In my opinion, despite having some standout drinks, the store’s popularity stems from its recent opening and likely won’t last forever.
