Susanna L.
Yelp
Asha Tea House was born from a love of tea first founded by engineers David and Diana Lau. This establishment's namesake "Asha" is Taiwanese for "someone that enjoys life", and the hope is that patrons of Asha Tea House will enjoy the flavorful drinks and be reminded of the little joys we have in our lives. Asha uses only high-quality whole leaf tea in crafting their specialty tea beverages. In addition to their tea beverages, patrons can also purchase a variety of whole tea leaves to take home and enjoy. In partnering with local artists as well, one can find plenty of Asha-branded and tea-themed merchandise as well as pottery.
Asha Tea House has two locations - one in Berkeley and one in San Francisco. The San Francisco location is near Union Square, which makes it a perfect pit stop for those already exploring the Union Square area. The store itself is on the smaller side, but does have a seating area for individuals looking to enjoy their tea treats in store. There's also a tea bar of sorts at the back where one can reserve time slots for tea tasting sessions in-house.
I was in the Union Square area and decided to pick up a couple drinks to enjoy. I went with their hojicha latte (hot), a classic Hong Kong milk tea with boba, and a Hong Kong coffee milk tea. The hojicha latte was not to sweet and well balanced with the earthy roasted hojicha working seamlessly with the smooth creamy dairy in the beverage. The Hong Kong milk tea was easily my favorite as a fan of the good ol classics, and you can really taste the difference in the quality of tea that Asha uses. Last but not least, the Hong Kong coffee milk tea. Personally I didn't sample this one as I'm not a huge coffee fan (sacrilegious I know, but what can you do); however, my friend who did try (and finish it) said it was a good blend of coffee and tea for those of you looking for a drink with a bit of an extra caffeine kick to it.
If you're a fan of high-quality tea, then Asha Tea House is definitely worth the visit (at either of their locations, whichever is more convenient for you)!