Healthy and Natural? – HNTea

Healthy and natural boba? Sign me up! If boba will ever be healthy for me, I’ll drink and eat it as much as I can (I jest….kind of).

I really wish I could go to HNTea more, because the drinks are really nice, and (they claim) the drinks are supposed to be on the healthier side. Unfortunately, positive things must have negatives to balance the universe apparently, because the current only location is located in a super tiny and inconvenient plaza with very limited parking. I hope once they open their second location it’s a lot better for people to access. I don’t actually have too much else to complain about HNTea, because everything else is quality. You really get the strong tea flavor, and the ingredients are all natural. Another thing about this place is that their regular sugar is actually 75%, which is cool (I think? Helping to reduce sugar but still have a nice tasting drink sounds enticing). They don’t actually have an ice level. One time I asked for no ice (per usual), and they said they had to add a little if I wanted the drink to still be cold because they brew the tea fresh. Sounds pretty reasonable. Personally I’m not, but if you’re a cheese cap fan, they have a selection of cheese foam here.

Oh, and I’m also a fan of their aesthetics. In particular, the logo is really clever, integrating H, N, and T into the Chinese character for tea (茶). I very much appreciate cross language designs and wordplay! Though, for a place with a lot of Chinese, they call their milk teas “lattes”. Which, isn’t wrong, but they’re the first boba shop I’ve come across that uses latte instead of milk tea.

Chain? Technically yes, but their second store isn’t open yet.

Drinks Tried: Mountain Rock Tea Latte, Strawberry Jasmine Green (nice balance of fruit and tea flavors), Jasmine Green Tea Latte,

Boba: Man, honey boba can come in such variety. I know sometimes honey boba is a lighter brown or yellow, but HNTea’s honey boba is almost translucent with how white-ish it is. I’m not entirely sure why, but I do know it tastes good. Their boba has a decent chew to it, and it’s not that sweet, with barely any flavor. They also offer agar boba…but is it still real boba?

Price: Slightly on the pricy side, but you do pay for quality ingredients and drink! I think it’s fairly priced, though I think there are pricier things on the menu than what I’ve ordered previously.

Size: One size here. Fits enough drink and you’re still satisfied. I think their cup used to have angles on it, but recently it’s a more standard round cup.

Interior: Plenty of seating, and a chill atmosphere is a nicely sized shop would work well for people who like working at cafes.

Wait: Never that long. You get quality drinks for a short wait time and I think that’s always great. In quarantine, you’re required to order online, which also saves wait time!

Sell Food? No.

Reward System? I think so, but I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ve gone enough to claim any rewards.