HEYTEA(Monterey Park) — Restaurant in Monterey Park

They finally opened up! I noticed the sign a month ago and was super excited to try it out. A lot of my friends from outside the US really like this place.

The line was pretty long since it's currently the BOGO opening weekend, but once the order was placed, it only took around 4 minutes to receive the drinks. The inside is basically just an order kiosk, so the venue relies on the foot traffic from the Atlantic Times Square area. Fortunately there's ample outdoor seating in the area.

While in line, they were handing out samples of the jasmine tea. If you like strong teas like me, the tea is fantastic, better than another tea place that opened the week before that's supposedly known to have good jasmine teas.

I ended up getting the mango coconut boom since a friend outside of the US said that's their favorite drink. With 50% sugar it reminded me of the mango sticky rice dessert you get at Thai restaurants: the mango hits perfectly with the coconut milk.

For the BOGO, I got a mango grapefruit boom for my roommate and she really liked it too, with the drink tasting fresh with real fruits.

Overall, at $8 a drink, it's pretty pricey and is more expensive than I'd like for a drink, but I would come back again to try the brown sugar bobo or cloud jasmine milk teas.

Update: I came back for the BOGO event again and I ended up trying the mango grapefruit boom (50%) and supreme brown sugar bobo milk tea (0% sugar). From last time's drinks, I prefer the mango coconut boom over the grapefruit. The coconut milk just hits different with the mango compared to the milk/cream used in the grapefruit one, although the grapefruit bits in the drink provide a nice refreshing sourness with the sweet mango.

For the brown sugar bobo milk tea, I got 0% sugar in order to evaluate the tea flavor. At most places, the brown sugar milk teas with 0% sugar yields pretty much zero tea flavor; you're ordering a milk tea, not a milk. For Hey Tea, it actually came through, although the drink is still very cream-forward in taste. Those who are lactose intolerant, beware. The soft brown sugar bobo balanced the creamy flavor pretty well, and I'd get this drink again if I'm craving a milkshake or some other heavy-cream based dessert.

Also as a random note, the drink labels list the tea polyphenol content. This is pretty unique as I haven't seen it anywhere else, but I don't know how useful this...

the drinks here are at a great price and great taste. however, my most recent visit was horrendous. we got our drinks within 15-20 minutes on a friday night. one of the drinks were not made to my specifications (minimal sugar). the cashier tonight refused to listen to me about how my drink was made with regular sweetness. she kept saying that grapefruits are really sweet, but i know what a grapefruit tastes like, especially since that is my go to order. so my friend went in to ask another employee who was stationed on sealing the cups and she happily agreed to have our drink remade it. the drink only took about 10-15 minutes to remake, but they switched out our order number without telling us so we ended up standing there for an additional 40 minutes as it got busier and busier. i understand that its gets busy, but there needs to be better...

simple on decorations but super clean and well-organized. The vibe feels just right. As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with the refreshing, calming smell of tea in the air.

We tried the Mango Grapefruit Boom and Sugar Boba Milk Tea. If you enjoy a little bitterness from grapefruit, the Mango Grapefruit Boom is a great choice. Otherwise, go for the mango slushie alone—it’s super refreshing with just the right amount of ice. You can actually taste and chew on the thick mango purée, and the sago toppings add a nice texture. Slightly sweet and really yummy!

On the other hand, the Sugar Boba Milk Tea wasn’t as impressive. The tea base didn’t blend well with the milk, which gave it a slightly bitter aftertaste. But the boba itself was chewy and well-made.

Prices are a bit higher than average, but honestly, the quality...