Yoka Tea — Restaurant in Seattle

I came here with a plan of which drink I wanted to get. I was deliberating between their iced Turon Matcha Latte and their Matcha Einspanner drink.

Today I chose the Iced Turon Matcha Latte with oat milk. I guess since I'm Filipino I was too curious to not try it. First sip was unmixed because I wanted to try the matcha. I can confirm it had a good bold matcha flavor. I also tried the Turon syrup mixture which was somewhat reminiscent of Turon itself. Im curious to know if they actually use plantains as well or strictly bananas.

I then mixed the drink completely and tried it. Very happy to note that lots of the flavors don't get lost in translation. You'll still get essences of each flavor as you continue to drink it. The Matcha is noticeable and can stand up to the sweetness of the Turon syrup mix.

All in all I had a positive experience here and will definitely come back to try their matcha Einspanner and possibly their boba. I also can't rule out their food items.

Some notable mentions and tips. -They hand whisk their matcha which is a plus. -They offered samples of the products on their shelves. I'm not sure if it's an everyday occurrence but the furikake mixes are good as well as the Hojicha chocolate. -street parking available but may need to drive around. -can get really busy on the weekends.

Update 6/3/25: So heres my update:

Got to try the matcha einspanner and their black milk tea. Came in with a positive outlook and thought my expectations were going to be met. While I don't discount the quality in the ingredients one thing that fell short was the matcha einspanner.

To me what makes an einspanner is the thick/dense layer of whipped cream that doesn't easily dissipate into the drink itself unless agitated or stirred forcefully. And yoka's take on the einspanner was more reminiscent of a "espresso con panna" but with matcha instead of espresso. The whipped cream element was lightly milky, and creamy.

I tried their black milk tea with boba. It wasn't bad. I also thought it was milky and had a stronger tea flavor. The boba texture wasn't qq in the initial first half of my tasting experience. It was soft and reminded me of the boba pearls in the black milk tea ice cream bars that were all the rave a few years ago. During the 2nd half of my experience it started to get chewy and have that bounce that I like.

Going back to the stronger tea comment. It was mentioned during the ordering process that they could make it so the tea flavor is bolder. So if you like your milk teas to be more tea forward. Mention it and I'm sure it'll be a different experience.

I guess the final question to answer is, what would I come here for? Personally I like their Turon Matcha Latte. I would also recommend the strawberry matcha latte. I think I would get their milk tea if I was in the area and was craving a milk tea with boba, but I wouldn't personally seek it out. Lastly, I wouldn't order the einspanner if I were expecting it to have that thick/dense whipped...

Been following Yoka since their popup days and was so excited to see they’ve got a brick & mortar in Seattle! I love matcha – it’s my go-to drink I make at home. But rarely do I venture out to order it elsewhere because it’s often lacking enough matcha flavor. The matcha is legit here, y’all! They sift and whisk the matcha, so the care they put into it takes some time, but it’s worth it. The matcha flavor in their lattes is very pronounced. I’m looking forward to trying more of their matcha speciality drinks!

The staff were immediately welcoming when I entered, and very helpful when I had questions about the menu. They have a cute storefront of Asian pantry items made by Asian businesses, plus some light food options like pastries. Good amount of seating for the size of the space. There’s WiFi if you’re working or studying from here. It’s overall an enjoyable space to just hangout with lots of natural light, a bright yet calm aesthetic, and great background music. Street parking was fine, and...

Yoka Tea is it. I got to go to their friends & family opening a couple weekends ago, and I’m still thinking about the drinks like they’re old crushes I never confessed to.

I had the Saksak Slushy and the Yuzu Espresso—both were ridiculously good. The slushy was super refreshing (honestly felt like vacation in a cup), and the yuzu + espresso combo? Wild on paper, magic in your mouth. I wasn’t ready for how much I’d like it.

The owner’s a close friend of mine, and if there’s one thing you should know about him, it’s that he doesn’t half-do anything. He’s the kind of person who’ll stress over the spacing of a menu font or the exact texture of a cup lid—and somehow, it all pays off. You can feel the intentionality in every corner of the shop.

Highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area. And if you aren’t in the area, get in the area. Your taste buds...