Gathers Tea Bar — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Ive tried their matcha drinks which are excellent. The mango one is definitely very sweet so if you don't like it too sweet I'd get the strawberry matcha which is more on the tarty side. I did get the cream matcha which is also probably why it's on the sweeter side. I ordered both the mango and strawberry matcha creams, haven't tried the lattes yet but according to the description they provide the cream is sweeter and smoother than the latte which is made with milk. I will have to try it as a latte if I ever return.

Overall, the matcha itself is smooth and earthy and I was impressed with the flavor. I am a matcha connoisseur and have tried many brands but this one is excellent! I even bought their tin containers twice! I get the premium one for $27 bc I loved it so much and now I make my matcha at home with it! So good!

I also tried the Hojicha with black sesame and I wasn't a fan. I love sesame but couldn't taste the Hojicha at all which was disappointing and I felt like I wasted my money on it. So I don't recommend.

I also tried their strawberry sparkling yuzu drink for the summer it's a seasonal one and it was good but it didn't taste like yuzu more like sprite or 7up so that was a bummer as well since I know how yuzu tastes bc I've had it before for other Asian inspired drinks. Although it was refreshing from the sparkling beverage I was disappointed that it didn't actually taste like yuzu and more like soda. So I also wouldn't recommend.

This place is also known for their boba which I did not find extraordinary. Yes it was soft and not rubbery and had a nice chewy texture but I've also had boba at other tea shops/cafes that is just as good. So nothing different about this boba.

There is always a crazy long line for this place which makes it very annoying to visit, the place is always congested. While I do appreciate they hand whisk every cup by hand, I would appreciate a shorter wait time more. It takes a while to get your drink bc of the insanely long lines which is why I don't come here often. If they hire more people and expand their location to a bigger space that would be great for...

Small restaurant and tea bar (new location being built for them down the street) staff was very nice and helpful. They have a good selection but I stuck to Thai tea, roasted oolong milk tea, and genmaicha (brown rice tea) milk tea.

The Thai tea is not the same you get at the hole in wall thai/Chinese restaurant, which is a sickly sweet slightly thick beverage with a hint of tea. Those are good every now and then. This Thai tea is tea with spices added then 1/2+1/2. Which is the traditional way. ITS SOOO GOOD! It is not overtly sweet and has a good cinnamon after taste. Definitely worth a try.

The milk tea here is a bit diffrent then some other places. That being when another place make tea like normal the adds milk to the cup, watering down the tea with milk. They use non-dairy creamer which apperently is more traditional. The roasted oolong milk tea had a strong roasted flavor. After a couple sips you get use to it and the oolong flavor pops more. The genmaicha (brown rice tea) is similar to Korean barley tea. A bit roasted with a cereal grain taste. I have heard it described as rice crispy milk before. It has some sweetness that compliments its flavor. If your wanting to try something new it would be worth a shot.

Over all great tea, prices are higher bit on par with area,...

Solid place. I’ve been to over 50+ Boba shops in the US.

Pros:

the first sip was perfect

The boba itself was pretty good. Perfect texture, sweet

This was by far the best operating boba shop I’ve ever seen. In the span of 15 min, they served over 30 drinks.

Aesthetic was on point. Branding is great. The drinks were very fun colors.

Single store. Very impressive how smooth they operated with one store.

Cons:

After the first sip, the drink got progressively worse. Towards the end, it was undesirable and tasted purely of just milk. This is a sign that the drink itself was not mixed well. Mixing the drink beforehand would likely make this place top 2.

The lids were like coffee lids. Not boba lids. This prevents the customer to be able to shake the drink themselves and mix it. If the customer can shake it, that enhances the experience of drinking boba instead of just coffee

Lack of option for drink base. The only options were teas and milk teas and matcha. No smoothie based. Very rare to have a boba shop not have smoothies.

Overall, 8.5/10. Make sure to mix well before drinking and get a large size. Likely best boba I’ve had between Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, NYC, PA,...