Tastea Comes to the Long Beach Exchange!
By John Grossi
Before Joe Le walked into the original TasTea location in Garden Grove he did not consider himself a tea or Boba fan. He went because his girlfriend loved the “new concept” and delicious drinks. That was back in 2006, and their TasTea dates soon became a daily life routine. The more Joe sampled the drinks, talked with owners Ted and Scott about the integrity of these teas, and immersed himself in the experience, the more he fell in love with the brand.
Fast-forward 10 years. Joe and his then-girlfriend (now wife) are still visiting TasTea weekly, accompanied by their two young children who love the fun Boba drinks. Fast-forward another two years to 2018. That is when Joe decided to take a leap of faith and open his own TasTea franchise.
“I’d always wanted to be in the food business as I am a social person. When I was younger and attending Long Beach City College, there weren’t a lot of great options for places to go after class. This was the perfect opportunity to offer that space in Long Beach,” says Joe.
The TasTea franchise in LBX is one of the development’s staple businesses with great location adjacent to The Hangar and the center’s fun outdoor communal space. Joe is humbled and grateful at how quickly he has been able to build a regular customer base, especially during the pandemic. But he’s not all together surprised because, after all, he had fallen head over heels for the product himself.
Joe attributes TasTea’s popularity to three main factors:
1) Teas made fresh every single morning
2) Boba made fresh every 4 hours. Joe says you can tell you are not getting fresh Boba at many “Boba shops” because at the end of the night, [many vendors] cheat and stir [their leftovers] around in hot water, which makes it chewy in the middle. TasTea never uses old Boba.
3) Their very tasty smoothie line, which TasTea offers in addition to teas and Boba.
“I know it sounds biased, but I have 15 years of experience drinking beverages at different tea and Boba shops, and our milk teas are some of my absolute favorite drinks anywhere!”
Joe also raves about the seasonal drinks they offer, including their melon-series during the summer time. TasTea offers over 40 different drinks in a bright, airy, and friendly atmosphere that is “meant to put a smile on your face by the time you leave.”
TasTea takes customer feedback very seriously. Joe cites one example, when corporate received feedback that some of the drinks had a little too much added sugar. Now, TasTea teas are all unsweetened which gives each customer the option to adjust the sweetness level to their preference. Additionally, if reducing sugar intake and calories is a priority, a Stevia sweetness option is available to customers.
If you’re looking for a refreshing, mouthwatering, pick-me-up this year, try TasTea for fruit teas, milk teas, and smoothies!