Robert Z.

One of the new milk tea spots testing the waters in the SGV. Charlie's tea is another one of the many "high end" milk tea shops that highlights strong tea flavors, creamy milk teas, and aesthetic cups/designs. This is a small-ish shop in a pretty popular plaza along Valley. It's one of many food/drink establishments here and its a bit hidden in a corner. Service is easy, order online, at the kiosk, or at the cashiers and they work on your tea. They have weekday specials which were nice and I was able to take advantage of them. I found their teas very fragrant and well mixed. I've tried the jasmine, pheonix oolong, and clovershrub. The jasmine has a strong floral flavor with a nice milky finish (think Molly tea). The pheonix oolong had a nice robust oolong flavor and was probably my favorite of the bunch. The clovershrub didn't seem super distinct to me but was a good milk tea, it did come with a whipped topping and "hazelnut" but I was given pecan pieces. Overall, I think this is another great option for milk teas in the SGV. I enjoyed the variety and strength of the teas. Prices are about on par with other tea shops now but the weekday specials def are a nice plus if you can make it out!

Dianna H.

Glad I was finally able to try out Charlie's Tea! I've seen their stores in China before and didn't realize they had expanded to the US. I popped in quickly to order two drinks while my friend waited nearby in the car. It's located in the plaza right next to the Hilton (I've been here for Cotti Coffee before) and has underground parking. On a Saturday afternoon, it wasn't too crowded. This location is fairly small with limited indoor seating, though they have some seats outside as well. I ordered my drinks via the kiosk and waited ~10 minutes before they were ready as there were a couple orders ahead of me. They make the drinks super quickly; they were calling out numbers almost every minute! I was super impressed with their speed. I ordered two drinks off their signature collection, which is their top 5 most popular/recommended drinks. I got: Misty peach oolong milk tea ($6.99 for medium) Ceylon black tea with pecan cream top ($7.49 for medium) For both drinks, 70% sugar was the recommended level. I figured it's a Chinese chain and shouldn't be too sweet, so I went with their recommendation. Just FYI, the other 3 drinks on their signature collection are the jade dew jasmine milk tea, green grape jasmine milk tea, and moonlit osmanthus oolong milk tea. When you get the drinks, the first thing you notice is the beautiful cups. There's a display in the store of all the cups they use and they're all so colorful! Of the two drinks, my favorite is the ceylon black tea. The peach oolong had a fragrant peach flavor, but for some reason it tasted a lot less sweet than the ceylon black tea, even though I ordered both at the same sugar level. The ceylon black tea had the perfect ratio of tea to milk to sugar imo, so I enjoyed it a lot more. I used the spoon they provided to scoop some of the pecan cream and that was delicious with the crunchy pecan bits as well! I will say that the drinks are a bit pricy for the size. I came on July 4 when they were offering a 26% discount on all orders, so that helped, but between the beautifully designed cups and the small-ish portions, this definitely felt like a luxury boba spot.

Will M.

One of the newer boba spots in the SGV, Charlie's Tea is another chain making its way over from China. I stopped by around dinner time and there was a short wait, but I was in and out pretty quickly. I ordered the Phoenix Dancong Oolong Milk Tea with boba at 30% sugar. The drink itself was pretty decent. The tea flavor was noticeable without being too strong, and the sweetness was just about right. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the boba. It was a little too soft for my liking and lacked that chewy texture I usually look for. Overall, I thought the tea itself was good, and I'd probably come back again. Next time though, I'd skip the boba and just order the tea by itself.

Andrew Y.

Simple order system at the kiosk I ordered a lemon tea and it had really good bold flavors I also tried my friends' milk tea drinks and the tea flavors are also great and not too sweet 8/10 would definitely come again

May N.

Charlie's Tea is a very solid, above average milk tea spot. I would put them close to Molly, 3catea, and heytea level. I ordered the osmanthus oolong latte with osmanthus jelly. My drink was smooth, silky, and well balanced with a strong tea base. The jelly was nothing special though. Very basic and not close to the special texture of torotea jellies. Overall a really solid place, but with such heavy hitters like molly and 3catea on the same street, it struggles to stand out. I can see myself including this in my rotation once a while. You order on the tablet and pick up at the counter, so don't expect much service. The interior space is very tight so not a great place to hang out and chat or study.

Mabel H.

My friend has been OBSESSED with Charlie's Tea. She lives close by and comes often for their BOGO deal on Uber Eats, and she drinks one during the car ride then the second at home lmao. I've only tried the Clovershrub Tea Latte ($6.49) since that was the BOGO deal that day, but I liked it! Floral and reminiscent of MollyTea. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu, to be honest. They're located in a plaza that's also connected to the Hilton in San Gabriel. A two level parking garage is underneath that's convenient in getting to either location. I'll be back to try other flavors and toppings!

Yumi L.

Another chinese tea shop in SGV. The quality of the drink is the same as Molly Tea and Heytea. The plus is that they have boba which is amazing. Their oolong milk tea tasted very aromatic and smooth. However the cup is pretty small for what you pay for. Parking is easy since theres an underground lot. There's only one self ordering kiosk. Came on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn't too busy.

Ian A.

I had an adequate experience at Charlie's Tea (San Gabriel). I ordered the Peach Oolong Milk Tea ($6.99 - Less Ice - 70% Sugar). The primary flavor is milk with hints of sweetness. The tea was barely noticeable. At the very least, the drink is thirst quenching. I arrived at Charlie's Tea (San Gabriel) on Tuesday (around 11AM - Opening Time). Parking is simple. There's a convenient underground parking lot; sign says, "2 Hrs Customer Parking Only." There's also a couple spots to charge EV vehicles. Customers primarily order at the self-service kiosk. Staff is polite and diligent. Staff promptly greets new visitors before resuming their work. My drink took about five minutes. As mentioned, I ordered the Peach Oolong Milk Tea ($6.99 - Less Ice - 70% Sugar). It's a very unmemorable drink. The tea flavor was drowned in milk, and I had an underwhelming experience. There's hints of a quality base, but the amount of ingredients screamed frugal. Still, the drink is refreshing enough. On ambiance, Charlie's Tea (San Gabriel) is comfortable and clean. There's about five tables and a plush bench. I also enjoyed the instrumental piano music. There's also a gender neutral restroom. Overall, I appreciated my underwhelming visit to Charlie's Tea (San Gabriel). The drinks were not the most memorable, but I believe with better adjustments, there's sincere potential. Charlie's Tea (San Gabriel) is not awful. 3.9 out of 5

Karen T.

Popular tea brand in China with hundreds of locations worldwide, Charlie's Tea finally made its way to LA. They have a very limited menu, only offering variations of milk teas. Since they only focus on milk teas, the quality of each drink is pretty good. I have tried the Misty Peach Oolong Milk Tea, Clovershrub Tea Latte, and Phoenix Dancong Oolong Milk Tea. All drinks tasted pretty similar with slight differences. The tea flavor and aroma really stuck out. The drinks didn't feel too sugary at all. They were actually quite refreshing to drink. Although I don't think this tea shop lives up to Molly Tea's standards, my partner and I were still pleasantly surprised with our visits here. There are 5 small tables with bench seating all the way in the back of the shop, not a great spot to hang out at.

Sanny C.

With all the boba shop in the area, the teas must really stand out to survive. I don't recall if there were options to get pure teas. I only saw milk teas or lattes. I dunno about the other drinks, but my clover latte was pretty average. I tasted a lot of milk. More milk than teas. I like the cups and all. It was pretty & cute. However, that was the end of it. Employees provided minimal services. We ordered thru the kiosk. One of the staffs mentioned about posting on IG to get a free gift. So that was nice. The manager or owner was not good with customer service. When we were waiting for drinks, these 2 ladies walked in and kept staring at us. No smile or anything. In fact, they looked pshhh...I really thought they were just regular customers until the lady in a white blouse walked to check in on the staffs and inventory...lol like what? You're a part of the establishment, but no greeting or anything nice.. Good luck

Kit T.

There are so many boba places popping in the SGV and I must try all! Parking at this plaza isn't the most ideal since it's shared with the other business and Hilton. I always had to park underground and the parking spaces are tight. The first thing I saw when I stepped into the shops are the different creative designs of the cups that were really pretty. I ordered the Jade Dew Jasmine milk tea that I thought was a bit too light for me. The drink taste good but the tea was a bit light tasting and wasn't creamy enough. Packaging is cute tho.

Amy L.

The charlesshrub tea latte was pretty. I tasted alot more tea which is good. I got 100% sweetness and it was perfect still. For the grape one it was super sweet so i think 70% wouldve been good for that. I wouldnt mind coming again. Didnt have a bad experience with them yet but i did notice they were busy even without the long line so i guess people are ordering online for pick up or delivery. It is in the corner and parking is easier if you go downstairs.

Sharlene D.

I was really excited to try this place since I've heard good things. I ordered online for pick up. I got the clover shrub black tea with the hazelnut cream top and the green grape jasmine tea. The cream top comes separately when u order online. I put the cream top in my drink and took a taste and I realized the cream was SOUR. IT WAS SPOILED and went bad. I was so sad cuz I really wanted to like it. I ended up having to throw my drink away too since the cream already got inside. Sadddd I tried taking the cream out but some of it was already mixed into the drink. I ended up calling the store to tell them their batch was bad and he told me to refer the 3rd party site I ordered from in order to get my refund. The grape jasmine drink however was pretty tasty. It was light and the grape flavor was good. I got it with golden boba but it wasn't really sweeten. At least the texture was there. Overall I would try their other drinks. But this time left a bad taste in my mouth.