Great tea selections! I love their fruit punch and birthday cake tea, but everything I've tried is really good. My one complaint is their hours are really unpredictable, so I've had a few times where I'll go and they're closed, but it's so good that I don't mind, and it makes up for it when it is open. read more

I brought my bf to this place for the amazing tea selection. It was a cold Sunday night at around 830pm and the website stated they close at 12am. Perfect! We can grab a hot tea, sit and warm up before embarking on a nice walk in Claremont. Wrong. We were met by an asian man that didn't seem the least bit happy to see us as soon as we walked in. There was a couple ahead of us that also seemed to feel uncomfortable. The man then leaves the counter and shouts that he's closing the restroom. The couple completes their order, and we then come up to the counter to order. The man seems so annoyed, even baffled that we are standing in front of him. He sarcastically takes our order for to hot teas at $5 each. I ask what time they close and he replies "in 15min". I point out that the website says 12am, and he then starts blaming Yelp and other websites for providing false information. We pay, grab our teas and take a seat since we got about 10min right? Wrong again. At about 852pm, he flies through the cafe shouting "ok were closed, were closed, everybody out"! There were 2 students studying other than ourselves, so why the rude rush? Neither of us were making a mess or being disruptive. Furthermore, its not like the place is immaculate. My bf and I got up and left feeling "kicked out" to say the least. Our teas were great, but the service was terrible. Unfortunately, I couldn't snap any pics because I felt so rushed and unwelcomed. Would I return? Sure, but only to grab a tea and leave. I'm not sure what this grouchy man's problem is, but perhaps he's use to pushing college students around and treats everyone else as such. Had the service been friendly, I would of given 5 stars. read more

This is one of my favorite places to relax, period. I don't even know where to get this kind of tea. I'm not gonna lie and say that the owner isn't kinda harsh/rude but honestly I see a lot of customers who lack severe awareness and are rude af themselves. As long as you don't have a thin skin and don't act like a pos you'll be fine. read more

Really rude and condescending staff, I tried to ask if they had specific items available, all I got were unnecessary condescending side comments. read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I came tonight (01/20) around 5:30 pm with my boyfriend. The patio area was quaintly cute but as soon as we walked into the establishment the vibes were so off and eerily . There was a couple in there doing who knows what in the corner and it was dead quiet. My boyfriend went to the restroom and I was looking at the menu. The only person working tonight was staring at me peevishly while I was trying to decide what beverage I wanted to get. He kept huffing and sighing and tapping his fingers waiting for me to order. My boyfriend comes out and we look at the snacks before we ordered. The guy was still huffing and puffing in impatiences even though we were the only two people in line. We finally got up to order and he was so snappily asking "What do you guys want?" "What are you looking for?" What? What? What? It would be nice to not be rushed as a first time customer. I ended up getting a strawberry matcha with boba which he made in exactly 4 seconds that was this ugly brown color. He was slamming and throwing everything around absolutely no kindness or love was put into making my drink. My boyfriend orders a hot tea to which he also made in about 4 seconds and again throwing and slamming his drink around. I work in the food industry and no matter how much of a bad day I'm having I always make my food with kindness and love so the person who's paying with their hard earned money for it can enjoy a meal. We will never be returning back there ever again. read more

CK Cafe - Strawberry Matcha with Boba.. More like pukeish with boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

ABSOLUTELYYY LOVE THIS SHOP!!!!! this is how real tea / coffee shops feel. it's the epitome of the perfect shop, you can have your tea in a mug, either sit inside to study / read or sit outside & smoke while you chill & talk, etc.! plus they have an extensive collection of amazing teas with multiple benefits for health! been coming here since 2019 and not ever stopping. this is my favorite tea spot in the county. read more

Bad attitude-She interrupted me, "I don't know English!" Confused instructions to order- "Look at the color board!" High price- A cup of tea for $4. Bad environment- smelly table, dirty floor, smoky air. Hard to find- it's hidden behind a restroom of a restaurant. Hard to park- no parking spot. Extremely cold at night- half indoor, half outdoor. I would give it negative 5 stars. read more

It would be 5 stars if they didn't encourage smoking so much. People are always smoking outside and the smell stays indoors. Is such a perfect place to study and I love their teas but I can not stand the constant cigarette smell. If you like to smoke and don't mind studying in a casino then this is the place for you. read more

Nice homely place with a wide selection of tea. Perfect place to wind down or go to after getting food from a local restaurant.

My friend spilled the tea and the owner literally acted like we killed her children. The face she gave us the rudest look that made me die. My friend only spilled like 3 drops of tea and it was the end of the world. The lady made no effort to help or offer napkins. I swear if looks can kill we would all be dead. rip. Despite this they have bomb ass Thai tea. I've never had Thai tea infused with liquid crack. read more

CK Cafe - Thai Tea w/ boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

Terrible service got kicked out tried to come in early right when they were opening at 2pm. They said we didn't have masks but offered to put on masks they declined kicked out us out ridiculously terrible service. read more

This place is amazing. The owner is so sweet and really gives off amazing vibes. There are SO MANY teas to choose from that all help with so many different things. You just say a number, if you want boba, and hot or cold and boom. U got tea. The place itself is a little hole in the wall but I enjoy that. It feels so homey and peaceful. Definitely something to try! read more

What a disaster. From the pic online, it looks like they have tons of loose teas. When you get there, it's all empty. The jars have no tea inside. She keeps everything in the back and they are not loose. I asked for 3 teas that would be good for gifts (I wanted to give 3 people loose tea). She charged me $3 per teabag. I literally left there with 3 teabags total and was charged $9. So now I'm supposed to give one tea bag to each friend? Don't go here if you want to buy bulk tea or boxes of teas, you can only buy individual servings and even that is way overpriced. read more

If you want authentic tea experiences, then this is the place for you. If you want great customer services or familiar StarBuckish cafe/tea options, then you best move on. As other reviewers have mentioned about the less than desirable customer service, though it is not entirely untrue and their house rules are both humorous and frightening as the same time. I still think their wide range of real tea makes up for the customer service shortcoming. I have actually talked to the lady, who owns the place, a few times. She and her family are hardworking people. I respect that. Will return most definitely to this hidden gem for some good tea. read more

The tea was pretty good. However the owner has this older man working the front and he is an a hole. He's impatient and rude to customers for nothing other than taking longer than he'd like to choose a tea. Mind you the shop has a layout of like 100 different flavors of tea. Who knew making tea was such a stressful job. Definitely going somewhere else next time. read more

8/10; From first glance, it looks like a janky hole-in-the-wall cafe but inside it is stacked with hundreds of mason jars that are filled with different types of tea. It's definitely an overlooked treasure. You don't know what kind of tea it really is because they're just labeled with creative names and so you just choose the name that speaks to you. It's a very intimate place with board games and lots of seating. Tim and I have been here twice for prayer time and devotions. So I think I'd recommend this place as a spot for when you're more comfortable to talk about the deeper things of life with your date. Instagram tip: I would definitely recommend the big bulbed tea because they "bloom" in the hot water. -T&C read more

CK Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

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The tea here is okay, but the service is UNBELIEVABLE. Whether is the man or woman owner, they are rude and mean. They basically treat you like a HUGE inconvenience. I thought I possible left my jacket there after leaving, and went up to the counter to ask the man if he'd found it. He doesn't even acknowledge me, looks at my boyfriend, "what your woman say???" So fucking rude and disrespectful these people. All they do is roll their eyes and grunt when you ask for service of any kind. Why run a tea shop of you dont want customers ordering things?? Lol Only go here if you like paying to get verbally abused. read more

I'd give zero stars if I could. Costumer service was extremely terrible. I asked for light sugar in my milk tea and the Asian woman behind the counter glared at me as she poured the sugar. When I got my milk tea, if you want to call it that, it tasted like watered down milk with a splash of tea. Would not recommend anyone to go to this place. Save your time and money and go elsewhere. read more

I have been coming to this place for about three years. I've heard other remark about the owners being rude but haven't had a poor experience myself. However, today I stopped by and understand where these remarks came from. I ordered a hot milk tea and the woman at the counter began making it. She was grabbing the ingredients for the drink and I asked her if the tea in the milk tea was black tea. She did not understand me and kept asking me, "what?". She asked me three times and I responded each time, raising my voice slightly so she could hear me, and maintaining a respectful tone. She then rolled her eyes at me and walked back towards me and I asked her, "did you roll your eyes at me?" She said yes, rolling her eyes again. She grabbed a menu and pointed at the black tea, looking at me with the same attitude. I told her she could keep the tea because she was extremely disrespectful and she pointed to the door. If you enjoy being disrespected, I encourage you to go. Otherwise, there's plenty of cafes nearby with far friendly service. read more

Came here with my mom right before the Rona and we were definitely happy with our experience. We looked through all the tees and they didnt have any descriptions except for their names but we quickly found a tee guide/check out instructions and it was SUPER easy to follow. The Guide told us which ones were the blooming tees so we chose ours, went to pay, chose iced or hot, chose if we wanted it for here or to go and just waited. I chose "to go" and I soon regretted it because my mom wanted to actually sit down and relax which we did. The owner was nice and didn't give us any trouble. read more

Went on 5.31.23 for the first time ever and the man working that shift was extremely rude. A friend and I walked in at 8:30pm after looking up online to see they closed at 9. After asking if they had any dine in cups, then man said no then proceeded to tell us that if we didn't know what we were going to get he was going to close. He then proceeded to continuously tell us that "I'm literally about to walk out the door, all the machines are off". He repeated this so many times that my friend and I didn't have any time to respond. After he very obviously seemed bothered that we even came in there we just left. It was extremely disappointing for a first timer. I don't even want to go back there after that interaction. read more

This hidden gem is tucked away in the corner of a Claremont village parking lot. However, if you manage to find this place it's a pleasantly surprising little spot and a great place to catch up with friends over hot tea. They have shelves full of tea jars that you can browse and smell through before making your selection and bringing the jar to the counter, where they make the tea right in front of you. It's a neat interactive process. You can't really go wrong with any of the teas here. I try to pick a different one each time and haven't been disappointed. The place is full of college students most likely from the 5Cs or CPP. They do allow smoking on the outdoor patio, which is why I'm only giving 3 stars because it makes it hard to enjoyable sit out there, and there's seldom any seating available inside. This place is perfect if you're eating in the village and want to continue the dinner conversation. Grab some tea as an palette cleanser and enjoy night! read more

CK Cafe - Just some of the many tea jars available. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

Cool mid sized tea shop. Big selection of tea you can see and smell for yourself. Kind of a cliche hangout for people like right out of a movie. They have games you can play and it's not a bad setup up. The people who work there are pretty rude, but I think that's always been that way; so no surprise there. read more

CK Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

The owner is a little rough around the edge but generally I've never had a bad experience here!! Good for studying and if you smoke since there's an outside area where it's allowed plenty of parking and plenty tables delicious tea and so many options iced or hot with honey so simple but so good they sell snacks perfect for the munchies read more

I've been here quite a few times to hang and play board games with old high school friends. It might be the company, but the ambiance in CK Cafe makes this place an enjoyable hangout. The walls are decorated with jars of tea, your choice of which you bring to the counter to be made into the wonderful tea. I strongly recommend the blooming teas (with a dash of honey) -- not only are they super flavorful, but the pods are fun to watch bloom. I tried the Hell's Angels tea this time around, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We've played many a board game here in CKs. They're are several at the tea shop, but we bring Settlers of Catan and Coup. It's nice that the shop allows people to smoke in the seating areas outside. I'm not really a fan of it because cigarette smoke is literally one of the worst smells in the world, but it's good that the shop is inclusive. I'm not sure what the complaints are against the Pongs. My interactions with them have been completely professional. I've also slid by a few times without ordering a drink, so the "one customer one drink" policy mentioned in other reviews was not enforced for me, but I can't speak for others' experiences. It's a bit hard to justify paying over $4 for a cup of tea, but the cup is large enough that it's worth it, and if you pick a tea you like, it's even more worth it. read more

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After reading the reviews about the owners being so rude, I was afraid to come back to this place because I used to always come in high-school. Honestly love the place and the tea and the concept that they have. I always get the bulb tea because I like the pretty flowers it makes inside the drink and they always taste really good. The owners were nice to me regarding my recent visit, except that she wouldn't completely answer my questions. Will probably come back. read more

Updating my review after reading some 5 stars and/or positive review about not rating the place based on the owners' language barriers. We can and should leave an honest review if they use that barrier to yell, insult or be rude in any capacity to their customers. If you can't understand your customers, hire those who can. Still the worst customer service I've ever experienced in my life. read more

Took out one star because someone replied to my review telling me to I "need to learn how to deal" with the shitty customer service - lol. I'm guessing this is someone who knows the owners. So fine, here's an updated review dealing with your customer service. Cheers. read more

I really don't understand why this place has such a low rating? If the owner's language barrier offends you, then you clearly shouldn't come here if that's the kind of person you are. We've all come across people who don't speak "clear English" but that shouldn't determine a business owner's rating. This lady used to be there til 2 am providing services to students with free WiFi and a safe/ comfortable haven. Just imagine how much dedication she provides to her business just to stay open that late. I can't even name a handful of businesses that stay open that late for students at most. This place was there for me through last minute exam studying and for whenever I needed some hot tea for when I was sick. I swear this place always brought me back up whenever I had a flu or a cold. This lady has a wide variety of teas to choose from and they're even labeled for specific concerns that you may have with your body. She might not be easy to talk to but she really means no harm. I know this because I've been a loyal customer for 4 years already and she's definitely not a rude person even if she comes off that way. That's just the way she speaks! No tea place can compare to this one because she literally uses all natural ingredients. All the tea leaves are natural and you can chose from either hot or cold tea with honey as an added option. I don't work for this woman even though it may seem like I do with the choice of words I used but it really really broke my heart to see this place with only three stars because of the store owner's "language barrier." You can at least make out with what she says and go in and out of the place. You really can't expect more. But her teas do provide you with all that you need! I say anyone seeing this review should at least considering trying this place out at least once in their life. I've taken so many people here and even my friends ask about this place. And yes this place is open during the pandemic! So go give it a try! read more

hidden gem best place to go with friends and sit and talk love their selection of teas and you can also get hookah here too one downside is that they charge for coals read more

Seriously, did everyone drink the CK koolaid? The main reason why CK does as well as it does is that it's open later than the other coffee places in Claremont. The coffee's really mediocre, as are their other drinks (boba milk teas, etc.). The shop is pretty crummy too, truth be told... I hate to say it, but it seems like most who hang around CK are there "to be seen... but are 'too cool' to care" (you know who you all are!). Inside you can see the potential but for some reason it's always muggy and hot in there. But I go because it's the only place after 10pm to go for coffee. And sometimes when I do go, I wish that I had just stayed at home. I'd definitely take Last Drop over CK if given the choice... heck, Coffee Bean would get the nod from me if they were open late. (Oh right, which reminds me... the last time I went in there, they didn't serve us because their clock said it was midnight. I pointed out that their clock was 15 mins fast and it was really 11:45pm according to, well, everyone else. Result = no service. Weird, right?) read more

CK Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

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Even after reading the reviews for this place I wasn't prepared for the rudeness of the staff. The place is littered with signs that scream "inhospitable!" I guess it's good if you're just getting tea and don't want to stay too long. It's open late, which is really nice. Don't get the cookies. The packaged ones are the same that you'll find at most gas stations (full of trans fat), and the non packaged ones are dry and crumbly, reminiscent of a big Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie. read more

CK Cafe - $7 for two espressos and a shitty cookie. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

This is one of the best places to chill with a friend. It has a nice relaxing, cozy vibe inside and outside. Sitting inside can offer perfect time to study or sitting outside can offer a more social café vibe. In this particular area, there isn't much to do to chill and relax with friends other than at home. This place offers a new social scene for young people to gather and chill in peace. I've been coming here for 5 years and this place and the old guy and runs this establishment will always stay in a special place in my heart. Going back to the old guy, this is his place and he has his own rules. If he gets mad at you don't take it too personal, he doesn't know too much English. Much respect to a guy that has one of the poppin places in the village. read more

Unbelievable hidden gem! Came in with a friend the other night after a movie -frankly only place open and enjoyed a cup of fruit punch tea . It was hot and delicious and hit the spot on a cool evening. I will definitely be back! read more

I LOVE TEA BUT THE OLD CHINESE OWNER IS AN ASSHOLE. He is so rude, but don't take it personal because he is rude to everyone. I have been there about 7 times. I always get a different hot tea because of the cool flowers that develop. The only thing is that the service sucks i didn't know anywhere else that sells this kind of tea. I bought a hookah once and I swear it was the worst experience! When you go to a hookah lounge you pay for the hookah and the people service your coals ( bring you new hot coals when your old ones die out...for free!), but here they charge u $1 for every new coal you need to keep the hookah going ! So stupid. read more

CK Cafe - I the tea they have but the owner needs to get laid! He is rude. Buy a hookah, bring your own coal! They charge $1/ per coal! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

Place: it's hidden and located in some alley. Once you find it its really cool I recommend you sit inside because the artwork is really cool. Worker: he's a bit intimidating maybe it's because he's kinda buff haha, but over all this old man was pretty cool. Drink: I had the peach blossoming flower. The only sad part was I couldn't mix it with another flavor I really really enjoyed my drink and I can't wait to go back and try more flavors. Tip: free wifi #blessed. Totally coming back read more

CK Cafe - Lyfe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

great blooming flower tea both hot and iced is always amazing. cute ambiance and definitely a great place to bring friends or a date. good smoke patio and cute chairs inside for hanging out and study! love it! read more

I've never been so scared to order from anyone before. My friend wanted to come here because the reviews of the place were hilarious and we had to see the scary Asian man for ourselves. We were definitely pleased with the service we received because it was exactly as we expected: Angry Chinese man there to take your order and make your drinks. Don't bother asking for recommendations because he won't know, "I can't see the jars, just choose one." When you ask him a question, a loud HUH is the response you'll receive. I'll definitely come back because their drinks are good. Taro slush is on the sweet side, green tea slush taste like Japanese green tea ice cream (delicious) but the boba isn't well cooked. The hot teas with honey are also delicious. Never have I sat in fear at a cafe/restaurant. read more

CK Cafe - Scared to ask for the wifi password - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

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I've only tried the Peach blossoming tea here and it's enough to keep me coming back whenever I'm in town. They have a wide selection of teas to choose from, and when you've made your pick you bring it to the counter. I don't know why everyone says the employees here are mean, the lady was super nice when we were there. I'm guessing it might be a cultural/language barrier issue, but clearly the employees mean well. read more

CK Cafe - Peach blossoming tea (Iced) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Claremont, California

The drinks are wonderful and they have a huge variety of tea drinks! They are owned by Pong who owns a few other restaurants in the area. I know people get hung up on the customer service, but it's straight forward and the drinks are worth it. read more