Cube Tea

When you walk into the shop you’d think of: clean, modern, young, cute, energy.
So far this is one of my favorite places to get iced tea and milk tea. They are fresh and not too sweet. (But the guys were real sweet).
Do use the coupon. It makes the drinks cheaper than at most good places.

Cute store layout
No line when I came
Ordered a 20 oz Jasmine Milk Tea Boba and with the check-​in discount it was $ 4.00
Forgot to adjust sweetness level so it was the default 100% which was not too sweet but I added more ice when I got home to dilute it
The drink was ok and the boba was ok
Average boba shop
Probably wouldn’t come back here because nothing special
The staff was also not welcoming or overall nice so yeah

Cute little shop.
Came here thinking there was some kind of candy milk tea conjecture. There wasn’t. But, we were still pleasantly surprised by the cute presence of the store!
They sell a bunch of homemade candies! Supah rad! Didn’t get to try them though. Perhaps next time.
Got the Matcha Milk Tea~ And it wasn’t AMAZING, but it was decent. If I lived right next door to this place, I wouldn’t mind stopping by.

Service: Lame. The cashier was uninterested in ringing up my order and was extremely engulfed in his flirty convo with his friend. He offered me a sample of free candy from the jar in front of him though so +1 star for free food… I guess.
Candy: Whatever sample I ate was pretty good but honestly nothing special. In my opinion, it seems that people come to this place more for the experience than the taste of the actual boba/​candy. I must admit, all of their candy definitely look aesthetically pleasing so + 1 star
Boba: Go somewhere else. Bland boba + «tea» flavoring is probably the same powder that Quickly uses if not worse
+ 1 last star for the Unilocal check in discount. Got my large Thai tea + boba for around $ 3.80!

Forgetful and bad service. I’ve tried to give this place a second chance and of course they failed me again. Each time ive ordered with them was with ubereats. The first time I ordered with them they forgot the boba. I called and they told me I did not add it. So I complained to über AND THEN THEY DECIDED TO BE TRUTHFUL AND ADMIT THEY WERE WRONG AND REFUNDED IT. Saying «ubereats says we can not charge for boba when there is no boba, so we will refund you.» … Lol Now it’s not the amount that upset me it was how they tried to deny it… Why lie?
Ok fast forward a week later, I’m in Japan, I want to send a treat to my team back in SF and I think ok, I’ll give this place a second chance because ubereats is fast delivery and it’s 4pm at home while its 8am here. So I order. AND OF COURSE CUBE TEA MESSES UP MY ORDER ONCE AGAIN.
They don’t just forget a topping they forget two whole drinks… I’m in Japan, I can’t call the tea place so my coworker calls and cube tea apologizes and says they will deliver the drinks the day after (today). So my coworker calls to check back and they deny making this claim and that ubereats has to tell them to do so. HA HA HA. Moral of this story. This place is not honest with the customer and does not take any fault until caught red handed. They wouldn’t even admit it was an error on their part… That will be the downfall of this store. Such a let down.

I was super excited to learn there was a boba tea place in the neighborhood, so I ventured out on a sunny day to give it a try.
I ordered the oolong milk tea (my go-​to) with boba at half-​sweet. The boba is soft and chewy and while I enjoyed the texture I didn’t love the taste. The oolong tasted more like green tea and as another Unilocaler mentioned, even at half-​sweet, the drink tasted too sweet for my liking.
I’d return (maybe) if I were really craving milk tea. Otherwise, I’d pass. I must say, the staff here is super sweet and attentive so I had a pleasant experience even though I didn’t love my drink.

2.5÷5 stars
Like Unilocal says, «Meh, I’ve experienced better.»
Kinda strange to me…
We arrived about 30 minutes after they opened, and the cashier, who seems to be the only one in the store informed us the pearls were not ready. You would think everything is prepped and ready to go before the store opens, esp on a Sunday.
We ordered Classic milk tea and it was just OK… nothing impressive.
Maybe they are more known for their artisan hard candy…

Located inside candy shop called Papabubble. 20% off with Unilocal check-​in!
I ordered the Assam Milk Tea (no boba), half sweet. Even at half-​sweet, it was like drinking syrup. I guess from what little tea I could taste, it wasn’t half bad. Too bad the ridiculously cloying amount of sugar they put in my drink ruined it. Maybe they forgot I ordered half-​sweet and went 100% on me. I don’t know. Guy at cashier was rude and dismissive.
I would give it two-​stars but based on how many people have liked it, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was a mistake /​bad day. But I am definitely not coming here again.

It is a very nice, beautifully decorated tea and candy store. I tried the classic milk tea and it was on point. They don’t have too many flavors, just the basics. Candies looked very interesting. They have a reward punch card so you get 1 free drink for every 10 you purchase.

This boba shop is located inside a custom candy shop, and though the hours are limited and boba runs out quickly on the weekends, the quality was decent and probably one of few options in this area. The jasmine tea was not that flavorful and I got 70% sweetness like I usually do elsewhere. The boba was good, but the drink was not very sweet to start with so I’d recommend going full sweetness when you order.
Some interesting candy samples at the front too. I liked the watermelon with chili spice pieces– they tasted like a milder form of warheads.

Milk teas made just like in Taiwan! I love the original flavor. It’s sweetness perfection. The bob a has the right amount of chewiness.
The candies are also a great addition. I like getting lychee and pineapple jellies, and since they are 2 for $ 1, pretty cheap.
I hope they will start serving these mysterious cubes with the tea drinks soon. Surprise me!

Like many of the other reviews have mentioned, this place is inside of the Papabubble candy shop. I guess they’ve decided to start selling tea alongside the candy though they seem to operate as separate businesses. I tried the peach oolong tea, there was a very subtle tea flavor, not what I was expecting, especially considering how potent oolong can be compared to green tea. The peach flavor was pretty refreshing though. I found the drink to be good overall, but there really wasn’t much of a tea presence at all. I was a little disappointed to find that this place really didn’t have anything to do with cubes aside from having it in the name. Not really sure if the name just comes from the candy side of the shop, but the whole experience was a bit underwhelming. Still, the place is alright if you’re in the area as I don’t think there are many tea places in Hayes Valley.

Love this spot! I’m a huge fan of boba! Came here on a Sunday afternoon it was pretty empty. Probably because of the location!!! It’s pretty hidden. It’s a candy store and also a boba shop. The guy was very nice in the front and let us sample the candy and tea. We got the matcha tea and it was very good. The boba was chewy.

Boba? In Hayes Valley? Yes please. This is the only bubble tea option in the area and a decent one at that!
Gotta go for the match red bean; it’s sweeter than the other flavors though, so be wary.

A new milk tea place, and perhaps the only one, in Hayes Valley. Unassuming boba place that shares the space with Papa Bubble. Fresh tea and fresh milk.

Awesome new boba shop located within the Papabubble candy shop in Hayes Valley! They have the cutest décor at the entrance and after walking in, you’re greeted by the wonderfully magical scents of candy in the making. As you walk up to the cash register to order, there are free samples of candy waiting (how did they know??)
We ordered the classic milk tea (fresh milk) and the matcha red bean (creamy milk). Both were tasty (made with quality tea leaves I could tell) and not too sweet, even at the full sugar level.
While waiting for the milk teas to be made, we wandered around the store, mesmerized by intricate designs that were embedded in the little candies as well as the wide variety of flavors. We also chatted with the two guys who were hand-​making the candies to the left of the store.
Props to the genius collaboration here — two stores in one space can be better than one!

Cube Tea is where Papabubble is. offerings basically milk teas, lychee/​peach tea, and? with «toppings» option.
drink: «lychee tea» (2.8 with 20% off Unilocal checkin)
–went sugarless, iceless too, i think
–tea faintly jasmine taste. bits of lychee didn’t add much taste.
2.5 stars
drips:
–without sugar, milk, toppings, teas are nothing (almost flavorless) here
just an headsup.
–passed on the free candy, too sweet.

the shop is cute, however, the tea is weak and water-​down. When I drink boba, I want to taste the tea with that slight bitterness that comes back to the palette. Yes, this place uses fresh milk, but it doesn’t replicate the traditional creamy mouthfeel of an authentic boba tea. It’s a nice concept and there’s not much competition in Hayes Valley, but definitely not a place I will return given so many other great choices in SF.

Time: 11:47pm/61°F partly sunny
Purpose: That 488 Fell st address rings a bell just couldn’t recall what business it was, eluded my mine. Since Cube Tea is listed under 488 Fell, I got curious. Went on a Monday only to discover they were closed. Following day I went back.
Ambiance: Its no different from my review of Papabubble a little over half a year ago. Basically its still Papabubble only this time around its listed as a separate entity. You’ll still see the same set up for the candies and all. Minor changes are carved wooden menu board with faux burnt for that older stained print look. Counter with laminated menu of legal size paper 8×11 listing milk tea options. Two cup sizes on display with neon like color liquid inside. Sharpie marker use for outlining block letter R and L (regular/​large) on cup looks tacky. They even have separate business cards made for Cube Tea. No seating strictly to go only.
Staff: Two guys about late 20s to early 30s one sits on candy sales side other the cashier. I dealt with the cashier guy wearing thick square glasses. He was pretty fast and quirky. While I waited for my drink, I look over notice other guy looks too quiet. He kept to himself at times even when, I try to cheer him up about the candies, but to avail. He looks depressed so, I didn’t go any further. Last thing I want would be for him to snap out of his slump.
Cleanliness: Grade A, impeccable. No complaints, organized and well kept.
Eats/​Drinks: Took some samples of candy from sample jar on counter using bamboo tongs. With no one saying, I can’t get my favorite or no selecting. I fish out all my favorites since I had them before, I knew the colors and designs on them. Took about 5 – 6 passionfruit, 4 blueberries, 3 watermelons. My drink was large Thai milk tea $ 4.25 added bobas additional $.50. Tea was strong in flavor and colorwise. Without even drinking it once, I saw the dark color tea with a bit of like reddish brown. I just knew it was the real deal, I’m about to drink. Guy told me to taste it first if, not sweet enough he can add more. I told him it was perfect while sucking bobas from oversized straw. Almost choke while trying to him. The bobas itself were cook with care not undercooked resulted in center being chalky or overcooked resulting in slimey balls that feels congealed. Overall satisfactory to boba standards.
Main Features: Candies looking like ice made for cube tea drinks. Currently nine flavors of candy cube are available now.
Products/​Services: Currently they have only 4 kinds of milk tea drinks-​oolong, jasmine, thai, green tea ranges from $ 3.25−3.50 for small and $ 4.25−4.50 for large. Two choices of toppings– boba and aloe vera extra $.50. Optional sweetness level 0%-100% (default). Choices of milk-​organic soy, soy almond, fresh milk. Cube tea-​peach, citrus, lychee same price structure for milk tea section. Ice are cube candy from Papabubble are use for Cube tea drinks.
Punch Lines: Modest cost, zippy service, limited topping flavors, candies from Papabubble, perfectly cook bobas, almond/​soy milk, street parking (hard), friendly, sweetness level, two size available R/​S, nothing special, premade tea, pleasing flavors, satisfactory, kid friendly, candy samples.
Tradeoffs: It’s just an beverage venture added to Papabubble under a different name. The reason for this? To jump on board the ever popular boba trend in hopes to offset declining candy sales during slow times.
Final Thoughts: For anyone who lives or works close by that happens to like boba or tea drinks. This place may be your next alternative to Quickly provided, that you don’t care for finger food snacks. However, the choices are very limited here. Remember you’re coming here, because of uncertainty and curiosity to try the next newest thing they’ve come up with. We don’t know whether this cube tea thing will be a success or a bust just yet. I mean this had to happen sooner or later. Papabubble has been open for more than half a year garnishing only 30+ reviews. We’ll soon find out with reviews on this next trend. Let’s go 3.5 stars for now.

Thick and subtle tea base with fresh milk or soy milk if you can’t drink fresh milk. It’s refreshing and not too sweet. You might need to wait a bit longer, cuz everything is freshly made. You can taste their sample candy while waiting which is a plus. I like their classic milk tea and Thai milk tea.