Clarissa WeiThe coffee culture in Los Angeles may be stronger than ever, but over in the San Gabriel Valley, teahouses are clearly dominating the caffeine scene.
Taiwanese boba joint Half & Half Tea Express, a popular hotspot known for their milky teas, has opened another location in Arcadia on Foothill Boulevard. This will mark the tea shop's sixth location — joining in San Gabriel, Rowland Heights, City of Industry, Monterey Park and Pasadena.
The Arcadia location soft-opened in late May and is holding their grand opening event this Saturday, June 8. Local talent including the comedic brother duo Andrew and David Fung will be on hand for performances and drink discounts, and giveaways will be available to customers.
“You have to come to find out what discounts we're offering,” owner Momo Wu said.
Half & Half, which launched in 2008, is known for their frothy “honey boba” drinks, a sweet tea concoction that uses tapioca pearls soaked and cooked in nectar. They're also the creators of the bucket cup, an oddly shaped boba cup that's too wide for traditional cup-holders and has put the company at odds with competitor “copycats” like Honey Boba in Arcadia and Purple Kow in San Francisco.
The new storefront will be a “tea express,” meaning drinks are for take-out only.
Honey Boba; Credit: Clarissa Wei
Follow Squid Ink at @LAWeeklyFood and check out our Facebook page. Clarissa blogs about Asian food at clarissawei.com. Follow her on Twitter or on Facebook.
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