Kung Fu Tea

Upon entering, I was immediately punched in the face by an overwhelming selection of teas and a huge crowd of Asians all grouped together in their cliques. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, I ordered a Taro boba with 50% sugar. I also got the boba balls for an extra 50 cents because I’m worth it.
The drink itself is overly sweet for just 50% sweet. But other than that, the quality of the stuff is very good. The place is packed, even though we were able to find a seat and hang out for 10 minutes as people elbowed my shoulder as they passed me in the line that snaked around the tables.

This is relative to the other bubble/​boba tea places I’ve tried in the DC Metro area. I’ve been here about half a dozen times now, and there’s always a line. When it wraps around all the way around the room, expect a 30 min wait. Better to go on week days if possible to avoid the line.
GOOD:
The boba is sweet and not stale. They do a great job with the consistency. The drink isn’t bland or overly sweet. It’s perfect. You can specify more or less sugar based on your preferences. And they accept CC no minimum. This may be common here, but most if not all the places I’ve been to in Southern California is cash only or $ 10 minimum.
BAD:
The wait. The room can get stuffy. Know what you want before you get to the cashier. The people behind you will appreciate the consideration. There is only one cashier by the way.
FAVORITE:
Large Taro Slush with bubble. $ 5.83.
1-​star: I’ve had hemorrhoids more pleasant than this.
2-​star: I would rather avoid this place.
3-​star: On par with other similar establishments.
4-​star: Will return as often as possible.
5-​star: I refuse to find a better place.

I’ve had Kung Fu tea from NYC to Chicago and I’m excited that it’s finally here! My favorite is the Kung Fu Oolong Milk Tea with Herbal Jelly. The first time I had that kind of Herbal Jelly was in California and I fell in love. It’s so soft and smooth and delicious. There isn’t much competition in NoVa so it’s no wonder everyone flocks to Kung Fu Tea.

*3.5 Stars*. One of only a few places where I can get my milk tea hot! And by hot, I mean warm, that way your toppings don’t melt. I like that you can customize how much sugar goes into your tea. I get half the amount of sugar, only to be replaced by their yummy pudding! My go-​to is black milk tea, and I find that Kung Fu Tea’s is a bit weak in flavor and more milky. I will still frequent this place in the winter though because service is very friendly and efficient, and I enjoy a hot milk tea.

Bubble tea was good! I got their milk tea with pudding and boba. Their pudding was delicious and tasted perfect with the milk tea. It was buttery and soft and was not too sweet. It was a perfect combination with the tea because the pudding does not over power the tea. Their bobas were soft and perfectly chewy. I like how their bubble teas are not super sweet because you can actually enjoy the tea flavor.
They interior is relaxed and very crowded. It might be hard to find a spot to sit and enjoy your bubble tea during peak hours. It does get crowded where people order and pick up their bubble teas. However, if you can find a spot, it is a nice place to sit and relax as you catch up with friends.

Best Boba Joint in the DC area! Everytime I go, there is a line and mind you, I go at odd times: 10 am, 3pm, and a 10:30pm. Yes, even at 10:30 pm theres a line! Luckily the line goes pretty fast so you’ll get your boba fix.
The menu is displayed at the front of the store on two TV’s and is even billingual. I think the other language is Chinese. There’s so much to choose from, its almost overwhelming. The selection ranges from slushies, coffee, yogurt, punch, milk tea, milk strike tea, etc etc. I cop out and get the classic milk tea.
MAJOR KEY: You can customize your drink to any topping, sweetness, or ice level!
I’m not huge into super sweet, so I bump it down to 50% sweetness, with no ice (unless its super hot outside, the drink is cold enough), and Nata Jelly (jelly derivative of the lychee fruit). This is a gamechanger in your boba tea experience.
Since discovering this place, I’ve been here a total of 5 times and that was only 2 weeks ago. Judge on however promise me you’ll try this place! You wont regret it! I’ll leave here with this quote:
My Fist Hungers for Justice!
*stomach growls*
That was my… fist.
— Po

I’d been seeing this place pop up a lot on my Facebook newsfeed recently, so as a bubble tea fan of course I had to check it out!
Overall great experience. I liked lots of things about it, such as:
— The service (staff was very friendly and seemed very open to offering suggestions and answering questions about the different options available on the menu)
— The free Wi-​Fi (I know, I know, technically a horrible idea to use free Wi-​Fi in public places yada yada but can’t help myself sometimes so always a perk)
— The seating area inside (I was able to grab a corner table, put my headphones in, and get in the zone so I could get work done while sipping on my bubble tea)
— The level of customization allowed (practically a million different permutations and combinations of possible drinks — the option to add toppings I’ve seen other places, but the individual sugar level adjustments is a fantastic idea!)
— Ample parking right outside (no long walks to the car in the cold or trailing people leaving the place in hopes of snagging a spot!)
— The bubbles themselves (perfect texture — not toooooo chewy/​hard or too slimy either)
In terms of the bubble tea itself, it’s a shame I could only order one — I wanted to try so many different kinds! I ended up going with the red bean slushie (definitely not a popular choice, I’m aware) and thought it was okay — a little tooo sweet, and not as good as the one I get at Thanh Son (which, as I’ve mentioned, they’ve got down to perfection, at least according to my taste buds). But I can’t hate because I can always try again and ask for it to be a little less sweet, or simply go with another flavor — I’m thinking maybe lychee or something coffee-​based or perhaps classic (like the milk tea) next time. So there we have it — there will be a next time, and I’m looking forward to it!

I’ve been to Cali and tried a lot of amazing bubble tea places and it so happened that they have a Kung Fu Tea in Cali. When KF Tea opened up in Annandale, many of my friends were hyping this place up so much that I had to try it for myself.
I’ve came here a few times before and tried the KF Milk Tea and the Green Yogurt with boba. Both times, I was disappointed.
My first sip of the KF Milk Tea was very unique and I thought the taste was good. However, as I kept drinking, I noticed the flavor started to diminish and it ended up tasting like water. (I got little ice so dilution was not the problem)
My first sip of the Green Yogurt was very surprising. It tasted like spoiled yogurt because the flavor was so sour. I thought it was my taste buds so I asked my friend to try it as well and he agreed that it tasted disgusting.
I will be coming back here a few more times to give it another try but if it doesn’t click, it doesn’t click.

Alright, so I think my review deserves an update, since I’ve been back several times now.
The service is much better, and even with a long line, the drinks don’t take forever and a day to come out.
Some drinks you are unable to do any customization, therefore they are too sweet (lookin at you almond milk tea).
I get my drinks with 30% sweetness for reference. I like the grapefruit green, oolong milk, winter melon milk (LOVE THIS ONE, subtle but delicious nutty taste), and taro milk. oolong is good with egg pudding. In fact when you get it with less sweetness, the egg pudding sweetness helps balance the flavors. Taro milk doesn’t come out bright purple, so you know they are using more «real» ingredients.
After coming here, and going back to my old spots for milk tea, I realized how much better KFT is.

Every time I’ve been here I’ve always gotten the KF Milk Tea… and it will probably continue to be the only thing I ever get. They do it right, and the ability to adjust the level of sugar and ice gives power to the people (which can be good or bad depending on the person and how stupid they are). I’m not sure if this is entirely correct but I do believe that if you decrease the ice too much, the drink gets more bland, which makes me believe that they add water or some base liquid to just dilute it more to fill the top of the cup… therefore, I strongly suggest you do not go below the «LESS ICE» option. Even at Less Ice they’re still pretty good at balancing out the flavors. KF Milk Tea, Regular Sweetness, Less Ice, of course with normal tapioca. Tapioca itself is only delicately sweet though, which can be good or bad, depending on how you like it. Texture is fine.
Service is great! Very vibrant and helpful workers here compared to the teenage drones that work in Houston.
Price is meh in my opinion though. Being in this location it’s fine (ranged around 4 – 5 dollars), but seeing as how I know of a place that serves god-​tier bubble tea for $ 3, it kinda doesn’t sit well with me (this is in Houston, so don’t ask about it in NoVA).
Anyways, this seems to be the best option for milk tea in the area that I know of SO FAR, so until then,
8/​10, will come again.
===============
Edit: I was informed that it’s actually diluted with more tea. Even so, tea of course is 95%+ water, so it’ll be hard for you to detect the «tea» taste anyway. Also, their tapioca pearls seem to vary in quality because I received almost perfect bubbles on my last visit. They were perfect in sweetness but needed a little more firmness on texture to be right on the money.

My new favorite place for Boba in NOVA. Prior to this I’d get it at Shilla… and don’t get me wrong, Shilla does a good job,…but this place is the BOMB.
First, I like that they top seal the beverage (i first saw this in Cali), so its pretty much spill proof unless you’re a four year old and shaking it upside down in the car while your mom is driving.
The tea was definitely fresh brewed, and not powdered like a lot of places like to make their boba (powder, milk, blend, add mochi and ice, serve). I ordered the milk tea and several macaroons and it was so good.
Beautiful establishment, as well. Plenty of area to sit and hang out and chat. The décor is beautiful and it was super clean.
If they want to attract more versatile patrons, they should have a clearer explanation of what the different things are,…like the WOW menu versus the regular (i still don’t get the difference).
So I was overwhelmed and just ordered the most ordered drink on Unilocal,…the milk tea. Wasn’t disappointing, but would have liked to explore my options while waiting in line and not hold up the line asking the person at the cashier what everything is.

My staple is green milk tea with grass jelly. Kung Fu tea always consistently good-​tasting, quality milk tea! The grass jelly varies from time to time in consistency, and I neither love nor hate their version of grass jelly. Pudding here is firm and good too!
I’ve also tried the ginger milk tea, but this was way too much milk and not enough ginger.
Price-​wise, KFT is neither cheaper nor more expensive than some other local options.

I don’t know, maybe I’m too logical for my own good sometimes. So I decided to order the «Oreo milk tea.» Now in my head I’m subconsciously thinking, «There’s no way this is actually going to be just milk tea with Oreos in it. It’s gotta be more like a milkshake or something.»
But no.
It was literally black milk tea with crushed up Oreos in it. And fortunately because I have a penchant for liking weird stuff, it wasn’t half bad.
I looked all over the menu, so either I’m blind or they don’t sell it, but I was missing the Thai iced tea. Which was pretty disappointing.
But overall, it was a really pleasant experience. It was Friday so you could tell this was a hangout spot, and it definitely had some swag with the décor and vibe. If I lived closer and was a bit younger I could see myself hanging out here with friends after school or something. ⁴⁄₅

Interesting… I’ve never written a review… however being a franchise I guess there isn’t much to say about Kung fu Tea things have been pretty consistent. What can I say. I pretty much frequent this location being that it’s the closest one.
Put it this way… this is the new hipster college hangout if you don’t have time to wait don’t bother unless your stopping by during some random hour which is a Sunday night or some random other night during the week. If it’s Friday or Saturday Night expect the line to be to the door and backwards. It literally will wrap around the store.
Anyway…enough about the ridiculous lines. They have a extensive menu with any and every combination of bubble tea, coffee, tea juice, slush. Minus the option of flavored jelly other then herbal and Nata but with all the flavors of tea and slush why do you need flavored jelly? That’s just being greedy. My go to is always the peach oolong with bubbles but recently I tried the yogurt grapefruit with bubbles it taste like that frozen yogurt dessert you find in the Korean market. Um. can I say it’s oober delicious love it! I’ve also tried just the grapefruit tea at a location in Houston, TX another refreshing option so put it this way. There is real juice in there stuff.
Basically gist order off the menu tell the cashier your order she types it it prints on a sticker it goes on a cup and then it’s made its like an Asian Starbucks lol.
Either way Kungfutea is my current go to for flavored tea and bubbles. It will probably be until he DMV decides to add another Asian staple. So yes if you want decent bubble tea. This is your place however be ready to wait with every Asian and their moms literally. Lol

So… I’m pretty sure I freaked out and jumped a couple feet when I first heard Kung Fu Tea was opening in a location near me. I used to always go to NYC to «visit my boyfriend» = get my favorite bubble tea fix ;) (totally kidding, love you)
But yeah. When I used to visit NYC often, my boyfriend and I would go around searching for the best milk tea, and always ended up coming back to KFT. I think I like it the most because I personally like a stronger tea taste, and I don’t like when other places are watered down. It has a good balance of tea taste and milk, and both iced and hot versions are on point. Also it reminds me of how they do it in Taiwan when they allow you to easily customize with sugar/​ice levels. My favorites in order:
1. Taro green milk tea (it’s like half taro half jasmine. other tea places always seem very curious and concerned when I ask for this mix. hmm)
2. Jasmine green milk tea. classic
3. Almond milk tea. also super good when hot.
If you’ve never had… gotta go give it a try!

This Chinatown NYC staple has finally made its way to NOVA! I’ll have to admit that the first time I tried Kung Fu, I opted for a slushie instead of a milk tea. I’m a big fan of milk tea and I’ll have to say that Kung Fu hits the mark!
I don’t really follow any store openings but after the influx of pictures of my Instagram and Facebook feed, I knew I had to check it out sooner or later. I waited for the hype to go down a little bit and stopped by one evening at 9:30pm (they close at 10pm) and it was still popping! The wait is approximately 5 – 15 minutes for drinks, depending on what you order.
From milk tea, specialty tea, coffee, slushies, and other flavorful drinks, you get to choose how much ice you need in it and how sweet you want it to be. There are carriers for your drinks if you’re taking it to go or you can enjoy your drink right then and there at a few of their tables.

I’ve been hearing about this place since it opened so coming back from school, of course I have to try it.
There are a ton of options from coffee to lychee. You get to choose if you want no ice, light or a lot as well as added boba, jelly and lots of other options. The service was really fast and there was a good amount of seating.
For sure a ¹⁰⁄₁₀!

Given that I’ve been frequenting Kung Fu Tea almost weekly now (RIP health), I’ve decided to bump up their rating to 4 stars from the original 3 stars I gave back when they first opened. This is definitely one of the best boba places in Northern Virginia/​DC/​MD (certainly Northern Virginia and DC). Every time I’ve been here, the line has been out the door. It doesn’t even matter what time I go; there’s always a line and that’s because KF Tea has the best boba around. I’m not saying it’s Cali good or even NYC good, but it is very good for this area. I’ve also perfected my drink orders now and that certainly helps with my bubble tea satisfaction.
Usual orders (I ask for AT LEAST 50% sweetness, preferred 30%, little to no ice)
+KF milk green tea with boba
+Passion fruit green tea
+Passion fruit slush
+Matcha red bean slush
+Yogurt (Yakult) grapefruit
+Yogurt green tea
+Winter melon milk green tea
Remember, you can adjust the sweetness and ice levels to your liking. Each topping (boba, nata jelly, mung bean, red bean) is 50 cents additional charge to your drink total. Service has improved significantly but can still remain slow during very busy hours.

Be prepared to wait in line on any given day. Very extensive menu of boba drinks. After visiting this location twice and the Rockville location once, I would recommend the taro milk tea (no sugar added) with grass jelly, bubbles, and custard. If you’re not in the mood for a heavy drink, I’d recommend the passion fruit green tea (no sugar added) with bubbles — very, very refreshing. The matcha red bean slush is also worth trying, but it is very heavy and should be shared. Service is decent; cashiers are always helpful if you are not sure what to order. I feel obligated to return to this place another twenty times to try all the options on the menu.
They accept plastic, but no Amex. Also, no balance minimum.

Delicious teas + other drink options (slushies, juices, etc.), in fun flavors (coffee milk tea! Who knew there was such a thing!), and fully customizable (you can request less sugar, amount of ice, etc.) You can also request exactly what you want in your tea, from bubbles to pudding to other various mix-​ins.
Kung Fu Tea was delicious, and I can’t wait to go back! First time there I got a large coffee milk tea with bubbles and pudding (it’s like a slightly mango-​flavored egg pudding that they use.) Can’t wait to try their almond and taro flavors in the future, and maybe venture into slushie territory if I start to feel brave.
Good stuff, lots of seating inside — it’s a smidge off the beaten path of the «main» part of Annandale off of Little River Turnpike, and I can’t wait to see what opens up next door since there’s some open storefront space in the shopping center nearby!