The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The the staff is really friendly. There is a guy by the name of Victor who is just too adorable for his own good.

The line here was insanely long, but it moved pretty fast! They have a lot of different drink options and offer something for everyone! I ordered iced coffee and a blueberry scone. The iced coffee was really good! Unfortunately, the scone was supposed to be warmed up, but it was almost completely cold! It was still yummy, but sort of disappointing to bite into a warm service to find a completely cold center! Overall I’d definitely come back here, but if I ever ordered food I would ask for it to be heated up longer!

I understand these baristas are students, but they should at least know that a latte is made with espresso shots and milk… Not regular coffee and milk. I tried to explain this to the barista, but she said this is how they were trained. Ughhh… Need to call CBTL corporate and let them know this franchise is ripping off their customers. Might as well add that the iced coffee they serve is flavorless and watered-​down. UCR, please properly train your Baristas.

They have some many varieties, and they roast the coffee to order so it’s always fresh. I love them.

I asked for an iced coffee and they poured hot coffee over ice. It tasted so watered down and disgusting that I had to change it to a hot coffee. When I asked they said that’s how they prepare their iced coffees. Just a word of advice: it would be nice if they prepare their coffee in the morning and fridge it and then pour it over ice like Starbucks does.
On the other hand, their soy sugarfree vanilla latte is yummy. It definitely hits the spot on a cold or rainy day.

I live here.
Warm weather go-to’s:
— Matcha ice blend /​iced matcha latte
— Hazelnut ice blend /​iced hazelnut latte
— Iced Earl grey tea latte
— Chai tea ice blend
Cold weather go-to’s:
— Matcha tea latte
— Hazelnut latte
— Earl grey tea latte
— Chai tea latte
See a pattern?
I try to get my drinks with soy milk (if I’m feeling fancy and I find an extra 60 cents on the floor) so it’s creamier but it’s perfectly fine/​delicious/​desirable/​NOM with just the default!
The only snack I’ve ever had here was the blueberry or cranberry/​orange scones. They’re pretty dense and occasionally dry (especially if you don’t get it warmed up at the store) but they’re relatively cheap for their massive size (the size of my whole hand) and really fill you up for a few hours if you’re looking to avoid hearing grumbles during classes.
Obviously if you’re going to go during class rush hours your drink isn’t going to be the best (i.e. too icy, old coffee, watered down, etc.) because of all the customers but if you go a few minutes after the rush it makes a total difference!
I’ve never had a terrible experience here because of the kind and attentive staff (if you aren’t happy that they aren’t chipper when taking your order, remember that these workers are students too — cut them some slack!!) but –1 star because of its cramped seating area to the right.
PROTIP: get your drinks without foam so you can get more of it :-) foam is a waste of space

The people are very friendly, and the coffee is good. The manager is also very nice. I forget his name; a tall guy.

Before 8 am this place is pretty empty, so grabbing a coffee is really quick and easy. The baristas aren’t all that happy, but most students aren’t before 8 am. I ordered the vanilla latte, hot. In my opinion, it’s better than a starbucks vanilla latte. It’s creamy and delicious, however, it isn’t very strong.
If you want a strong delicious coffee served by really happy and friendly servers then I would recommend Bytes. If you’re rushing to class and you just need something to keep you awake so you can get through it then this place is perfectly acceptable. Plus it’s great that they are open at 7 am, whereas Bytes doesn’t open until 8 am. The location is right in the middle of campus, so that’s nice too.

great location, great vib, but not so nice customer service.

The service is only so-​so, but their drinks actually taste like something I want to drink as opposed to the watery diarrhea Starbucks tries to pass off as fit for human consumption. Starbucks has great service, and that usually counts for much more, but not when it comes to my caffeine. Flavor over friendliness, people. Their drinks are so good that I would probably still leave with a huge grin on my face if one of the employees flipped me off and told me I was uglier than Bruce Vilanche. That did not happen, mind you. The employees are not very warm, but they are fast and I appreciate that. I don’t need to make a new friend every time I order coffee. I just need caffeine sans diarrhea.

I am not pleased with the service at coffee bean. I rarely go to get coffee on campus and i guess i won’t be any longer. The last time i went, i ordered a hot Chai tea latte. 20 minutes later, my name was called and they hand me an iced drink. I mentioned to the man that i ordered a hot drink, he said immediately to come back later for a free drink because i was already late to class due to how long they took. I grabbed a straw and took a sip to find out this was not the drink i ordered at all, instead it was an ice coffee. I went back inside and told the same man what happened. He apologized and made me my drink right then in front of me, which was nice of him.
Late for my class and not very happy, i drank my very expensive Chai latte.

When you’re already on campus and need a little pick me up but Starbucks is too far, why not go to Coffee Bean? I don’t go here for the «coffee» in their name but more so for the «tea». I personally like Coffee Bean for their iced tea, ice blended, and tea lattes, not so much for their coffee (that’s what’s Starbucks is for). I love the drinks I get from Coffee Bean and ideally I would rate them a 3.5 or and round up to 4 stars, but I’ve had more bad experiences here than good.
THE DETAILS: Located on campus (obvi); it’s closer and more convenient than walking all the way to the UV for Starbucks. I understand that this location is extremely busy due to the rush of students and professors, but the service here is far from impeccable. The line to order is slow. The line to retrieve the drink is slow. Sometimes I find myself waiting for 15mins, but I can tell my fellow colleagues are trying as hard as they can while still smiling.
THE DRINKS: Like I said, I don’t come here for the coffee. I used to think Coffee Bean was meh until I found THE drink. Omg my favorite drink here ever is the Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl Tea Latte (you can just say jasmine tea latte). I’ve gotten it both iced and hot but I prefer it hot. Jasmine tea is my favorite tea and this latte is absolutely delicious. The flavor of the tea is strong and in latte form it’s perfect for a cold day. My second favorite drink here is the Pomegranate Blueberry ice blended. It’s yummy and refreshing, perfect for a hot day! I’ve ordered regular iced coffee a couple times before but it’s just average, nothing special.
THE FOOD: I’ve ordered the everything bagel and the onion bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. I don’t think you can really completely mess up on a bagel, so I thought it was pretty good. I sure love my carbs.
THE END? Yeah, won’t be back unless I’m on campus visiting and was dying of thirst.

I think Coffee Bean is alright. I’d rather go to Starbucks but when you want a drink it’s the closest thing since it’s on campus.
I don’t like the fact that they don’t accept gift cards which sucks because I wouldn’t go out of my way to go to a coffee bean out side of campus.
The staff is really friendly and attentive so that’s a plus.
I didn’t like my oolong Frap so they were nice enough to exchange it for me and make me a green tea Frap instead.
My favorite drink here is the jasmine dragon phoenix pearl tea latte. I also like their parfait’s but since they’re $ 4 and quite small I’ve stopped getting them.
I also like the fact that they warm up your pastries, which is nice.
Coffee bean is a great meet up spot, and I like to study here on occasion although you have to go early in order to snag a table.

I waited very patiently while three employees tried to ring up a fourth employee. None of them acknowledged me for minutes on end, and there appeared to be a fifth person working on ordering for the store or making a schedule or something. Finally, a guy walked up to wait in line, and they asked him if they could help the next person. He mistakenly thought it was him, when I had been waiting there for an unreasonable amount of time. I had to step in and tell the girl that I was next, even though it was hard for me to believe that they did not know I was there waiting to order.
The girl that made my latte, the 6^th employee I saw working that night, was very friendly, so, my visit wasn’t totally filled with rude thoughtless people. I just don’t understand why, with 6 people working, it took so long to acknowledge one customer.

Service meh
Espresso drinks meh. (I prefer bytes/Ivan’s over CBTL, mostly because their beans are more aromatic stronger and flavorful over there.) the espresso drinks at CBTL taste very watered down. Maybe the espresso machine isn’t cleaned well? Clogged up? Or just the beans I don’t know.
Drink baristas are slooooow. But they’re nicer than the other employees.
Teas are nice. I enjoy their genmaicha.
The managers here are quite friendly.

Being the Starbucks native I am, this was a hard transition for me. Being the UCR student I am, it was a transition I was forced to endure.
Firstly, the sizes are now called «Small,» «Medium,» and «Large.». I know, weird. Don’t accidentally order a grande; not everyone will know what that is.
I have yet to explore the vast selections of teas yet, but I can definitely vouch for the Vanilla latte (hot!), or ICE BLENDED vanilla is really good too :}
The line moves a bit slow for my liking and it sort of takes a while for your drink to appear at the bar as well. I would recommend skipping this place around lunch hour (12−1pm) but hey… when you’re feening your’e feening, right?

Try their iced teas they beat Starbucks by a mile.
If you want coffee that’s very bold and super hot this is the place to be.

It’s in the middle of campus! Why would it not be busy. My favorite time to be there is at 7 am or at 7pm. If youre impatient don’t go in. Go to Ivans or the C store.
They’re always looking to Improve their customer service and if the drink is not how you like it, they will remake it for you.
Granted some are a little snobby, but they’re students just like us who have to worry about midterms, papers, finals and LIFE just like the rest of us!
Their drinks are amazing, and their pastries are Buddha sent !

Let me begin by saying that I’m a Starbucks regular, and I always will be. But when I’m in need of a quick fix while I’m on campus at UCR, I’ll ‘settle’ for Coffee Bean.
If it’s not already obvious, try not to come here in-​between classes. The lines are always super long, but it goes by quite quickly. These employees know how hustle, and I commend them for that! I’ll order and get my drink within 15 minutes most of the time. Another plus is that even though I’m here about every other day when I’m on campus, I haven’t run into an unfriendly employee yet. YAY!~
I have quite a bit of a sweet tooth, so only consider my recommendations if you have a killer craving for extremely sweet drinks –
The Ultimate: FIRST drink I’ve ever had at any Coffee Bean. Not on the menu, but very delicious! It’s a little chocolate-​y with blended in coffee beans? Top it off with whipped cream, and it’s decadent! A little on the pricey side, but whatevers~ Check your teeth after for any little black bits that may be stuck in between.
Ice blended white chocolate: Generous amount of chocolate syrup on the cup and the concoction is then topped off with more chocolate syrup. Can’t really taste the «white» in the white chocolate part, but there’s plenty of ice blended into it which melts rather quickly… and makes the entire drink taste AND look disgusting. Drink it up fast on a hot day!
Peppermint Jasmine Tea: It’s different. I was expecting a very refreshing «ahhh» from the peppermint, but it wasn’t that. It definitely tasted a tad bit minty, but it wasn’t strong enough for my taste. For a $ 4 regular, it was a-​okay.
Coffee Bean is nothing special. Their drinks are pricier than Starbucks, their drinks are completely different from Starbucks, so if it wasn’t so convenient, I probably would never go to another Coffee Bean.

I actually really like this coffee bean. I dont really care that its always packed and that its loud because its expected when you have a coffee store on a college campus.
I really like their onion bagels. You can smell the deliciousness surround the whole store as they toast the bagels. mmmmm Dark chocolate ice blend is yum and its equivalent to Starbucks’ Double Chocolate Chip Frap. The Dark Chocolate Latte is yum too. Can you tell I like dark chocolate? hehe
Dont come at the hour, come a bit later if you want to beat the lines.