Gong Cha

See also Wikipedia's article about "Gong Cha".

Gong Cha is a tea store located on Broadway between 108th and 109th. It is no less expensive than Starbucks, but people will probably shit on you less for getting addicted to it. Expect to spend between $4 and $7 dollars for a drink.

Suggestions

Some people really dig the Dirty Brown Sugar Milk Tea, which is essentially pure sugar with a side of black tea. Others opt for the Earl Grey with Three Js, a drink with (you guessed it) an Earl Grey base and three types of jelly. Regardless of what you get, it feels like Gong Cha does a good job of rotating out different flavors with the seasons.

Decor

The store itself is about as big as a Double, with a seating area that always seems to be taken. On one of the walls, visiting students from other colleges attach a piece of paper with their college logo. In addition to classics like NYU or Cornell, there are also some logos from places you've likely never heard of from around the World.

Rewards

Gong Cha has a pretty decent reward system. Like dozens of other fast-casual places in Morningside Heights like Hula Poke or HamDel, Gong Cha gives out a punch card for which you get a free drink every tenth purchase. They also have a lottery system by which select reward members will get a drink for free at random.