New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Fresh tea, house-made syrups and local milks set new boba shop apart
The owners of Loose Leaf Boba Company in New Haven say their new boba shop is unlike any other in the area.
With natural ingredients like real fruit, a selection of local dairy and vegan milks and ceremonialgrade organic matcha starring in its drinks, Loose Leaf is “completely different,” said co-owner William Bok, who recently opened the beverage shop in the Shops at Yale with his sister and business partner, Lisa Satavu.
They’re shying away from preparations using artificial fruit powders and instant tea and coffee, instead brewing fresh batches of Vietnamese coffee and loose-leaf tea, crafting house-made syrups and choosing locally-sourced milks from Litchfield’s Arethusa Farm, as well as plant-based milk options from Califia Farms Plant Milks and Oatly.
“You taste the difference with every sip you take,” Bok said.
Bok and Satavu debuted the boba shop March 30, featuring hot and cold beverages (with or without the namesake chewy pearls of tapioca starch) and it’s been busy ever since, Bok said Wednesday. The siblings have also opened several Pokémoto poké restaurants in the state, and previously owned several locations of FroyoWorld frozen yogurt shops.
The Loose Leaf brand — with the motto “Keepin’ It Real” nodding to its fresh ingredients — originally began in Southern California, and Bok and Satavu thought the West Coast brand would be a good fit in the Elm
City. “Downtown New Haven is a cultural hub for innovative and creative ideas, and I couldn’t imagine a better location to open Loose Leaf,” Satavu said in a statement.
Loose Leaf offers hot and iced teas, milk teas, 50/50 drinks (half Vietnamese coffee and half milk tea) and other unique beverages, like a blended matcha and avocado smoothie with condensed milk. Drinks are all made to order, and can be customized with choice of milk, sweetness level and toppings.
Early best-sellers include a strawberry matcha latte, Bok said, layered with with organic matcha, strawberry compote and choice of milk, and a bananas foster milk, with caramelized Jamaican rum, coconut milk, cold-pressed pandan, cinnamon and brown sugar. Drinks are priced at about $5 to $6.50.
Bok said he’s looking forward to seasonal drinks that will debut over the next few months, with flavors like summer melon, peach, watermelon and pumpkin pie.
“We are delighted to support the expansion of local, womenowned businesses in New Haven,” said Lauren Zucker, Yale University’s associate vice president for New Haven Affairs and University Properties. “Yale University’s community investment program supports independently-owned businesses, bringing jobs to New Haven residents and expanding the city’s tax base.”
Next month, the siblings will open another Pokémoto in Wallingford at 1094 N. Colony Road, with a Loose Leaf location within the store. “They complement each other,” Bok said.
Loose Leaf Boba Co., at 46 High Street in New Haven, is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. bobacompany.com.