Calitea Rpv - Rancho Palos Verdes

We've been here many times and our drinks are consistently good. They also have little snacks and things that vary sometimes, but are always tasty. They have a small seating area with tons of games and stuff to play. And the bathroom is ALWAYS clean!! We stopped here once out of convenience and it has become one of our favorite South Bay boba shops!!

The staff (individual who took my order) was nice, warm, friendly, and patient as it was my first time here last weekend. She explained to me what was in their #1 recommended or most popular drinks the Cali Milk tea with boba (honestly I believe she said it was a mix of Thai tea and something else unique but I can 't remember what it was combined with, nevertheless it was fairly good, boba quality fine as well. I am not sure why but they only had this in large size and I would have preferred a medium- the staff member told me they did the milk teas or this particular drink in large size only, I suppose I should have asked why? I 'm guessing it has to do with the recipe. My biggest gripe was the smell inside. While the ambiance was welcoming (classic cozy coffee shop vibes with a slight modern twist) it smelled like a giant dirty mop in the entire place. I suppose I appreciate their commitment to cleaning but it was like that smell of overused dirty rags that seemed to permeate the place. This was then compounded by the 80 degree weather outside, and the place having zero air conditioning or even fans inside. There were many people sitting inside, I have no idea how they could handle that it was stifling. I almost left because of the smell and heat inside alone. When my barista handed me my drink, I noticed two large beads of sweat on his upper lip. Felt terrible for him. Don 't think I will be back, but thank you to the hardworking staff. I am not claiming in anyway that this is a *dirty* place, this was just my experience of course.

Got myself Hokkaido MT with boba and Osmanthus Tropic Fruit tea.The Hokkaido is sweet but not as creamy as I'd like. Every shop's Hokkaido MT is different and this shop's not my favorite although it was still good. The boba is underdone and not as sweet. It was a bit of a let down.The Osmanthus Tropic was delightful though. Fruity with a deep flavor of tea. Id recommend this one.Also disliked how dark it is inside. I could barely see the decor. It was only 6PM.

Great alternative to the big guys. Lots of different options, too!

The watery diluted milk tea was pretty underwhelming. Ordered the standard “Calitea” with honey boba. You’d think being their signature drink it would be decent quality but it was weak and just very watered down. I guess quantity over quality is their business strategy. Will pass in future.