Bubble-tea and iced-tea shops we checked, and how to cold-brew loose-leaf tea at home. For hot tea, tea rooms and loose-leaf shops, see the Asheville tea guide.
Asheville has no boba street, so expect to drive between shops. Downtown has Sweets and Seats on Patton Avenue and Aloha Cafe on Battery Park Avenue, Pop Bubble Tea pours from inside The Hop Ice Cream on Merrimon Avenue, and Bubble House sits in Asheville Mall. Plant Bar in West Asheville sweetens its pearls with coconut sugar and maple syrup, and Typhoon Noodle on Hendersonville Road lets you build a bubble tea next to a bowl of Szechuan noodles.
6 Asheville shops, checked as open on 2026-10-01. Listed in no particular order; this is not a ranking.
| Tea | Leaf per Water | Example Batch | Steep and Serve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green or white tea | 8.5–10.6 g per litre | 9 g leaf : 1 L cold water | Fridge 6–8 hours, strain, drink as is (Rishi) |
| Black tea or oolong | 8.5–10.6 g per litre | 9 g leaf : 1 L cold water | Fridge 8–10 hours, strain, drink as is (Rishi) |
| Taiwanese oolong, lighter batch | 7 g per litre | 7 g leaf : 1 L cold water | 2–3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge (Eco-Cha) |
| Herbal blends and rooibos | 8.5–10.6 g per litre | 10 g : 1 L cold water | Fridge 10–12 hours for herbal (Rishi), at least 12 hours for rooibos (Rooibos.Africa) |
| Sencha, quick concentrate | 10 g per 210 ml | 10 g leaf : 210 ml chilled water | 15 minutes undisturbed, small glasses (Ippodo) |
| Where It Steeps | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator, 40 °F (4 °C) or colder | 6–12 hours by tea type | Green and white shortest, herbal and rooibos longest. The FDA puts a safe fridge at 40 °F or below. |
| Room temperature | 2–3 hours (Taiwanese oolong only) | Eco-Cha’s short counter steep; strain and refrigerate the tea once it is done. |
| Chilled water, quick | 15 minutes (sencha) | Ippodo’s method gives a small, concentrated cup rather than a pitcher. |
Sources: Rishi Tea & Botanicals, How to Make Iced Tea; Eco-Cha, How to Brew Oolong Tea; Ippodo Tea, Cold Brew Sencha; Rooibos.Africa, Brewing; FDA, Refrigerator Thermometers: Cold Facts about Food Safety.
Every tea type, with leaf weight and fridge time: Cold-Brew Tea Ratio Chart.
We checked 6 Asheville bubble-tea and iced-tea shops as open on 2026-10-01: Pop Bubble Tea (North Asheville (Merrimon Ave)), Sweets and Seats (Downtown (Patton Ave)), Bubble House Asheville (East Asheville (Asheville Mall)), Aloha Cafe (Downtown (Battery Park Ave)), Plant Bar (West Asheville) (West Asheville (Haywood Rd)) and Typhoon Noodle (South Asheville (Hendersonville Rd)).
Plant Bar (West Asheville) list brown sugar boba on their own menus or listings.
Pop Bubble Tea, Bubble House Asheville, Typhoon Noodle make fruit teas, according to their menus or listings.
Use about 9 g of leaf per litre of cold water and steep it in the fridge: 6–8 hours for green or white tea, 8–10 hours for black or oolong, 10–12 hours for herbal blends (Rishi’s guidance). Strain, then keep it refrigerated at 40 °F or colder.