CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Tea It, the new boba tea shop in Citrus Heights, is located at 8516 Auburn Blvd. Tea It is family owned and operated by the Liang family — Amy, Jack, and sons Jason and Jeffrey. They opened the shop in August 2019 after signing a three-year lease at the location. The family also owns the nearby Aquarium & Reptile Depot at 8201 Auburn Blvd.

Jack and Amy have over 30 years of restaurant experience, owning five restaurants at one time. After selling the final restaurant and retiring in 2018, Amy quickly realized “this isn’t working for me.” Not the type to sit quietly at home, she soon came across an open business space on Auburn Blvd. and saw the potential for a new venture for her family. Located right near Hwy 80, Amy said, “This is the ideal spot.”

Jason said it was a great experience working as a family to open the tea shop: “Everyone is fully committed to the goal at hand.”

Although Tea It is a family business, Amy runs it day to day. After decades working in the high-stress restaurant business, this simple tea shop feels like a breath of fresh air to Amy: “I’m just really happy to be part of the community. … It’s just really fun. I love coming in and talking to customers.”

The family is also very grateful to the City of Citrus Heights for their support in opening the business. Jason said, “The City has been very helpful with planning and design.” As part of their effort to beautify the city and support local businesses, the City worked with the Liang family on the outside color scheme to make sure Tea It is attractive and visible to new customers. The City also gave them a grant to help them revitalize the outside of the shop: “They helped us out quite a bit,” said Amy.

Jason said Tea It offers “a fun atmosphere for all ages.” The clean, bright interior is decorated with colorful murals depicting grass-covered hills, a towering mountain peak, and cherry trees bursting with pink blooms.

It’s a place where people can hang out and relax, study, play board games, or just chat with friends and family. “I’ve gotten good feedback from people; they just really like it when they come in,” said Amy.

Tea It offers a variety of teas as the base for their custom-made drinks, with the option of creamers or fruit juices mixed in and numerous topping choices. They brew and mix each drink individually, customizing the flavors and sweetness levels.

Amy said that the most popular menu item is Thai tea, which is made by slow brewing loose tea leaves for four hours. The menu also includes coffees, smoothies, sandwiches, salads, and Gunther’s ice cream. They plan to add new menu items as they get a feel for what clients are looking for. Jason said, “We have a lot of room to grow, seeing what works and what people want,” so they love getting feedback from the community.

The summer is typically the busiest time for boba tea shops, so Amy plans to hire more employees as business increases in the coming months. Tea It is also signed up with DoorDash and will be signing up with Grubhub soon too.

You can visit their website at www.JustTeaIt.com.