Molly Tea

Molly Tea’s Allston counter is inside Novo Marketplace on Brighton Avenue. Floral teas are the starting point: jasmine, white champaca, gardenia and oolong appear across the menu, blended with milk or used in other drinks. Premium jasmine milk tea is a straightforward introduction, while grape, apple and matcha combinations give you more to compare on a return visit.

Some drinks add salted-cheese cream or the shop’s jasmine-scented whipped cream, so read the description if you want a simpler tea rather than something closer to dessert. This is a drinks stop within a larger food hall, making it easy to pick up a tea while friends order from another counter. Look for Molly Tea in space four at 122 Brighton Avenue, rather than expecting a separate street entrance.