Chicha San Chen 吃茶三千 — Restaurant in Cupertino

Simply amazing! I had a day off, 10/09/23, and decided to check out the hype, "equivalent to 3 Michelin stars," some people said. Really? I thought it was all bogus and hyped-up....but, I love an awesome boba tea and decided to brave the long wait. Arrived at 11:10 (opened at 12:00) and thought it was good enough. There were already 12 people ahead of me! 10 mins later, people arrived en masse! By 11:30, line was curved back to the other restaurants. By 11:50, further down the plaza. I can see why people gave this low ratings. However, I was here for the milk tea boba and knew about the potential long line. By the door, they gave out samples of their milk tea perfect sweetness, which was great 5*. Since I already tried it, I decided to try the others (limit 2 cups pp). Truly individually brewed fresh, appeared to be precised measurements. End result, superb. Aromatic, fragrance, palate pleasing, and awesome finish (no, not describing a 25yo sherry whisky). Definitely can distinguish the fresh and amazing tea aroma in a blind taste test. The boba was slightly on the chewy side for me but not the hard, uncooked, post 20mins in ice chewiness. It was a good slight chewy that didn't harden after 20mins. Service was phenomenal, 5*. Do the complimentary education and tasting if you can, about 15-20mins. We didn't have anymore time to do it. Pricey? Yes! BUT, for the quality, I'll return for sure.

Our drinks, all organic milk and slight sweet w/boba: -passion fruit green tea, 4.5* -cassia black, 4.5*, very interesting and different aroma, cinnamon. -green milk tea, 5*! My new favorite place in NorCal and top 3 of all time. -ding dong oolong tea, 5*, but I loved the competitor in SoCal more. -high mountain pouchong, 5*, interesting aroma.

I want to come back but no time to wait, 50mins in line and another 15mins for the drinks. When the online ordering opens, I'll be drinking here every weekend. Update: 12.19.23 - coworker got a drink for me, Jasmine green tea w/boba fresh milk, light sweet, light ice. It was more milky than the first time. Boba was more chewy. I thought this was a fluke. 12.23.23- I wasn't satisfied from the 12.19.23 drink so decided to brave the line. Arrived at 12:10 on a holiday Saturday! Line wasn't as bad as the first time we went. However, by 12:45-13:00, line was only at the door. Drinks took 28mins after placing the order. So took total of 45mins (line would be much faster if people got familiar with the drinks while waiting in line). Got 4 drinks, all jasmine green tea w/boba default creamer, light sweet, light ice. Disappointed as it was WAY creamy-milky for us. The tea fragrance and aromas from the first time were almost negligible cuz of the default non-dairy creamer taste that overpowered the tea. Boba was soft but much more chewey than our first time. This would be good for those that prefer this style, creamy-milky...4*. 12.29.23 - decided to give another try and arrived at 12:45. Waited about 15 mins in line and another 30 mins for the drinks. Ordered 2 jasmine green fresh milk w/boba, light sweet, light ice and 1 with konjac Boba. My request to have the fresh milk slightly reduced was rejected from the manager. He said that it's premeasured and if he caters to me, then he would need to cater for every customer....I told him that the first time was super perfect for me and subsequent visits too milky. His response was that it was probably accidental with less milk.... all 3 drinks on the milky side with tea aroma present but not like the first time (although better than the powder cream taste). Boba soft and even more chewey. 4*.... Guess I'm not coming back and will rerate...

『 Quick Overview - full review below 』 Ups: +🏆Customizable drinks with a diverse selection of award-winning teas +🥡Take-out drinks come with a really cute holder for you to carry your drink, also environmentally-friendly +🪑Indoor seating and great vibes 🫖Free 15-min authentic tea tasting experience 🚘Free parking in the plaza outside 🚻Indoor restroom for customers

Downs: ⏳Relatively long wait times due to popularity and brewing time 👥Can get pretty busy / crowded 💲Pricier compared to casual boba spots for the size you get (about $7.50~8.50 + tax for a medium depending on your order) ✖️Some drinks are fixed (e.g. Can't modify or add extra toppings to the peach seasonal menu)

『 Review 』 Happy 1-year anniversary Chicha San Chen!! I was happy I was able to receive a very cute pin with my order in commemoration of one year since their opening🧋

Chicha San Chen (吃茶三千) means "Indulge in tea three thousand times." It is a tea shop established in Taiwan, the origin of bubble milk tea. This is the only store on the West Coast that offers complimentary in-store tea tasting of their Lishan Oolong tea leaves handpicked from the high mountains of Taiwan, which is exclusive to this service and not available off of their actual menu.

I had a wonderful experience with their tea tasting - Nick was a superb host: friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. It was a lovely, interactive experience, any questions we had were answered. Highly recommend for anyone visiting the South Bay, it's an activity that can be enjoyed on your own or with friends / family!

The drinks themselves allow plenty of customizable features: from the type of tea, to the type of creamer, to the variety of toppings that can be added. However, beware some drinks are fixed and can't be modified: higher-end tea chains can be more strict about this. For that same reason, expect to pay a premium for the tea quality and overall experience. I'd come here for the novel experience, on special outings with friends or to treat myself, but not for my daily fix (out of consideration for my wallet). This tea is carefully made to be slowly enjoyed.

『 Tea Tasting Booking Tips 』 Up to five people per tea tasting slot, and they take online reservations and walk-in. For walk-in, it is very simple: check with the front counter if they still have available seats the day of, and you'll receive a ticket for the next...

As a self-professed boba and tea connoisseur, I'm happy to share that Chicha San Chen is officially my absolute favorite boba shop in the Bay Area (and possibly in California).

Chicha San Chen takes their tea seriously and sources all their tea from Taiwan, bringing it to the masses. They pride themselves on serving the highest quality tea possible, and they have the awards to prove it too. Since 2019, Chicha San Chen has submitted their entire selection of tea varieties for tasting at the Michelin iTi International Flavor Assessment. Their Green Tea was honored with the iTi Crystal Taste award, while the others took home the iTi Two Stars distinction.

Each cup of tea is brewed fresh individually using their proprietary teapresso machine - LION, and let me tell you you can really taste the difference. The LION machine ensures that each cup of tea is brewed under particular temperature and pressures, ensuring that the tea you receive will not only always taste fresh, but also the same as any other cup you order from them.

Chicha San Chen has so many options and combinations to try that it's really hard to chose a favorite, but if I really had I would have to say their Green Tea options are probably my main go-to - whether that's their green tea with lemon, or mango, or just the tea itself in its purest form. Their Green Tea is crisp and refreshing, a perfect afternoon pick-up me if I do say so myself. When you try their Green Tea, you'll be able to tell why it won the Crystal Taste Award.

Now that the hype has died down a bit, ordering doesn't take quite as long as it used to. In general, when I visit the shop in the afternoon I usually find myself waiting about 10-15 minutes in line to place my order, and then another 10-15 minutes to pick it up at the front. There is a decent amount of seating inside the store; however, if the shop is full there's plenty of outside seating as well. There's also the option to order online for pick-up in store, but I will mention at times the online ordering system does close when the queue is too full to let the staff catch up to their many orders.

If you're looking for authentic Taiwanese tea, then Chicha San Chen is definitely the place for you, and if there's a bit of a wait I promise you it'll...