Tpumps — Restaurant in Foster City

After a whole day of being out and about it was time to wind down with some boba. When my brother and I got there it was about 30 minutes before closing and thank goodness there wasn't a line. When we came in we had an order of 5 drinks ($3.50 each for large) and right as we got in line 5-7 more people came right behind us. Since our order was fairly huge we looked at the menu ahead of time. T-pumps has this process, like other boba places up here, where you choose a base, a flavor, sweetness, and toppings.

A beautiful thing happened and we told the cashier there will be 5 drinks so the rest of the staff was ready to go and boy did they hustle. If customers are upfront about their order and you have a staff like T-pumps in Foster City does, it becomes a beautiful dance. Our orders were made in less than 4 minutes AND they were all correct.

My drink was a green tea with taro and coconut, lightly sweetened with no boba. I got to say it was pretty tasty, reminds me of those times I went to get frozen yogurt and did a taro/coconut combination, this drink was pretty close. It was the taste of the taro and since there was coconut the drink itself was a little thicker because the coconut milk has this creamy consistency. The sweetness was spot on as well and for everyone else’s drinks they were happy campers as well. Locals say there’s usually a line, which I don’t doubt because for a small place it thrives in the shopping center it’s in. T-pumps is the go-to boba place to get your down-to-a-t-customizable drink....

Edit: Seems like they reversed their lids back to the old ones!

Been a big fan of tpumps for a long time - unfortunately, their new lids are a massive inconvenience, and significantly hurt the experience.

For those unaware, they used to use the standard “sealed” plastic wrap over cups. However, in the past couple months, they’ve switched to a hard plastic lid, similar to what you might find when getting soda at McDonalds. Moreover, they continue to use soft plastic cups, unlike the hard ones typically paired with these cups.

The combination of these things means that any slight squeeze, any slight jostle, and the drink itself spills out of the cup (you can see an example in the photo). Given that this is a sugary drink, this makes the overall experience much more unpleasant, typically resulting in sticky fingers or other spillage (like in your car cupholder…)

I can’t imagine I’m the only one who’s had this issue, given that 1. They have a large sign telling you to not flip your drink over (not an issue with the old kids), and 2. There was a large spill outside, undoubtedly because somebody dropped their drink (also not an issue with the old lids).

Apologies for the essay, but it’s pretty disappointing to have a place you’ve gone to for years substantially degrade their experience. Unless you’re fine with sticky fingers and potentially a larger mess, I’d recommend going somewhere else.

Ps: Is this petty? Yes. But the spill was...

I love Tpumps. The price is low and consistent, and while they don't serve the best quality boba, you get your money's worth, which is something I can't say for many OTHER boba places.

The drink is a good size for just 5 dollars and 50 cents (if you are getting the Tpumps size) and the boba is tasty. The pearl-tea ratio isn't my favorite, there's usually about half of the tea left after all of the boba has been finished. I like the variety of flavors and customization, though I will say their non-caffeinated drinks just taste like syrup and water. Those are really my only complaint about the drinks themselves, I have never encountered problems with the service. They are fast, kind, and make your drinks just how you want them. My favorite quirks about Tpumps is their Tpumps Tuesdays, where you can upgrade to a Pumpbo size cup for free, and their free samples.

What makes this Tpumps especially nice is its location. It is at the Metro Center, so you can get boba after your grocery run at Safeway or take your boba with you to the Leo J. Ryan park just across the street. All around, it's a great cheap boba joint that I encourage you...