CHICHA San Chen - San Gabriel — Restaurant in San Gabriel

CHICHA San Chen is apparently from Taiwan, and what sets them apart from other teashops is that they have a very specific brewing and measuring process (which you can watch) in making each cup of tea. That ensures that each drink is made according to near-perfection.

The menu they offer is also not extensively filled with drinks. It seems that they've simplified the entire ordering process. Teas are broken down by basic tea (green, high mountain, oolong) and where each originated from $4. From there you can add flavoring for $1 each and toppings for $0.50 each. You can also adjust for sugar and ice as you order - simplified ordering, but the price adds up. There's also a pre-made menu of their popular drinks, that way you don't have to think about adding milk, boba, etc. as it's already included in the order.

I believe this teashop prides itself on being one of the only ones in the area that uses an espresso like contraption to brew out the tea. The worker will pour out the tea leaves, set the machine according to how much water, etc. should be added, and the tea comes out into a pitcher. From there, other workers will measure the designated topping weight with the food scale before adding tea, ice, toppings. So you can pretty much guarantee that if you order the same drink every single time, the drink should taste the same every single time.

I tried their green tea with the in-house mousse and added boba (less sugar, less ice). All together, this drink cost $5.50 for a regular, small sized cup. I could really taste the freshness of the green tea the moment I took my first sip. Some other places have a watered down, not as natural flavoring, but you can taste the "pureness" of the tea and the slight bitter aftertaste with each sip. Like others have mentioned, the boba is cooked for about 2 hours - and honestly, if that's the process to make amazing boba, it's well worth it. Probably one of THE best boba I've ever had. The perfect amount of chewiness and sweetness without being too hard or too soft. If you let it sit in the drink for awhile, the boba does get a bit harder, but still - it's pretty good. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the mousse, which is Chica San Chen's version of salted cream/milk foam. I thought that it could be a bit more thick in texture; the taste wasn't doing much for me - very sweet and seemed to be made with whipped cream or ice cream, so it tasted like a light ice cream on top. I didn't mix it in with the green tea - perhaps it would have been different if I had done so. Probably will not try the mousse again.

Also ordered the Bubble Milk Tea (black team, cream and bubble) for $5.50 with no ice and less sugar. First sip, I thought the tea flavoring was quite strong and could possible have used more sweetness/sugar. But I drank a few more sips and the taste grew on me. You can tell that the tea and milk they use is pretty good quality because the tea tastes much more rich and creamy. Drinking it with the boba gave the tea a little more sweetness; I definitely think I'll order this drink with 75% sugar since I enjoy my milk teas on the sweeter side. But the boba was amazing as well.

The only downside is that the drinks are pricey. I paid around $12 for both my drinks, when I feel like the max amount should be around $10. I saw some people hold cups that were larger than the regular sized. Not sure if that's because they knew the workers or the specific drinks come in larger sizes. I didn't see anything regarding upgrade to large size.

Workers are friendly and able to explain their menu as well as the purpose behind the teas/store, which I appreciated. I came on a weekday afternoon and even though there were a few people ahead of me, the workers were efficient in getting out the drinks in a timely manner.

Located in the Mian plaza - parking...

As a boba enthusiast, I had to visit this place since it's been hyped by many. Got there 1 hour before opening just to check out the surrounding areas and to line up prior to their opening. My gosh, 30min before opening, line was already starting to pile up. By opening, the line is already so long! My friends and I did get lots of drinks.

Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Passion Fruit - refreshing passionfruit, perfectly sweetened, subtle tea flavor but complementary to the passionfruit

Lemon & Mango with Condensed Milk - their take on Brazilian lemonade. Tart and sweet but creamy texture and feel. Just enough tart to give you that back of the mouth tingle, but satisfying and surprisingly refreshing.

Bubble Milk Tea - strong black tea flavor with creamy texture. Great boba texture and sweet. Pretty standard and good indicator that the shop is good

Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Mango - pretty good mango and oolong flavor. The flavors mixed well together and it was quite pleasant. Great tea will always come thru and I think this drink it's pretty good.

Cassia Black Tea with Cream - it was good and had a nice tea flavor but again, it wasn't memorable.

Pineapple Sunset - unmemorable

Black Tea Cream Coffee - mid coffee

Dong Ding Oolong Tea - barely sweet even if the sugar level was their "perfect" level, deeper tea flavor and properly brewed

Overall, I wouldn't go out of my way to drive here and get in line for this boba. It's over hyped imo. I would rather go here though than the Alley...

Tea in its purest form. Definitely deserves Michelin rating.

I came here a while back when they had online ordering, but I couldn't find it this time around and waited in line. The store opens at 12 PM and I arrived around 12:15 PM with a line out the door. The line ended in front of the hair salon. I appreciate the respect they have for other businesses, with signs asking customers to leave space for a walkway. ChiCha San Chen already knows their tea is a hit. I get a little peeved seeing other customers not respecting the business' sign to "Please Keep The Door Closed". I closed it while waiting in line, but it ended up staying open shortly after me.

Personally, the wait to the cashier took about 30 minutes and is worth it. I wasn't expecting a sample of their Peach Tea before I ordered and was pleasantly surprised by the freshness.

The shop is small and clean with 3 tables to seat 4 people each. I waited outside for my order to be made. The loudspeaker makes it clear when your order is ready. Each drink is made efficiently and it took about 15 minutes for 4 drinks. Bags are $0.75, but I brought my own tray and bag. The staff kindly helped me pack it up.

I ordered the Peach Dong Ding Oolong Tea, Osmanthus Oolong with Honey and Grass Jelly, and Dong Ding with Oolong. The tea's pleasant aroma and crisp, refreshing flavor leave a lasting impression. A little pricey with each drink almost reaching $8. It's a treat for me and I...