Maggie X.
Yelp
I still don't know what to call this place. Chi Cha? San Chen? CCSC? The logo also confused me for a long time before making the connection that it's the fancy brewing machine that's the namesake of this tea joint.
Located in a bustling strip mall next to 85C, parking can be challenging during peak hours. When it first opened, wait times were upwards of an hour. It's calmed down a lot since then, but drinks can still take a bit to make because each cup is brewed to order. Ordering is taken up front or via a tablet, though online ordering is now also available. There's a rewards system that can be signed up for with a simple phone number. Once you order, a screens displays the status of your order.
Green milk tea with/without fresh milk:
This green tea is my absolute favorite tea at this shop. It's fragrant, clean, and robust in flavor without bitterness. It tastes like a mix of oolong and longjing to me, and I like that it retains the lightness of longjing while embodies the roasted earthiness of oolong. I find the fresh milk to be the perfect complement to the delicate tea without overpowering it, as cream can mask the light tea flavor. Sweetness can also be adjusted to personal preference.
Dongding oolong tea with/without cream:
This oolong tea is complex with layers of flavor, almost with a caramely aftertaste. I find that a cream pairing allows for balancing of the rather stronger tea taste.
Osmanthus oolong tea:
I'm a huge fan of real osmanthus flower being brewed with the green tea rather than just osmanthus syrup. I usually get this tea very lightly sweetened and without milk or cream so I can really taste the floral scent of osmanthus. If you prefer a lighter floral taste, adding milk or cream would dampen the osmanthus while still preserving the floral aftertaste.
Taro milk tea latte:
There are a few versions of taro drinks, all of which use real taro paste. The taro milk tea latte with choice of green or black tea base, taro puree, and boba pearls or taro pillows. The descriptions of the taro drinks is slightly confusing, so I'd pay attention to make sure the right drink is ordered. Unfortunately substitutions or even removals are not allowed with these drinks. My favorite is the version with taro paste, green tea base, and boba. I find the taro pillows to get soggy quickly and I prefer the balance of pearls with the taro paste. Given the sweetened toppings and sweetened taro paste, I usually go light sweetness with these drinks.
Mango green tea:
Fruit teas aren't my favorites here since most of them use straight syrup and I find them overly sweet. The passion fruit and mango aren't bad, especially with no added sweetness of the tea, but I still don't prefer them to classic teas or milk teas.
Toppings:
Classic boba pearls are steeped in sugar syrup and thus on the sweeter side. I find them to have ample chew and overall cooked well (I've had maybe one instance where a couple stuck together). The grass jelly is soft and flowy, really nice texture. The only annoying thing is that it floats to the top of drinks and I have to play straw tag. The taro pillows taste of real taro, but I find them a bit too sweet and they can get a little soggy.
Clearly I come here way too much. There's much to like, and my only gripe is the refusal of customization from pre-designated drinks. Or at least let me remove a component I don't want in the drink! I find it silly to not allow customers to remove a component of a drink even if the cost remains the same (for example, I would prefer to not have the taro pillows in my taro milk tea latte, but this is not allowed).
Each drink comes with a sleeve and hand-threaded pickup suspender. It's a cute detail and adds a little bit of feel good along with the drink.