Chicha San Chen

Was driving by when I noticed that there was no line for this place. Hoping that the excessive lines had died down, we pulled into the parking lot, which was pretty busy around 1pm on a Saturday afternoon. The order process is seamless- there are 2 monitors to order from, then there is another screen that shows you the orders that are ready vs orders that are being processed, along with estimated preparation times. In the back, there is also a tea tasting room, with walk ins and reservations available. The inside is decorated very aesthetically, With a tea wall that seemed to be made with real tea leaves, and tables and chairs with games available. I got the fruit tea with light ice and perfect sweetness and it truly was the perfect sweetness! The drinks were good, but I wouldn't have waited an hour for them, like people did when it first opened. I will be back!

Ambiance was nice. There was seating, a water station, and free tea samples available for people studying, or catching up. I came mid-afternoon and luckily there was not a long line but there were two self kiosks. There were only 2-3 people in front of me but it still took a while for me to order. I waited ~10 minutes for the drink to be ready. Personally, this drink wasn't worth the $8.60 I paid for it. I ordered the Dong Ding Oolong milk tea with light sweetness+boba. The tea tasted watered down and the boba wasn't too fresh. Don't think I'd come back given the plethora of other options in the South Bay.

This place has been on my list to try since it opened. I got the bubble milk tea and I ordered online since there's usually a 30+ minute wait if you order in store. The online ordering process is interesting as they close the online ordering every now and then so you don't know when it's going to be active or not. However, I was able to order it online and it was ready within 30 minutes when I went to pick up my order. The bubble milk tea had a distinct tea flavoring and the boba was soft and chewy but in my opinion, I've had other boba places that taste just as good as this one. I was a bit disappointed as I don't believe this place lives up to the hype and the wait time isn't worth it. I would come back and try another drink only if there's no line.

I had this place bookmarked for a while, and I finally got to try it recently. I went with my boyfriend on a Sunday late afternoon, and it was fairly packed. We waited about 20-30 minutes for our drinks. The store is spacious, and this place focuses on premium tea and the overall tea experience. They brew their tea using espresso-like machines, brewing each cup individually, which definitely contributes to the long wait. I ordered the Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Organic Milk, and my boyfriend got the Dong Ding Oolong Tea with Mousse. We ended up swapping drinks because we liked the other more. I thought I liked osmanthus, but the flavor was stronger than I expected. The Dong Ding had a deeper and different kind of flavor that I enjoyed more. We both added boba and it was good.Overall, this place is good. However, considering the wait time, price, and taste, I don't know if I would go out of my way to come here again.

I've finally been able to try this spot with no line and no wait! My brother and I came on a Monday afternoon and there was barely a wait. I ordered the green tea with passionfruit and it was one of the most refreshing drinks I've had thus far. The green tea tasted very clean and pure and the passionfruit added an additional more refreshing layer to it. The flavor of the passionfruit was not overpowering and enhanced the aromas of the green tea. Super solid spot.

The tea here really is high quality and you can taste the difference in flavor from a standard boba chain. It's good enough to have alone and the flavorings / toppings you can get will enhance but not overpower the tea base. Service may take a second when busy but that's expected for fresh, individually made tea orders. There's places to sit and hang out with friends as you wait.Mango Osmanthus - refreshing, fruity, bright, lightly sweetCreamy Pineapple Tart - very sweet and strong pineapple flavor. I wish it was more tea forward and found that the extra pineapple and crumbles on top didn't add much as they were hard to drink up.

Finally got to try the famous Chicha this Sunday! We went around 12pm, and surprisingly, the line was short, and the 12:30pm tea tasting was available for walk-ins (reservations are encouraged).We ordered the Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea with bubble boba, and it had the perfect level of sweetness -- not overpowering the tea at all. While waiting for our tasting slot, we sampled some of their free teas and admired their decor and awards.I didn't even know they offered tea tastings, so I was surprised there was last-minute availability. Vanessa led our tasting, and she was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. You get to pick one of five oolong tea options, each with different baking levels. I chose level 2 (light medium), which was light and aromatic. My friend got level 4 (medium heavy), and I preferred that darker, more well-rounded flavor.Overall, parking can be tough, and I think we got lucky with the short lines. I'd come back if I were in the area!

I've been wanting to try out this place and ordered their Dong Ding Oolong and Bubble Milk tea. Both milk teas were delicious and you can tell how high quality the tea is. I prefer the Dong Ding Oolong Milk tea since it had a strong tea flavor. Their Bubble Milk tea was a bit too sweet for me, but it was still tasty. I ordered both drinks with their "perfect sweetness" level. The boba in the milk teas has a perfect bouncy and chewy texture. I came here on a weekend and ordered online so I didn't have to wait in line. Their drinks are quite expensive for what it is, so I wouldn't come here as often due to price.

I finally got to try drinks from Chicha San Chen! I've been meaning to check this place out because I wanted to try out different boba shops to compare the differences in milk teas between stores. I think this place's milk teas are on the pricier side, but with good reason. Right when you walk into the store, you can see how the workers carefully prepare and brew each cup of tea individually. On the right side right when you enter, there are two kiosks you can order your drinks from. My bf and I came on a Wednesday evening and there was no line, so we were able to order quickly and our drinks took 10-15 minutes to be prepared. I got their Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea and it's pretty good! It is a lot creamier than what I'm used to but it's still a good balance of cream and tea. The oolong is very fragrant but I was surprised at how light it tasted, compared to oolong milk teas at other milk tea shops. I usually opt for less sweet, and it was interesting that they have a "perfect sweetness" setting; I'm glad that I chose that level since it was the perfect sweetness: not too sweet but sweet enough. My bf got the bubble milk tea and his was also pretty good! Black tea was strong and the boba was soft, chewy, and had the distinct brown sugar taste. Would definitely be down to try a different drink the next time I'm in the area!

Order ahead because the lines here are long! Truly delicious tea drinks worthy of their accolades. My favorite is the lemon cream tea. The store is quite spacious but can still be overcrowded on the weekends. They occasionally offer tea tasting that a fun experience.