JSLALALAND

THE HUNGRY HOURS

The Great Tea Migration, updated

We used to fly home for it; now the shops fly here. From Hollywood to San Gabriel: 18 brands from Taiwan, China and LA, with which one to pick today, four tea routes, and the fine art of ordering boba.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

Full text

  1. 01 | Boba has an immigration story too

    From Hollywood to San Gabriel, familiar tea shop signs keep opening one after another. The everyday drinks you used to only get back in Taiwan can now fit into an LA weekend. This guide is for anyone who misses being asked 'sugar and ice?' The legend splits into Taiwanese brands, Chinese brands and LA locals; before you go, check the store and that day's hours. The Great Tea Migration.

  2. 02 | Chicha San Chen: turning boba into fresh-brewed tea

    Started in Taichung in 1998, with its first US store in San Gabriel. LA has San Gabriel, Alhambra, Arcadia, Rowland Heights, and now a new one in Koreatown. Every cup is brewed to order with an espresso-style machine, and it's rated three stars by Belgium's ITI international taste awards. How to order: Cassia Black Tea with cream top, high-mountain pouchong, Dongding oolong fresh milk tea. Insider: at weekend peaks, a 40-minute wait for one cup can happen, so order first, then go browse. Taiwan comparison: it's that Taichung shop, no explanation needed.

  3. 03 | Odd One Out: the champion milk tea from Taipei, now on its fourth LA shop

    Founded in Taipei in 2022, with a former foodpanda Taiwan CEO among the founders; its first US store opened on Sawtelle in 2023. LA has Sawtelle (11301 W Olympic Blvd), the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade, Pasadena and Koreatown. The Champion Milk Tea won the flavored milk tea category at the 2022 Taiwan Milk Tea Festival; the tea is bought straight from small farmers, and the brand says its tea costs 4–6 times what typical brands pay. How to order: Golden Buddha milk tea with silk boba (little jasmine or winter melon cubes, a totally different bite), or try the Sobacha buckwheat milk tea; the Santa Monica store also has exclusive gelato. Taiwan comparison: silk boba is like tea jelly cut into little dice.

  4. 04 | UG: this tea comes with a whole stage set

    A new brand from the same group as Sharetea, it opened its first US store in San Gabriel on 12/6/2025 and sold nearly 2,800 drinks on opening day; three days in, the city ordered it closed over a renovation permit, and it reopened on 1/31/2026, selling over 2,400 that day too. It's at 308 W Valley Blvd, right across the street from Chicha San Chen (301 W Valley). How to order: camellia red oolong milk tea $6.40, the Next Level Matcha Latte $7.40; prices per the menu in store. Taiwan comparison: still a new face in Taiwan, and an instant trendy spot in LA.

  5. 05 | Kuei Ji: that everyday cup finally crossed the Pacific

    Opened in February 2026 in San Gabriel's Focus Plaza, Kuei Ji's first in North America. Behind it are a Taiwanese USC accounting student and three partners who knocked on the Taiwan HQ's door themselves to make the deal; their strategy was simple: do the hardest one first, and if you can survive in San Gabriel, you can go anywhere. How to order: red pomelo jade tea, apple red day lily, 33 Kings oolong fresh milk. Taiwan comparison: in Taiwan it's the cup you grab in passing; in LA it's the cup worth the drive.

  6. 06 | In the US, 得正 goes by Oolong Tea Project

    Oolong Tea Project is the English brand name for 得正, and its first US store is in Rowland Heights (1015 S Nogales St), where the opening line was over an hour. The menu has fresh milk teas, fruit teas and cheese foam, with boba or oolong tea jelly add-ons. How to order: in Taiwan, everyone's stuck between the light oolong fresh milk and the roasted oolong, so on your first visit, order both and compare. Insider: at opening it closed at 7 p.m., so don't wait for late-night snack time; hours per the store's notice. Taiwan comparison: search '得正' and you won't find it; search 'Oolong Tea Project.'

  7. 07 | Teazzi: tea time today, hit pause first

    500 N Atlantic Blvd #101, Monterey Park. Founded in Taipei in 2014, known for tea from its own gardens and friendly prices; in the US it blew up in New York first, and it's in Boston and Philadelphia too. My picks: the signature Teazzi Double (four seasons milk tea + boba + oats), strawberry four seasons milk tea, amber milk honey; if you love roasty notes, get the charcoal-roasted Tieguanyin. Taiwan comparison: boba plus oats, so one cup is basically a snack, very Taiwanese.

  8. 08 | Formosa Aroma: homesickness, brewed into an everyday cup

    On Main St in Alhambra, with another on Rosemead Blvd in Temple City. Small shop, toppings made fresh, from straight tea and milk tea to fruit tea, for finding a familiar Taiwanese flavor. My picks: osmanthus oolong milk tea, sea salt cream top, mango pomelo sago, basil seed winter melon kumquat. For tea flavor in the afternoon, the osmanthus oolong milk tea; at night, to skip the tea caffeine, ask for the basil seed winter melon kumquat or rooibos. Taiwan comparison: see '山粉圓' (basil seeds) on the menu and you know it's the taste of home.

  9. 09 | The drinks you grew up on in Taiwan, in LA too

    Wushiland Boba is at Westfield Century City (10250 Santa Monica Blvd #2770) and San Gabriel Square; the tea is brewed strong, you can add vanilla ice cream for a tea float, in mini and regular sizes. A naming note: the store calls itself 50嵐, but Taiwan's 50嵐 announced in 2019 that it doesn't operate overseas under any other name; whether it tastes the same, tell me in the comments. Yifang is in Koreatown (3726 W 6th St) and Arcadia (733 W Naomi Ave), plus Torrance; its signature Yifang fruit tea is inspired by the founder's grandma's pineapple jam recipe, and I'd order the sugarcane green tea, aiyu lemon green tea or brown sugar boba fresh milk; if you don't like sweet, start at half sugar. Sharetea started in Taipei in 1992 and went from Taiwanese street corners into everyday America; UG is a newer brand from the same group. Taiwan comparison: like Panda Express, a familiar taste that became an everyday thing for customers of every background in the US.

  10. 10 | CHAGEE: 6 in LA County, and the first US store is in Century City

    Listed on Nasdaq on 4/17/2025, with its first US store opening at Westfield Century City on 5/9. LA County has Century City, Culver City, Sherman Oaks (Fashion Square), Glendale (Americana), Torrance (Del Amo) and Long Beach. The Americana store opened on 4/26/2026, and brand ambassador Laufey played a small set on 5/2; the Evening Tea Service needs a separate reservation, with a tea guide leading the tasting. How to order: BO·YA jasmine fresh milk tea; my favorite is the Peach Oolong Lemon Tea. Taiwan comparison: the paper bag often gets compared to Dior's, perfect for strolling the Americana.

  11. 11 | HEYTEA: fitting a cup of tea into a Beverly Hills stroll

    Mid-shopping, stop for a cup of tea. From refreshing fruit teas to velvety cheese foam, familiar Asian tea drinks become everyday LA. How to order: for fruity, look at the grape; for rich, start with the cheese foam series. On an unhurried afternoon, a cup of tea is a great reason to linger.

  12. 12 | Molly Tea: starting from jasmine, taking floral all the way

    Started in Shenzhen in 2021; Molly is a transliteration of 'jasmine.' The brand says its first LA store did about $600,000 in its first month, a record overseas; the jasmine tea comes from its own roughly 800-acre tea garden. LA has San Gabriel and Arcadia (1130 S Baldwin Ave). How to order: the signature jasmine milk tea, magnolia jin xuan, and if you like it velvety, the snow-cap cream series; of course I ordered the jasmine matcha latte. Taiwan comparison: taking one cup of jasmine green tea and building a whole brand persona around it.

  13. 13 | MIXUE: $1.19 happiness on the Walk of Fame

    6922 Hollywood Blvd, right across from the Chinese Theatre; its first US store opened 12/20/2025, so after Hollywood, just cross the street to find the Snow King. Soft serve $1.19, lemonade $1.99, boba from $3.99, nearly the whole menu under $5. Over 53,000 stores worldwide, more locations than McDonald's. Sweetness goes up to 200%, so Taiwanese palates, don't get carried away. $1.19 barely buys anything in LA, but here it gets you a soft serve.

  14. 14 | Two more options for afternoon tea in San Gabriel

    Naisnow (奈雪的茶) opened in San Gabriel around May 2026, in the same opening wave as its New York Chinatown store, and the brand says it sold over ten thousand on opening; fruit tea with croissant egg tarts handles afternoon tea in one go. Charlie's Tea joined the San Gabriel tea list too. Fruit tea, matcha, plus a dessert: afternoon-tea indecision just leveled up. Taiwan comparison: San Gabriel alone has more boba choices than a lot of Taiwanese towns.

  15. 15 | Team LA: not flown in, LA-grown

    3CAT started in LA in 2019, with Koreatown, San Gabriel, Arcadia and City of Industry; it uses Straus organic milk, makes its own mochi, coconut jelly and osmanthus jelly, and dusts the cream tops with paw prints. How to order: the Avomango Sweet Dew, Mochi Mango, Mochi Barley Burst; seasonal specials change often. Bopomofo Café is in San Gabriel (841 W Las Tunas Dr), with another in Artesia; Wong Fu's Philip Wang and Eric Wang founded it in 2019, built around the 'ABC taste': home cooking mixed with American comfort food, for Chinese American kids raised in the US. How to order: fresh boba milk tea with popcorn chicken (dipped in fried-basil aioli), mapo tofu tater tots, a Taiwanese fried chicken sandwich. Taiwan comparison: 'avo' is avocado; Bopomofo is ㄅㄆㄇㄈ, a Taiwanese kid's first lesson at school.

  16. 16 | Which one are you in the mood for today?

    Missing Taiwan: Kuei Ji, Oolong Tea Project, Teazzi, Wushiland. Real tea flavor: Chicha San Chen, Odd One Out. For photos and trendiness: UG, CHAGEE. Floral: Molly Tea, Formosa Aroma (osmanthus oolong). Cheese foam: HEYTEA. On a budget, on the Walk of Fame: MIXUE. A snack with your afternoon tea: Naisnow. Fresh fruit, handmade mochi: 3CAT. Pineapple fruit tea: Yifang. Boba with popcorn chicken: Bopomofo Café. Pick your mood, then your cup.

  17. 17 | Four routes, four tea moods

    ① San Gabriel: Chicha San Chen + UG on Valley Blvd, then pick Kuei Ji, Molly or Naisnow; to keep going, Teazzi in Monterey Park and Formosa Aroma in Alhambra. ② Glendale: HEYTEA at the Galleria → CHAGEE at the Americana, and you can fit Din Tai Fung into the same trip. ③ Westside: HEYTEA on Rodeo Drive → CHAGEE and Wushiland in Century City, then OOO on Sawtelle or in Santa Monica. ④ Hollywood: photos at the Chinese Theatre → MIXUE, a little sugar when you're tired of walking. Cross-area routes need a car, so check the stores and how you're getting there before you go.

  18. 18 | How Taiwanese folks order boba in LA

    Start sweetness at 'a little sugar': every shop's recipe is different, so find your own sweet spot, and go by the options on the in-store ordering screen. Check closing time first: don't bring your Taiwan late-night snack habits straight to LA. Order ahead if you can: new shops and peak hours can mean long lines, so see if there's an app or online pickup. Remember the English names: 得正 = Oolong Tea Project, 奈雪 = Naisnow, 茉莉奶白 = Molly Tea, 霸王茶姬 = CHAGEE. Check the total before you pay: look at the menu price, then watch for tax and toppings; to save a little, there's always MIXUE. In Taiwan, boba is midnight comfort; in LA, first make sure you can still get one tonight.

  19. Jasmine's Notes

    Going back and forth between LA and Taipei, a cup of Taiwanese boba used to be something you had to schedule into a trip home. Now I drive to San Gabriel on the weekend, and both sides of the street smell like familiar tea. These brands flew across the Pacific bringing more than a drink; they brought the line so many people still can't let go of after leaving home: 'sugar and ice?' Different cities, the same homesickness. Every cup that crosses the Pacific carries someone's routine.

Places in this story

In this series

Read it with the slides →

An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).