Chicha San Chen (Cupertino)
If there is anything that the Bay Area is known for, it is boba. Seriously, there is a shop around almost every street corner, each offering their own specialty and style. Evidently, the competition becomes quite stiff and it becomes difficult to stand out as “the best”. But Chicha San Chen may have an answer to that.
Michelin Star Disclaimer
Originally founded in Taiwan, Chicha San Chen prides itself on professionally-prepared, artisanal tea. They also pride themselves on having a quantifiable edge to claim the top spot of being the best boba shop in the world. From 2021 to 2023, Chicha San Chen has been awarded the “Superior Taste Award” by the International Taste Institute in Brussels, receiving both two and three star honors for various menu items. This works similarly to the Michelin Guide rating where consumer food and drink products are rated for the highest quality. While some people- and to an extent, the company itself- claim that this is equivalent to two and three Michelin stars due to Michelin judges sitting on the Belgian rating agency’s board, it is not exactly the same, and should not be taken as such. While the rating points to an excellent product, it is neither accurate nor truthful to call this a “Michelin star restaurant”.
With that being said, it is also not the only location in California, but it is the first in Northern California. The Cupertino location is especially popular and draws in locals from all over the Bay Area that want to try Chicha San Chen’s fantastic tea.
Ordering and Drinks
Once inside (or once you arrive in the parking lot), the lines stretch out the door pretty much all day long. For two people it took us about forty-five minutes from ordering to receiving our drinks. While you can order at the front counter, the staff directs customers to ordering kiosks on the side to speed up the queue.
Their two most popular items are the classic bubble milk tea (國王珍珠奶茶) and the Dong Ding oolong milk tea (凍頂烏龍奶茶). Normal sweetness and ice are recommended by the staff for optimal flavor, but different options are available for each if desired. Each drink also comes with a fun carrying handle and stickers to remind the customer of its high quality rating. As a note, no more than four drinks can be ordered at a time as of now.
The classic milk tea is what one would expect. It is a black tea with milk, cream, and boba at the bottom. However, this version is not outrightly sweet like at many other boba shops. Instead, Chicha San Chen’s preparation methods allow one to really taste the roasted tea leaves and subtle complications within each batch that is freshly brewed to order. My favorite part is the boba itself as it is excellently cooked. It is perfectly chewy without being soggy; “al dente” is the best way to describe it.
The Dong Ding oolong milk tea has a much smokier taste, for a lack of better words. The tasting menu mentions notes of charcoal and other more earthy flavor profiles. You certainly get a more “woody” and charred taste to the tea, and while it is not a very sweet drink, it is still delicious but in a way that I’ve never experienced before. If you want something a little different from the normal milk tea, I would highly recommend this.
Echoing the above, the boba pearls themselves are worth trying, if even once, as not many other boba shops provide such care to the cooking process. Lastly, I commend the staff for providing great service even in a hectic environment and making customers feel at ease while bringing around samples.
And yes, while the lines are long and the prices…pricey, it is worth it if you are a purveyor of high quality teas. If you want a more purist experience, the shop has an entirely separate tea tasting table in the back where a member of the staff freshly brews samples for guests and speaks more in-depth about the tea quality there. Whether you got time to kill on your lunch break or you just wanna try something new, Chicha San Chen is an excellent place to try excellent boba.
