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    Formosa Aroma

    4.2 (595 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    Amy L.

    I noticed they have been doing bogo every week but only for the specific ones they mention for that week. It is prerty worth since boba drinks these days are so expensive. I wasnt feeling like boba since i was full and ended up getting roobios tea with rose tea cream. I love the rose cream on any of their drinks. This time the tea seemed a little watered down. Not sure if thats how roobios is supposed to be but the rose cream made it amazing.

    Guava lime green tea
    Candyce P.

    Always a go to drink place whenever I'm in the 626! All of the fruit teas I've tried are really refreshing, and even tho I get 0% sweet the drinks are still sweet. Love the basil seed topping as well as the aiyu jelly. The cashiers here are all really attentive and always give me good recs! There's a lot of seating in this boba shop too so I would imagine it's a great place to do work.

    BOGO
    Cuc N.

    First time trying the Alhambra location! There is one in temple city too! They have aesthetic cups with plastic sealed lids. Their color scheme of navy and gold is really nice. Pros: -occasional BOGO deals -uses real milk -variety of exquisite tea leaves with samples to sniff and descriptions before ordering -very friendly staff Cons: -shared busy lot with dim sum

    Store decor that shows off all the tea leaves that they used here.
    Steve H.

    On a Monday early afternoon, four patrons decided to visit Formosa Aroma to take advantage of BOGO offer of boba milk tea at this new Taiwanese bubble tea chain store. Store is clean, modern, and welcoming as it concentrates on showing how real teas are used in their boba milk tea. Service is good. We are greeted upon entering; very busy making drink orders. We order oriental beauty oolong boba milk tea with less sugar and less ice. The boba milk tea is warm on top and sweet syrup is still at the bottom. They choose to use more environmentally friendly cup, the younger patrons commented that they would like to see their tea and boba. Oriental beauty oolong tea is strong, and brings out flavor. However, you need to stir first to mix the sugary syrup. The bobas are soft and warm. I personally love how strong the tea is. The Alhambra location does have shared parking lot in the building.

    inside
    Monica T.

    Went to Formosa Aroma in Alhambra and got their BOGO drink of the week which is an Earl Grey milk tea with crystal boba. It was honestly kind of weird at first, but it slowly grew on me, so I'd say it ended up being good... just unexpected at first. However, their menu has a lot of other drinks that look really promising though, so I'd definitely come back to try more. Service was really nice and they gave good recommendations, which I appreciated. There's also a good amount of seating inside with outlets and WiFi which makes it a great place to get work done. Parking is easy too since they have a lot in the back. Overall, I'd come back to give their other drinks a try!

    Leslie S.

    Loved their mango pomelo sago drink! Came on a weekend and wasn't busy. Service was pretty quick! I was more excited to try these umeyaki cakes and after 10 or so minutes, I got them hot and fresh. It didn't have any filling but they were still so good. If you love taiyaki you'll love the umeyaki here too :-) i think these sweets are what sets this place apart from other boba places in Alhambra. Def worth checking out!

    Mango pomelo saigo
    David L.

    Sweet and friendly staff with true to flavor fruit teas. Passionfruit is super sweet even with 30% sweetness so a word of caution. The staff remade with less passion furit and was much more tolerable. The pomelo grapefruit mango was decent. Wished there was a bit more grapefruit /pomelo. Overall a cute spot to work with plenty of outlets and enough seating for moderate traffic. Parking was a breeze in the garage.

    Matcha pudding milk tea
    Francisco M.

    There's street parking or a small lot to get here. There's some amount of seating but can get packed quick. It's best for grabbing a drink to-go. They have lots of options for customization. The staff are nice. And it has a chill vibe overall. I got the matcha pudding milk tea. It was pretty good. It was 70% sweet which was a perfect amount. You do get the taste of tea. The matcha pudding is good although over time the ice gets in the way. As the drinks level drops, the ice mixes with the pudding. Not the worst thing, just an observation. I'd probably get less ice mext time.

    Teeling L.

    Formosa Aroma is a prominent, Asian-owned bubble tea establishment located in Alhambra. Opened in August 2023, the shop aims to elevate Alhambra's boba scene by using authentic ingredients and traditional craftsmanship. All tea leaves are imported directly from Taiwan, with different varieties sourced from specific cities across the island. The cafe offers a bright, modern, and spacious environment with warm lighting. It includes amenities such as tables with chargers and small lamps, making it a popular spot for studying or social gatherings. It also has free WiFi access. Service is generally friendly and efficient but can be slow during busy periods. The shop uses specialized espresso style tea machines to brew each cup fresh, ensuring a consistent and rich flavor profile. Signature drinks include the Pouchung Tea Latte, Formosa Ocean (a butterfly pea flower drink), and the Noble Consort Black Tea. They also have unique snacks like tea-infused popcorn (flavors include jasmine and hibiscus) and Formosa Umeyaki, a snack that's crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Customers can fully personalize their drinks by selecting from over 12 tea varieties and fresh topping like taro balls or barely boba. Most drinks allow for full customization of sugar, ice, and dairy/non-dairy milk options. Their drinks were visually appealing but lack of tea flavors for our tastes. We might come back and try their special snacks and other popular specialty drinks in the future. There's a small parking lot in the back and street parking, though can be difficult during meal times.

    Mango pomelo sago
    Sarah Y.

    Their mango pomelo sago here was great! The manager was working the cashier when we visited and was extremely knowledgeable about the menu -- he gave great recommendations and helped us pick something we'd enjoy. I will say some drinks here can be a hit or miss, but I'd absolutely recommend the mango pomelo sago, especially if you're coming late at night and want something caffeine-free that feels more like a dessert. Sometimes pomelo sago drinks can be overly thick or heavy, but this one was well balanced. The bits of fresh pomelo pulp made it more approachable and helped cut through the creamy richness with a light tartness. We got it less sweet, which was perfect and let the natural flavors come through. Definitely worth trying if you're into dessert-style drinks!

    Golden Phoenix oolong
    alexandra k.

    Strong tea flavor gives them major props since it seems most (more than 15!) boba places I've tried in LA have a watered down tea flavor. However, I was very disappointed that their boba were just tasteless balls of starch -- no hint of honey or brown sugar. They are also on rhe pricy side, but follow them on social for their rotating weekly BOGO deals on specific drinks. Ordered half ice, 50% sugar. They wouldn't let us sample the tea (I was teying to decide which oolong I wanted to order), but did let us smell a small sample of leaves which was very helpful for choosing the desired tea (I went with the Golden Phoenix oolong).

    Carolyn N.

    Got treated to some milk tea by a friend after a movie at the nearby theater. Have heard about Formosa here and there from friends. Heard it was solid, but Alhambra is a pretty far drive from me, so I haven't had the opportunity to try it until now. Got the Dancing Crane milk tea at 50% sweetness. I...Don't know what the difference between all of the milk teas are. They had a bunch of milk tea options with interesting names like rising phoenix and buddha, but no descriptions that I could find that explained what the difference between then all were. They had small pictures of the different types of tea leaves with their names along the wall before you order, but that was it. Didn't wanna make my friend break the bank treating me to some milk tea, so didn't add any toppings (wasn't in the mood for any, anyway), but a tea/milk tea here will run you like $6.5 before any toppings. I'd say this is absolutely one of the more pricey places. Do I think it was worth it? Ehh. I thought the milk tea I got was really solid. I thought 50% was not quite sweet enough for me, but the tea flavor was very prominent. I'm not a tea connesiuer or anything, but I shared some with my husband when I got home and he thought it was good. It was good, but not my favorite tea place. Would absolutely come back to try something else off their menu though because they have a variety that you don't find at many boba places. Parking looks to be dicey in this area. I got lucky because a car was leaving, so I managed to snag a really convenient street parking location. There's parking in the back, according to my friend, but she said it can get packed and tight.

    Hayley C.

    This was technically my second time trying Formosa Aroma, I think the first time was in Tustin?? But I don't remember much. This time we went to the Alhambra location and ordered the rose dreamer oolong, black sesame typhoon slush, and another black sesame drink. I didn't take a picture unfortunately. The employee taking the order was nice but the time it took to get the drinks out was kinda a long time. But it was fine nothing too terrible. The drinks were really good though! The rose dreamer oolong had a delicious rose panna cotta at the bottom, rose oolong tea, and a rose cheese foam top! Honestly soo good I love rose and floral flavors in general!!! The sesame typhoon slush was also good but I think doing 100% sugar next time would be better instead of 75%, I think the crushed ice melts too fast and messes with the sweetness level in the slush. Inside was pretty nice, there were a few tables and chairs. Bathroom in the back and free street parking. I would come back here to try another drink!

    Grapefruit Orange Green Tea

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    Formosa Aroma Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Formosa Aroma

    Can we bring our dogs in and sit there inside?

    I would assume no, unless they're a service dog. I don't think pets are usually allowed indoors and there's no outdoor patio here.

    Would anyone recommend this spot to study/get work done?

    There are a few tables there that you can sit at and have ports so you can charge your laptop or phone so I'm guessing they had in mind when they first made the place. Also offer free wifi as well

    Do they sell hot drinks?

    Yes, we do. Thank you,… Read more

    Is there any outdoor seating there?

    No. Only indoor seating.

    Has anyone tried the taro ball trifecta topping? Is it good? Please describe!

    its good.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Chicha San Chen - Osmanthus

    Chicha San Chen

    4.3(193 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $

    I've been going back and forth to Arcadia a lot this year, and because we regularly go to May Mei…read moreand Chang's Garden, it's been easy to sneak out, place my tea orderat the kiosk, go back to finish the meal, then get my tea. My usual order is mango oolong with grass jelly, which is still sweet enough for me at 0% sweetness. They take the tea seriously here - each cup is brewed upon ordering so it's not fast. They also have some cute twine to go around the top of the cup. The sizes are on the smaller side. They open at noon, so I've been too early to get something a few times. Heading back to LA again this week, I will probably end up here again at some point!

    An Honest Review of "Chicha San Chen" in Los Angeles As…read moresomeone who values culinary quality and the finer details of life, I always enjoy exploring diverse food and beverage establishments. However, my visit today to "Chicha San Chen" in Alhambra, Los Angeles, resulted in an incredibly disappointing--and frankly, failing--customer experience. Beneath its over-packaging and fame from Taiwan, this establishment fails severely in fundamental customer service and care. Company Policy Over Customer Health The most baffling aspect is their insistence on prioritizing "company policy" over customer health! What I found most unacceptable during this experience was the store's arrogant attitude toward health and environmental requests. I prefer drinking hot tea. It is well known that commercial paper or plastic cups rely on chemical linings to prevent leaks. When exposed to high-temperature liquids, these cups can easily release microplastics and harmful chemicals, posing a potential threat to human health. Because of this, despite my fatigue, I walked all the way back to my car under the hot sun to fetch my own stainless steel thermos, fully expecting to enjoy a cup of hot tea in the safest and most environmentally friendly way. To my surprise, when I made the perfectly reasonable request to have the freshly brewed hot tea poured directly into my thermos, I was met with a cold refusal from the staff. Citing a rigid "company policy," they insisted that the scalding hot tea must first be poured into their disposable cup, handed to me, and then I would have to transfer it into my thermos myself. This absurd operational logic not only entirely defeats the purpose of bringing a reusable cup but also ensures that the high-temperature tea still comes into contact with the chemical coating, directly threatening consumer health. When I tried to reason with them from a health perspective, all I received was an uncompromising, utterly indifferent refusal. Left with no choice, I canceled my hot tea order. The business philosophy of a restaurant that refuses to respect its customers' basic health needs and lacks any flexibility is truly hard to commend. Soulless Service and Artificial Flavors Their service devoid of warmth and mediocre flavors make one realize that their reputation is merely a façade. The soul of the food and beverage industry lies in "people" and "flavor," yet this store performs poorly in both regards. First is the service attitude. The staff throughout the store acted like machines executing commands; there were absolutely no smiles on their faces, nor could I feel any warmth or hospitality. In a modern dining environment that values the art of hospitality, this icy service demeanor is highly uncomfortable. Second, not wanting to ruin the mood, I tasted the iced tea ordered by my family members. I initially thought a brand that prides itself on refinement would showcase the true depth of its tea leaves. Instead, upon tasting it, I found a distinct artificial taste in the flavoring that completely masked the natural, sweet aftertaste the tea should possess. For anyone who truly understands tea and cares about flavor, this is absolutely unacceptable. Overhyped Atmosphere Lastly, I must mention their interior design. Many Taiwanese chain tea shops of this kind advertise their spatial design as elegant, comfortable, and perfect for gatherings or romantic dates. In reality, the overall environment of this store felt incredibly ordinary and stiff. It completely lacked the premium feel they boast about, let alone any sense of romance or comfort. Conclusion A successful food and beverage brand can never be sustained solely by superficial marketing or rigid SOPs. When a store loses its respect for customer health and environmental consciousness, while simultaneously failing to provide sincere service, professional explanations, or natural and pure flavors, it has lost its core value to establish a foothold in the culinary world. This experience at "Chicha San Chen" was undoubtedly a massive letdown and deeply regrettable.

    Photos
    Chicha San Chen - Interior. 12/27/2025

    Interior. 12/27/2025

    Chicha San Chen - Peach green tea

    Peach green tea

    Chicha San Chen - Oolong with mango and grass jelly

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    Oolong with mango and grass jelly

    The Tea - Salted cream coffee and smashed lime aiyu jelly tea

    The Tea

    4.2(437 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    I'm giving them 5 start based on their coffee…read more I got the Seasalt Cream OG and 2 toasted brown sugar Boba milks. The coffee was amazing. My husband makes me a coffee from a phin everyday day for work and this is exactly what it taste like except the cream which elevated the coffee even more. We came back from Vietnam and the coffee in America has been subpar. This has been the only place that I would come back to consistently. Only for their coffee. My children like the Toastes Brown Sugar Boba and finished it quicker than most other places. There is a touch screen to order. I was nicely greeted when I walked in and the store was very clean with a a lot of seating. I found it odd that the middle was long and you have to walk towards the back to get your drink. But overall I'm coming back for that coffee!!!

    Came Back for Our Usual... Left With Feelings About Parking & Sugar Levels…read more Hubby and I decided to circle back to one of our top 3 favorite boba spots (not that our list is super long lol), because after a delicious hot pot dinner we were seriously craving their Coco Mango. First things first... the parking here still deserves its own Yelp review. Whoever designed that parking situation... respectfully... why Parking still sucks, but we powered through. That said, it was actually really nice seeing this place busy and packed last night -- probably around 15-20 people inside. I was weirdly happy about it because I'd be genuinely sad if this place ever closed. Always good seeing people supporting a spot you love. We ordered our usual Coco Mango, and since I was feeling adventurous, I also tried the Dragon Fruit Aiyu. And not gonna lie... the Dragon Fruit Aiyu was delicious. Super refreshing, the dragon fruit tasted fresh, and the jelly inside was such a nice touch. Definitely a solid 8.5/10 for me. My drink was $6.95 and honestly worth trying if you want something fruity and lighter. Now for the Coco Mango... This drink usually never misses. The sweet coconut with that tart mango blend is usually chef's kiss every single time. We've probably been here close to 10 times, which is why I immediately noticed it tasted a little different last night. I ordered mine with the extra lychee popping boba (+$1), so total was $7.95, and I'd rate it around a 6.8/10 this visit. My husband always tells me to stop doing 70% sugar because "either commit or don't" and honestly... he might've been right this time. But even aside from that, both the coconut topping and mango felt less sweet than usual and just didn't have that bold flavor we normally love. Maybe it was because they were extra busy and moving fast -- totally understandable -- but it was the first time it felt a little less magical than usual. Still... one off night absolutely won't stop us from coming back because when that Coco Mango hits, it hits. We'll definitely be back and hoping next time our beloved Coco Mango returns in all its usual sweet, coconutty, mango glory. Happy drinks!

    Photos
    The Tea - Toasted Oreo milk & Coconut taro blend

    Toasted Oreo milk & Coconut taro blend

    The Tea - Toasted brown sugar boba milk tea (left) and oreo taro milk (right)

    Toasted brown sugar boba milk tea (left) and oreo taro milk (right)

    The Tea - Mango Pomelo Sago

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    Mango Pomelo Sago

    Formosa Aroma - bubbletea - Updated May 2026

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