Kim T.

Stumbled upon this place after grabbing food nearby. I haven't been to a Tea Era for quite some time. This location has a parking lot. You can order at the counter or by the computers. Thai tea with boba: 3/5, my boyfriend got 50% sweet and I think he should've gotten regular sweet. When he goes to other places to ask for less sweetness, the drink will still be sweet. The drink he had here was not sweet at all. The boba texture was chewy though and had a touch of sweetness. Floral peach: 2/5, I also got less sweetness but then I couldn't taste the peach flavor at all. It just tasted like an iced jasmine tea. I would still go back but maybe we just won't change the sweetness.

Gabriel G.

Very generous portions. You get rice, protein, pickle, and cabbage. Chicken was great no complaint. Store is clean.

Tiffany L.

It's so nice that there's a boba shop in south side that's not too far from home. I have gone to their other locations, and have never been disappointed. This location's pretty spacious with plenty of seating available. There are two kiosks available for order, but you are also able to order with a cashier. The staff here are very kind and attentive, and quick at making drinks! OKAY THE DRINKS & FOODS: * Popcorn chicken - super tasty & is incredibly close to old school popcorn chicken. You can get just popcorn chicken, but they also have this popcorn chicken bento that's pretty tasty & filling for the price. * Lychee Misty - so refreshing!! I genuinely love this drink and it's easily one of my top drinks. * Brown Sugar Series - you can't go wrong with this series if you're a brown sugar lover. I LOVE the Oolong milk tea! * Wintermelon Chrysanthemum Tea- my go to for a refreshing drink. It's amazing and my top 3 drinks.

Chris V.

New location, maybe a new era? Tea Era is a bubble tea shop that has long graced such locales as Mountain View (where I tried them once long ago) and Cupertino. This location emerged a year ago on the southeast corner of Cottle and Santa Teresa, a plaza which has seen other restaurants emerge. They actually offer a wide variety of foods, from Taiwanese snacks to bento boxes and soups, which I don't think they did in their original business model. I had just finished a meal and was focused on the tea offerings though. I asked the employee at the front of house about the 20% off banner I saw outside (for the holidays, but no definite end date listed), which she stated was for everything except certain special pricing combos. Obviously a big plus for me, and maybe a bit desperate as I realized after seeing very few other customers show up during my lengthy stay. I eventually settled on the Jasmine Green Tea Crema ($4.60 with the discount, 700 ml), which is the type of thing I've ordered for years now when trying new boba spots. Aside from the crema not blending easily into the tea at first, it's a very solid rendition of the drink. The jasmine was strong and the crema was very creamy, and the 50% sugar level I selected was a bit sweet but not overly so. The less ice option resulted in no underfill. I could see myself returning to Tea Era to try more of their drinks in the future. If you're a local, hopefully you'll do so too so that they actually have enough business to last until my last visit, because there was definitely not a steady flow of customers as I'd expect from a successful business of this type in San Jose.

Honestly great taste, portion, speed and price. I wanted milk tea but was also hungry. They have two self serve i pad. I was able to feed myself for $20 which is getting harder to find in the bay area. You can tell they aren't lazy with how they cook either. The only thing missing would be to add more pictures on the I Pad for every item you can order. The inside is warm and clean.

Chris H.

I'm glad there is a boba spot so close to me after moving to south east San Jose from Sunnyvale - though it certainly hasn't helped with my boba cravings! Tea Era reminds me of the old school boba spots before they all became pricey, hype spots from China. As an added bonus, they also have some yummy Taiwanese snacks such as their crispy popcorn chicken, sausage, and calamari rings. Prices are reasonable and their boba is always chewy! Tea Era has been added to my boba rotation!

Tina K.

Yay for Tea Era! This place is a few feet down from EggHead! Plenty of indoor seating and lots of space. Service was good - you can order with a person or use the self-serve kiosks. We ordered and our drinks less than five minutes. We had the tropical trio and added green apple jelly.... Yum and the mango slush. We chose to do both at 50% sweet and they were great.

Leon C.

I remember during college I would always go to Tea Era in cupertino like on a weekly basis. But recently I found out they have a place in south side San Jose, I had to go check it out! As I walked in, you can just see how organized and clean the place is. We were greeted by the barista right away in which was super nice to us! Unlike the cupertino location, they have limited drink items because I remember their signature drink was the Iron Buddha, which I'd always order all the time! It saddens me that this location doesn't have that flavor. The food choice is also smaller too since the other location sold more snacks than here. I ordered the Green Honey Tea (half sugar&ice with boba) and of course the flavor and taste was there! It was super yummy and felt like the boba and tea was super fresh. My friends that I came here ordered an earl grey, grape green tea, jasmine milk tea, and their floral lychee. They were not disappointed at all by these choices! Overall, I want to try their snacks and bento here next time just to see if they bring back those reminiscing memories of coming here during my college times.

Annette T.

Finally!! After waiting for three long years and seeing the Tea Era signage posted outside the building for what felt like forever, they're actually open for business! I used to drive all the way to Cupertino or Mountain View to get my Roasted Barley Milk tea fix but looks like I won't have to do that anymore now that the South San Jose location is finally open! The interior of this Tea Era is sleek and modern AF. They have self-ordering kiosks and a pretty quick turnaround on your order. I ordered a Roasted Barley Milk Tea with boba and I have to say the non-dairy creamer may've been overpowering the tea since there's usually a good balance of the two. Since they're still fairly new and likely working out the kinks/figuring things out still, I'll wait to give my final verdict. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying out all the snacks they have to offer along with my beloved Roasted Barley Milk tea!

Kevin T.

Newly opened in the plaza, surprised to see it finally happen after all the years it's been preluded! Things are looking pretty slick and clean inside this stop (with some hilarious signs to boot), so it'll be hard to resist the call for boba in the South SJ area... Parking in this part of town is pretty trivial (right in front of a Rite-Aid), so shouldn't have any problems coming in. Seems like their have an array of snacks and bento options for those craving food at the same time (though I'm usually in the area for a meal already). QR code ordering is available, but they do have two kiosks to directly order from. Went for a Roasted oolong milk tea + boba and pretty darn good in my book. Boba was perfect texture with just right balance of chewiness and stiffness. Tea flavor was spot on and their soy creamer blended well for a nice creamy drink.

Al B.

Uniqueness: So far for first drink, reminds me just like Homestead! But wow did the place smell like an outhouse that day Wait Time: [x][x][x][x][ ] Drink Quality: [x][x][x][x][x] Service: [x][x][x][x][x] Setting: [x][x][x][x][ ] Cost: [x][x][x][x][x] Recommendation? Thai Tea is a satisfactory yes to me! Worth getting if you're a fan of Thai milk tea in general, they made it right. Tea Era felt like they've been teasing us for +3 years with their vacant lot and sign hanging, seeming like it would never come to fruition. Then out of the blue, their doors were open and business was finally ready for the South Bay! I totally didn't even know about this until people started chatting about it and I had to see it for myself, and there it was. Tea Era quality milk tea in the South Bay. Was it worth the try? Let's take a look. I went there a couple weeks back and it was a peaceful empty Saturday but in the early afternoon so not anything wrong with no crowds this early. Drink menu has exactly what they offer at Homestead and decided to try their Thai milk tea which I love in general. Drink was perfectly sweet, quick to order, and I saw no issue from this drink so that was a definite plus for me. Price-wise was significantly cheaper than the Pure Tea Bar that's across the street. I would definitely for now go here than there for the same drinks. The place has plenty of tables for studying if you'd like and if you're hungry there's even Egghead next door for delicious breakfast sandwiches. However, the only negative I have to say from this experience today was wow it SMELLED inside. I'm not sure if there was a plumbing issue but it smelled like I was standing in an outhouse once I stepped inside. The smelly first impression was enough to not call this visit a 5 star yet but I will give them the benefit of the doubt to come back for more because I love milk tea in general. Would I give my recommendation to come here? If the smell is just a one off event, a definite yes from me.

Melanie H.

Tea Era has finally opened! I've been waiting for a quality neighborhood boba spot, and it didn't disappoint. The interior is very spacious and clean, and they also have self ordering kiosks. Can't wait to try some of the other drinks! ROASTED BARLEY MILK TEA: 4/5 ($6.75 - Large) This is my tried and true drink, and one of the most unique drinks as I haven't seen barley tea offered elsewhere. The barley taste was good and the non dairy creamer didn't completely wash down the drink. I don't know if I enjoy this as much as I used to, but still yummy!

Anna L.

Place has finally opened after having been under construction for so long. Indoor was nice, clean, and spacious. They had kpop playing on one of their TV screens. Lots of snack and bento options. A few combo meals to select from. There was one kiosk to order from thr front. Ordering menu from the kiosk was pretty straightforward. You can also order from your phone using the QR code they have posted on the walls. I got the roasted oolong vanilla creme. I enjoyed the tea but not so much of the creme. The vanilla was too strong for my liking. When the creme started diffusing into my tea, it looked chunky instead of smooth like Swirls. I really enjoyed the fried Radish cake with a little bit of their dipping sauce. I'll come again to try more variety of their drinks and snacks.