So happy to see a new tea place on the scene, this one in San Jose across from Westgate Mall. Formosa Aroma has a stunning variety of very high quality tea varietals like Dancing Crane Black Tea, Luye Red Oolong, Golden Phoenix Oolong, Cassia Black Tea, Assam Black Tea, JinXuan Oolong, etc. Will come back many times to try them all! Osmanthus jelly topping was great. One word of warning is the Jasmine Tea is quite bitter, probably because the water they used is too hot. You might not notice it with milk but it's very noticeable bitterness without milk. read more

Given the hype around this place, I was excited to try it! I understand that this place is new, however, I gave it two tries and it is just okay. Not mind blowing or anything. Hochija Pudding Iron Buddha Milk Tea - The Iron Buddha reminds me of the roasted oolong from Ten Ren, which is good! Since they taste the same, I rather go to TenRen because it is cheaper. You're paying more at Formosa because of the pudding - Hochija Pudding was good! - I wished the tea flavor was stronger, so I would rather go to Molly Tea or HeyTea Yuzu Jelly Passion Fruit Green Tea - It was very sweet.. even though I asked for less sweetness. It was almost syrupy sweet - Before I received my order, another person complained about the sweetness & had the worker remake it (same drink as me) - Because of the syrupy taste, it reminded me of Teaspoon - I do like the yuzu jelly, it was refreshing My partner got the Aiyu Jelly Calamansi Limenade and he thought it was alright. He loves lemon/lime drinks but this place didn't hit the spot unlike Chicha san Chen's lime/lemon drinks. He said my Iron Buddha was better. I don't think I'll come back given the abundance of tea shops we have in the area. I wanted to like this place, but there are better options. read more

Formosa Aroma - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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Really good tea! Anytime I try a new boba shop, I always try their classic milk tea first. Tried the dancing crane black milk tea and it was yummy! You can really taste the tea flavor. They run on the sweeter side and 50% was already really sweet. I would opt for 30% next time. Love that they have different toppings like barley boba. Will be back to try their other stuff! read more

Got the oolong tea, was pretty good. Don't see the point in waiting 40+ minutes for the other overhyped places. Not much seating room, but don't think that's an issue when you're just grabbing a quick drink with friends. read more

Formosa Aroma - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Visited twice now. First time: formosan teaspresso tea (no milk) $7.35 jasmine green tea, 50 ice, 50 sugar with boba $7.35 Came around 7PM weekday. Staff super slow. Not much sense of urgency. Probably waited 20-25 min for easy pour drinks. Second time: nitro jasmine cold brew $7.35 mango pomel sago $7.75 Made faster, a bit better. Boba was undercooked most of the time. Overall, 2.5 stars. Rounding to 3. A bit inconsistent. Easy parking in the lot. read more

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I ordered the Lychee Assam Tea. It came out within 5 minutes. The tea tastes very sweet at 50% sweet so I recommend reducing it to 25%! I asked the workers and the teas are brewed daily and fruit used in their fruit teas. This is a great place to hang out with friends in small groups or dates if you can get a table! Also a great place to study. Finding parking can be hard since it's near Sprouts. I recommend this if you're craving boba around 10 PM! read more

Formosa Aroma - Lychee Assam Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

I never really go out to this side of town, but I heard this place was good so I wanted to try it. Golden Phoenix Oolong (5/5): Honestly very solid. It tasted authentic and has that calming taste a good milk must have. I would try this place again! read more

Formosa Aroma - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

At Formosa Aroma, I ordered on their Formosan Teaespresso Milk Tea on their self-service counter. My drink came out within 10 minutes, and service was friendly when I had a few clarifying questions. It was a unique drink that blended espresso well with tea. I also appreciated the chewy texture and the quality of their boba. read more

Formosa Aroma - Teaespresso Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Yuzu Jelly Passion Fruit Green Tea 7/10 Dancing Crane Black Tea 8/10 Iron Buddha Oolong 8/10 I love everything my friends and I got. They have a great variety of different teas you can choose from. So much to choose from I can't wait to try other drinks! I can't wait to come back and try other items on the menu. read more

Formosa Aroma - IG @boba._.addict - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

There's plenty of parking all over the plaza. The workers were friendly and the service was good. There's not much seating inside and the place is small. This place can definitely get busy. They have a large variety of drinks here. I got the grapefruit orange green tea here which tasted refreshing and not artificial tasting. It was probably one of the best fruit teas I have tried even with low sweetness. The milk teas and boba were enjoyable as well. Definitely will come back again to try out their other drinks. read more

Formosa Aroma - Grapefruit orange tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

Small shop in a plaza with spacious parking lot shared with other stores around it. Interior is very clean and vibrant. Lots of teas can be seen on their walls. Service was quick and attentative. There is only 1 cashier so if there is a lot of people, it can be a wait to order. Drinks comes out fairly quick! Besides drinks, they also have 3 different kinds of Taiwanese sandwhiches. We mainly came here for the drinks. Wintermelon Tea (Caffine Free) - $6 is 10/10. Classic drink and great for the summer heat. Basil Seed Wintermelon Calamansi - $7.25 is 8.5/10 You don't really taste the wintermelon cause of the sharp tart taste at first but it mellow out afterwards. Pink Guava Lime Green Tea - $7.25 is 9/10. It is good but a bit too sweet even at 30%. Defintely will come back to try other flavors. read more

Iron Buddha is my favorite kind of tea so if I see it on the menu, I have to visit! What impressed me about this place was how many types of teas you could choose from to customize your milk teas. If milk teas aren't your thing, they offer fruit teas and speciality drinks as well. They had a lot of milk options (whole milk, non-dairy creamer, half&half, oat milk, etc) so there's option for those who can't tolerate dairy! I ordered the Iron Buddha Oolong Milk Teaspresso with whole milk, 30% sugar, 50% ice with boba. The price came out to $8.65 which was a bit steep. The wait was quick- less than 5 minutes on a Wednesday around lunch. The tea flavor in my drink came through nicely and while I was a bit worried choosing whole milk would make my drink a bit watery compared to non-dairy creamer, the drink still had a nice milkiness to it. The boba (85 cents extra) had the nice QQ texture and subtle sweetness but it was pretty typical (nothing amazing) I enjoyed my drink and though I thought it was good quality, the price threw me off a bit. I would probably come again if I was in the area, but it's not something I would go out of my way for because of the price. read more

Drinks were super good! Yuzu Jasmine with Aiyu Jelly. Very flavorful and had yuzu puree. The grapefruit was definitely the winner! So delicious I wish I had gotten 2 grapefruits! The only downside was definitely the pricey. The drinks here range from $7.50-$10 so not an average place for tea. read more

Formosa Aroma - Grapefruit Green Tea with Boba and Miyazaki Yuzu Jelly - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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It's next to Five Guys in the plaza! My Apple Maps brought me to the Bevmo side, so it got me confused. The passion fruit jasmine tea and golden phoenix oolong milk tea were good. You can really taste the tea - good quality. Boba had a good chew. You have different options for the milk. There were passionfruit bits in the drink. I got 50% sweet, a good mix of sweet and tart. Came a little after 2:30pm on a Saturday. There was only one party in front of me then the line got pretty long after. Drinks came out pretty quick. It was a full house in the seating area. Clean and chill (AC'd) spot! I'd definitely want to come back to try more drinks. read more

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The drinks were definitely unique, I did not expect my sunset drink to taste like grape and butterfly tea. The carbonation definitely made it refreshing and i would love to go back and try their other drinks read more

Formosa Aroma - Sunset something - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

My friend and I came here on a Saturday afternoon and it was slightly busy but still had some seating available. When first opening the door, you get hit with the smell of tea so we were already very excited to order. We ordered a Genmai Buckwheat Milk Tea and an Assam Milk Tea to share. I personally liked the buckwheat milk tea more because you get that roasted grain and earthy flavor. The Assam was still good with its more caramel flavor. The drinks themselves were very tea forward with the milk giving it more body. We got half sweet and half ice. We couldn't see how much ice there was due to the paper cup but when we mixed it, it felt like the ice went pretty far down the cup. Overall, they were really good drinks in a very cute shop. I also really appreciated the tea flavor profiles that they posted around the shop. I am very excited to come back to try more drinks. read more

Formosa Aroma - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

**4.5 STARS If you're looking for a boba spot that takes tea seriously, this new San Jose gem is it. Their menu is huge--ranging from classic milk teas and refreshing fruit teas to nitro cold brew and unique specialty drinks--so there's something for everyone. What sets them apart is that their tea leaves are sourced directly from Taiwan for authentic flavor. Plus, they use a teaspresso machine for their milk teas, which extracts a much bolder, richer tea profile than your average brew. It's the perfect spot to find your new favorite drink! ORDER: |-|Assam Black Milk Tea with Boba |-| Nitro Jinxuan Cold Brew |-| Golden Phoenix Oolong Milk Tea with Sea Salt Cheese Foam read more

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omg so excited they opened a location in the bay area! i tried the iron buddha oolong milk tea and the tea taste was strong strong and yummy! 30% sweet was so sweet already, but it tasted good after some of the ice melted they have a huge selection of teas on their menu so i want to go back to try the other options! wait was only ~5 mins on a friday afternoon! read more

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Great, quick service. The cashier made some good recs. Boba was standard. The store is cute inside.

Formosa Aroma finally made it to the Bay Area. I've been excited for its arrival due to the extensive menu. Parking isn't crowded since it shares the lot with multiple other restaurants, a bank, and supermarkets. There's not too much seating so expect no seating when its busy. Staff was knowledgeable about the menu and drinks. There's even San Jose exclusives! There was a short wait due to the influx of people from dinner. It was difficult to take photos of the menu and drinks due to the lighting glare from the ceiling lights. Sweetness and ice levels can be adjusted to preference. The strawberry yogurt sago smoothie had plenty of sago in it. The strawberries weren't exactly sweet and overall the drink was pretty plain. I prefer more tartiness for yogurt drinks, but it felt lacking for this one. I've ordered this before in SoCal, but it doesn't taste the same. Could be that it isn't strawberry season right now? Matcha Uji Latte was alright, but not a standout. Nitro Jasmine Cold Brew was also alright. All the nitro drinks come from tap, which is pretty cool. In comparison to other places, it isn't as strongly floral. I'll have to come and try more drinks since some are not available in SoCal. There's a lot of milk tea shops competing for business and I want to see Formosa succeed here in the bay! read more

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Formosa Aroma is a popular Taiwanese boba shop in LA that opened its first Bay Area location in San Jose!! They specialized in freshly brewed teas made straight from their teaspresso machines. I got the Lychee Assam Black Tea and I really liked how refreshing and delicious it was, while having a strong lychee taste. However, I think 50% sweetness was too sweet for me, so I'll probably get 25% sweetness next time. I also got to try the Jasmine Green Milk Tea and I really love how it was aromatic and has a strong jasmine taste. I'll definitely have to come back here again to get their Jasmine Green Milk Tea. read more

Formosa Aroma - Jasmine Green Milk Tea, Cream Brûlée Brown Sugar Boba Milk, Sakura Snow Whip Matcha, Lychee Assam Black Tea, Iron Buddha Oolong Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

It's more crowded than I expected. However, sadly, I don't understand the hype. I think there are way better tea/boba shop here so it's hard to beat the standard. The apple tea was okay... I have high expectation for the Formosa Ocean. It's Instagram worthy and pretty to look at. But the taste was okay. I don't think I would go back again unless I just happen to be in the area. Parking is easy. Inside seating is limited. read more

Ordered the yuzu passion fruit tea. Not quite sure if it's any different from other boba place. Friends ordered the ocean drink but said too sweet and tasted like yakult plus sparkling water plus something sweet. It's good but maybe we haven't tried something that wowed us. It's a new store so the interior is pretty updated as well. read more

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Quite busy on a Sunday afternoon. The store isn't super huge so it got pretty crowded inside with people waiting in line to order and people waiting for their drinks. We waited 15-20 minutes to place our orders at the cashier. The menu is pretty extensive and also a bit confusing. There is a main menu you pass while waiting in line, and additional menus at the cashier with visuals of 10 specific drinks, visuals of the signature foams, topping options, and a build your own menu. I feel like the additional menus at the cashier would be helpful to show earlier for the people waiting in line. For my drink, I got the creme brulee milk tea. A picture of it was framed on the wall but I didn't see it on the menu. The receipt listed that the tea used was the golden phoenix oolong, and I wish I knew beforehand if I could change the tea and didn't know it'd default to the golden phoenix oolong. The drink was pretty good though! The creme brulee foam was rich, creamy, and sweet with a crunchy torched sugar top. The tea tasted authentic and fragrant. Everyone else liked their drinks too. Unfortunately their boba wasn't ready at the time we placed our orders (20 minute wait) so I'll have to come back and try the boba next time. read more

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This is a Taiwanese boba tea shop . My first time visit . I was very impressed with the different tea leaves they have to new each cup of tea . They have the signature milk teas with different tea leaves , typhoon slush , fruit teas , yogurt teas and many others . The use a special machine to new each cup Of tea so it takes a little wait . But it is totally worth it . The tea is freshly brew with rich aroma . We order the mango sago smoothie and I got the Golden phoenix oolong HOT tea with milk . They both taste excellent. The presentation and the flavor are very good. 5/5 experiences . read more

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Taste of tea was good, but it was masked but the over sweetness. Cashier told us it was sweet so we got 30% sweetness. We couldn't imagine what 100% sweetness would be. The menu had a lot going on, wish there were more photos. We got the mango passion fruit green tea, would have hit the mark if sweetness was less. We had to dilute it with water when we came home. 2nd drink coconut latte with red bean and purple rice, again overly sweet and too much going on I barely had any drink. I tend to like red bean and purple rice but it was just too much. I have mine being watered down, maybe I'll mix it with milk to help. read more

Formosa Aroma - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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Finally got to try this place with my partner on a Saturday afternoon around 3:30 pm! It was packed! It's a small boba shop that has been around for a month, and they'll have a lot to improve on. A Hazard: - I didn't see a maximum occupancy sign so the space is packed during peak hours. The doorway is constantly blocked with people in line. They don't have self-service kiosks, so you'll have to order with a live person. It was hectic with peak hours; the register took orders but also called for drinks. If the drink isn't picked up immediately, they have a PA system if you're waiting outside. It took about 10-15 minutes for our drinks to be ready. They have minimal indoor seating around 2 tables but there is outdoor seating outside a few steps from the store. I got the white peach ice tea with lychee jelly 50% ice and sugar. I was surprised by the amount of toppings as it took up 1/3 of my drink. The drink had an odd aftertaste but did taste like peach and was refreshing. My partner got the nitro assam cold brew with 70% sweet and yuzu jelly added. Was a standard sweetened black tea with no other notes on top, tea quality was smooth. Yuzu jelly was a nice topping to pair with the assam, comparable to a standard lemon black tea but subtle citrus notes. It's drinkable. I would wait until the hype dies down so you don't have to wait long for a drink. read more

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FYAAAAA boba place! I've gone here twice after seeing it on my TikTok For You page. The first time I got the sugarcane drink, and the second time I got the mango sago smoothie. Service was good, the worker was very attentive. It's a little store, so seats are a little limited. My friend also got the matcha drink, and thought it was good and a few other drinks. Obviously it's not going to be the best matcha in the world, but it satisfied our taste buds read more

Formosa Aroma - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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While picking up some soup at Boudin SF, I stumbled upon the newest Taiwanese boba spot to the South Bay called Formosa Aroma. It opened on Feb 16th, 2026. The interior was small and only a couple of elevated tables and chairs. The staff was very friendly and helpful. She recommended a few of their drinks. Iron Buddha Oolong Milk Tea with Hojicha pudding. Expect long wait times for this new and popular boba place! Support your local business. read more

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Lots to choose from and look at on this menu. I wish it was more simple but it is what it is. They have like a 4 page menu. I got the Formosa aurora which was green apple and it was very tart and those little boba popping things make it tart since that's where the green apple comes from. I would give that a 3-5. Also got the jasmine milk green tea and that was good would go a little less on the sugar, had to wait for the ice to melt a little to not be so sweet. Their little bread things are good as well forgot the name. Friendly customer service. Would come again to try the million other drinks you can choose from. read more

Formosa Aroma - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

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One of my favorite milk tea spots from the SGV is here in the Bay Area! I was so excited, I had to visit as soon I saw the news. This was my perfect order! + Golden Phoenix Oolong Milk Tea + 50% Ice, 50% Sweet, Non-Dairy Creamer The quality is top tier and exactly how I remembered it from the Alhambra location. Not too milky and the tea was fragrant. The shop was out of boba when I was here, but I would love to come back and try it with this drink. I also tried their Sugarcane Mountain Tea, which was refreshing and floral! I really loved this. If you're into a classic nuoc mia taste with a earthy floral tea, this will be the drink for you! FYI - very minimal seating and no restroom. Plenty of parking and free wi-fi though. read more

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Hooray! One of my favorite tea spots from SoCal is finally here! I stopped by on a saturday around 2PM. Drinks: If you are looking for a spot that is tea focused/slaps you in the face with tea flavor, this is the spot for you. The tea flavor is probably the strongest out of all boba spots in the area. I would say the strength is comparable to Molly tea but even more so. The tea is incredibly fragrant and you can tell that it is high quality. I got my go to, which is the Jasmine green milk tea and it was as good as I remember. I also tried the iron Buddha milk tea with boba and it was like drinking the most deeply roasted hojicha ever. I actually said "o WOW" out loud after I tried it because it was so much stronger than I expected. The boba flavor was pretty good but it was a little bit firmer than i prefer. I also tried the grapefruit orange green tea. It honestly didn't taste much like grapefruit to me at all so I would skip this next time. Wait/Service: given that this spot is brand new, I of course knew that the wait was going to be long. From the door, I waited about 25 minutes to order. I could see that this was mostly because everyone asked for recommendations and tea explanations from the cashier, so that took a long time. The good news is that the wall has all of the teas with descriptions so you can decide in advance that way. The cashier also was in charge of calling out orders and packing them up so this also played into how long it took to order. After ordering, I was told the wait would be 30-40 minutes which I was okay with given the circumstances. The cashier was sweet though and even though it looked really stressful, she seemed very knowledgeable and kept her cool. read more

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I enjoy that they made their tea fresh per cup here! Tastes: This was mixed. The tea taste was good but the milk was not as creamy as other places. The mango sago was also good but a little too icy. Overall still yummy! Parking: Very easy plaza parking read more

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First time trying Formosa Aroma after they opened up a location in the South Bay. They have a vast tea selection and include detailed description of flavors and notes in each brew, as well as the unique toppings on their menu such as chestnut boba, barley boba, purple rice, etc on top of all the usual toppings offered at other boba shops. Note that they offer non-dairy milk options as well. It looks like they have most teas on tap so prep time for milk teas tend to be relatively quick (under ~10 minutes), especially because the line was only about 5 people at the time. I ended up going with the Iron Buddha Oolong Milk Tea with barley boba which had a deep, smoky flavor and was on the stronger side which I prefer. We also wanted to try another drink with chestnut boba, but they had run out at the time we went on a Saturday afternoon. The drink was great overall, though there was more ice than expected. I would come again to try more of their teas. read more

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I found my favorite bubble tea shop. They just opened a location in the Bay Area, and I've visited three times within a week. They offer a variety of teas, and they all sound really good and creative. I tried a few different ones, both milky and fruity, here are my top favorites: * Hojicha pudding Iron Buddha milk tea * Crème brûlée brown sugar boba milk * Aiyu jelly calamansi limeade read more

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3.5 STARS Who has order anxiety or menu paralysis? *Raises hand* Order anxiety and menu paralysis ARE real at Formosa Aroma! There's three menus and the main one is only viewable when you're at the register. Soft opening 2/12/26, Formosa Aroma (Taiwanese tea shop) originated in SoCal and this is their first NorCal location. Mainly a takeout spot as there's only three high-tops. No restroom. Currently, in-person order only with one cashier. No text notification so you have to wait inside for your number to be called. There's a million boba shops in Silicon Valley, many are top-tier so what makes Formosa Aroma stand out? - Each cup is brewed to order using a Teapresso machine (expect a wait). - Nitro Cold Brew Tea available (creates a foamy top like beer). - Toppings: Barley boba, chestnut boba, crystal ramen, Miyazaki yuzu jelly, and hōjicha pudding. - Rose cream foam or Sakura snow whip. - Evaporated milk, soy milk, almond milk, AND oat milk. Soft opening promo: 15% off. If you post a review on Yelp or Google, you get 20% off. D R I N K S We choose drinks from their illustrated menus which I'm assuming are their speciality or top sellers? * Pistachio Cream Foam Iced Tea w/ choice of tea ($7.50) - Cashier recommend the golden phoenix oolong for a strong tea flavor - 30% sweet The pistachio foam overpowered the tea and with the non-dairy creamer, it was too milky. Also, 30% sweet was too sweet. * Grapefruit Orange Green Tea ($7.25) - 50% sweet Fruit forward with a mellow grassy and floral flavor. Not mine but at 50% sweet, it felt 100% sweet. S E R V I C E The cashier was awesome - upbeat, friendly, and knowledgeable. She was communicative with the wait times. Sweet staff thanked and apologized for the wait when you pick up your order. Overall, I didn't care for my drink but giving Formosa Aroma grace because it's soft opening with 15% off and the customer service was great. Probably best to stick with their basic tea or milk tea to appreciate their Taiwan imported teas. read more

Formosa Aroma - L: Pistachio Foam Iced Milk Tea ($7.50), R: Grapefruit Orange Green Tea ($8) - 15% off during soft opening - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California

My drink was delicious, I love the caffeine free options. I tried the milk tea with the genmai buckwheat tea and non dairy creamer. It was my first time trying a buckwheat tea and it had an excellent flavor! Would definitely recommend. They have a lot of other delicious looking drinks that I'm excited to try. Boba was a good texture as well. There's not a lot of space inside, but they have a couple tables and seats. The service was average. read more

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Disappointed of the taste of coconut grass jelly .Tasted off , jelly didn't look like jelly so I end up throwing it away . Service was fine read more

As soon as you enter, you can smell the warm comforting smell of Taiwanese boba shops. It's really cute and pretty inside with nice and simple decor. Ordering is quite simple with a lot of choices and customization available. I got the dancing crane milk tea with boba. Boba is nice and chewy and the tea is a good flavor. Can't wait to go back and try different ones. read more

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Came during soft opening, line is more efficient than it looks. Wide wide option of drinks, it can definitely be overwhelming the first time visiting. Got the golden phoenix oolong milk tea w boba and four seasons mountain tea w boba, both w non dairy creamer, 100% ice, 70% sweet. Tea quality was superb (they use teaspresso machines), but not sure of the right combo of tea/dairy yet for what mixes the best. Overall enjoyed the drink, sweetness tea mix had a bit of a strange taste mid drink but it does have that golden oolong unique note that not many boba shops will have. A few tables but not the most seating inside, def more of a grab and go place. Can be pricy w all addons but such is boba these days, will be back when in the area! read more

Formosa Aroma - Golden phoenix oolong milk tea w boba, four seasons milk tea w boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - San Jose, California