This boba place is a Must every time I'm in Mountain View. I got lavender milk tea boba as usual, so yummy and rich in flavor, it actually calms you down and it was a good signature to end my night after a good dinner. We also got the honeydew boba with coffee pearl and boba and we really liked it. Honeydew flavor was so rich and creamy. Overall 10/10 to this boba shop. Nice and friendly staff and store makes you feel like you are in a traditional restaurant. read more

Tea Era - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Roasted barley milk tea half sweet is our go to drink here. Even though there are other newer Boba shops along Castro, Tea Era is always our favorite. Earl Grey milk tea and Earl Grey smoothie also top my list here. Order ar the counter, pay and soon your order is up. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Nothing frilly about this place, just great drinks![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Tea Era - Roasted barley milk tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

My friend and I came here for boba after dinner, and I was really impressed. The prices were super low like I haven't seen since college probably. I got a grape passionfruit tea with regular chewy boba. It was a unique and refreshing blend, as I typically see just grape or passionfruit tea but not combined. I thought the flavors went well together and would come again when in the area. read more

Tea Era - grape passionfruit tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

I've read mixed reviews about this boba place in downtown Mountain View, so I decided to try it myself. This small boba shop seems authentic, but there were a few flaws. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The shop looked dirty, and when I walked in, it smelled like smoke.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I ordered a Lychee Green Tea with boba and lychee jelly. As I walked down the street, I took my first sip, and immediately there was this chemical, eucalyptus-like aftertaste. The boba itself was nice and chewy, but I couldn't get over the drink. I couldn't even finish it--that's how bad it was. There are signs all over the shop saying that people in the past have loved it and said so on Yelp. The last recognition they had was in 2023, and now I know why. Do yourself a favor and don't come here. read more

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It truly is the best of Mountain View! The prices were very very attractive, so that's why we chose this place to try. The boba itself was sweetened too! Finally, it is just like the authentic boba drinks from the heartlands! It is a no-frills type of place too. You order, you wait a bit, and you get your drinks. Oh they also have very unique drink flavors relatively rarely found in the SF Bay Area including durian and red guava! Whaaat? Wildin' out here. It is also easy to get To with a simple hop onto the train, get off a few blocks from this Castro street area, and then you're there. Many others were taking this public transportation too. Pro tip: order from the P.O.S. Touchscreen with the Five Star rewards and get your credits! read more

Tea Era - Magical red guava boba milk tea! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

One of the OG boba shops in Mountain View. My go-to order is the Roasted Barley Milk tea, light ice and 30% sugar. Other flavors that I've liked are jasmine, iron Buddha, ginger milk tea, sesame milk tea. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There's limited seating inside, and it can get crowded on busy nights and weekends.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Tea Era is always my go to boba place in Mountain View. Their price range is so good, being way lower than other boba places in the area. They also have a unique flavor of roasted barley milk tea, which I love!! This is probably the only boba place with that flavor. Their tea is always refreshing and it keeps me coming back here. I would highly recommend their roasted barley milk tea! read more

Tea Era - Roasted Barley Milk Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Small milk tea shop on castro street. Sort of hidden.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Seems pretty authentic upon walking in and prices are pretty reasonable.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They had a bogo offer on dd so I tried their hot roasted oolong milk tea. It was just what I needed on a chilly day. Tea flavor was not very strong but overall it was good for the price. Parking can be a bit tricky though given that most of castro is blocked off for pedestrian access. read more

I ordered the Red Guava Green Tea, 50% sugar. It's very sweet and tastes like artificial red guava. It came out within 5 minutes. Unfortunately, you only get to choose between 50% and 100% sugar. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's a small shop with a bit of space to stand around.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I recommend you walk in and order and take a look around. Great placement for this shop as it's in a nice street that's closed off with lots of restaurants, dessert places, and boba places. read more

Tea Era - Red Guava Green Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

The same guy who looked really bored was working there on both of my visits on this trip to the bay. Some things never change though. Tea Era still has some of the cheapest boba I've found. It still has a good taste, not excessively sweet and the flavored teas like rose have a distinct but not too heavy taste. The pearls were maybe slightly too soft but overall still pretty good. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Tea Era is located right in DTMV. It's a relatively small place but popular![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service was friendly and quick. My drink came out immediately! Pudding Milk Tea - The pudding was good and the milk tea was flavorful. Overall, 3.5 stars! read more

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Nice people, good quality, & good pricing. Got a large jasmine milk tea, with boba for $6.45 total(this includes tax). I was able to get 0% sugar, so for the other person's comment, it looks like only certain ones have sweetness % limits. The tea was on point, the boba was fresh, and everything came out reasonably quick. Will include picture of the pricing, and pricing of one of the other options I was considering. Just to get the point across. They also have cane sugar drink which is a beloved item in my heart so thats awesome read more

Tea Era - Black sesame milk with boba cost. Would have been less by $0.75 if I did not have such an intense addiction to Boba. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Nice boba spot with very customizable drinks. You can adjust the ice level, sweetness, and add different flavors or toppings to make it just how you like it. It's a no-frills kind of place, but the drinks are solid and the options are great if you're picky about how you like your boba. Quick service too, great for a casual stop when you're craving something sweet and refreshing. read more

Ordered roasted oolong milk tea, but this time it tasted watered down. Not as good as prior. Not sure if they added water. I ordered large size but felt like it was regular size and water was added. Somewhat disappointed. read more

This is a must stop by because YOU ARE ARE GETTING QUALITY HERE and for a reasonable price. For some reason this place stood the test of time. With other joints going up to like IDK $5+ this place still has a stable price. I normally skip boba joints but this place is a big win. They keep stepping up their game. They have a very wide range of drinks that exceeds other places so when in the area I will keep coming by. Well worth the price. In terms of service. A++ sorry but I am not the type of Asian who believes in that stuff. Employee who worked there at the time is very nice. I got a pineapple drink which smelled very nice and was very filling. In the future, don't forget to get the durian flavor drink. It's a one of a kind. Will come here again and again. read more

Boba of a bygone era. Tea Era runs on same tier as Quickly's, TapEx, etc: places that were boomin when boba first started getting popular but have fallen behind with the times and have not really improved or adapted. Prices remain low but the quality you get matches the price. Got a basic ceylon milk tea and it tasted like it was very cheaply made, almost like the milk tea you can buy at asian supermarkets that comes in the cans/bottles read more

Located in Downtown Mountain View, parking is plentiful but gets crowded during the weekends. The interior is small with no seating from what it looks like. Lavender Milk Tea (3/5): super sweet. I only got 50% and I felt like every sip was 10 spoonfuls of sugar. It wasn't super fragrant, but the lavender flavor was good. The boba was firm and chewy, definitely has changed from the soft texture they previously had. The now accept NFC! Tea Era has changed quite a bit over the years. The boba has dropped in quality. Overall, Tea Era is a mediocre boba shop. read more

Tea Era had existed at a time where boba culture was starting to emerge in the Bay Area. The Mountain View locationhas won numerous awards for best pearl tea in the area, and has survived at least two recessions. That is a bulletproof business, if you'd asked me. I rarely drink boba anymore. Prices have been too high for me to justify purchasing a drink anymore. When I was in the Mountain View area and I saw a recently uploaded picture of Tea Era's menu on this app, I could not believe it. The pricing resembled how boba was back in 2010s, but it's priced that way in early 2024. The place has a huge menu! Many people come here for the Roasted Barley Milk Tea and the Taro Smoothie. Of all the incredible things I could get here, I ended up getting myself the Thai Smoothie ($4.20) with 50% sweetness. I know. Basic! The check-in offer allows you to upgrade your drink to a large size for free, but since smoothies only come in large, you get a free topping of choice instead. Look. I had set my expectations low. I've been to so many boba places. And I'm drinking the Thai tea flavor, which is incredibly difficult to mess up. But let me be the first to tell you that Tea Era in MV was not pulling any punches. It was beyond good. It was appropriately sweet (though I imagine 100% sweetness would still work, and I personally don't have a sweet tooth!) It was well-blended to the point where it was consistently easy to drink so long as you mixed it from time to time. The pearls were... warm?! That may be a giveaway they were fresh pearls. Have not had fresh pearls like those in a long time! It was so well worth its price that I've even less incentive to order boba elsewhere. Riddle me this: how come a boba spot that has priced their drinks significantly lower than a majority of other boba places, makes better boba than a majority of other boba places? The MV location in particular was so good, I wanted to see if there are other Tea Era locations closer to me. Sure enough, there are: one in Cupertino, and one in South San Jose. I cannot claim to know how they are like. I'm sure they're good, but they cannot match the pricing strategy of the MV location. Probably for the best. I would have rekindled my boba addiction, otherwise. Additional notes: cash preferred! There is a surcharge if you use credit card. The orders come fast. The inside is not spacious, so get your drink and then explore the rest of downtown Mountain View. If you have never been to Tea Era, please do! You will not be disappointed. read more

Tea Era - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

I love this spot. It's probably the cheapest bubble tea in the Bay Area and also really great. I love coming here after lunch with my friends. Some of the specials you'll have to pay cash for though. The specials being any of the flyers on the wall read more

Super cute Boba place on the main drag and we were really surprised at the price especially since some Boba places are eight dollars to get to Boba for $10. It's a steal. The service was quick. The place is cash only so make sure you bring cash although there is a machine you can use for card we asked for half ice and half sweet 50%. It's very sweet I probably get 30% next time still a great Boba spot. There's also side seating. read more

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Cash only!!! Ordered the passion fruit and dragonfruit kiwi, 50% sugar and half ice. Overall great taste but still a tad sweet. $ per value is on point. Small interior and fast service. Outside seating area is a nice touch, great experience. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Tea is decent. I enjoyed it and the place it is in is pretty cute.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] What I cannot stand is the rude employee at the front. He was extremely rude to me when I politely asked him to remake a drink that was wayyyyy too sweet. And I honestly never ask for that unless it's really difficult to drink. I honestly would have preferred if he just told me no. That would have been better than him remaking it for me based on his attitude. Guy fought me on it from the spot, then he slapped the drink down and straw with such attitude, I was really offended. I even said thank you and he gave me a huge side eye. Like what the heck man? Id be a regular if you didn't treat your customers like that. Who does that? I hope he's not the owner. If he is, get it together man. read more

Tea Era - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Recently moving to this part of town I was excited to try a new boba shop, and although my boba (Taro) was made well and the boba was cooked to a texture just enough gooey without being considered soft the mint drink was more of a let down than we expected. I'd be willing to give this place another shot because of my drink and the positive reviews... but I might check out a few other local spots first. read more

Tea Era - Taro Milk tea w/boba and Mint smoothie. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

really straightforward, no-frills boba. If you're not into marketing gimmicks and just want pearls with good texture and solid tasting tea, this is a great spot. Service is quick and the selection is more than enough. read more

Boasting loads of "Best of Mountain View" means you can't go wrong with trying this place right? Thankfully it is indeed a solid spot in line with my previous experience with a different location, though it was my brother's first time as he was looking to soothe his poor stomach from firey death. It's more of a hole in the wall and the shop is focused entirely on dirnks for takeout, so don't expect to need to spend too long here. This shop is also located on the part of Castro street that gets closed off to car traffic, so parking nearby and walking over should be expected (good luck with that downtown parking). Service was mostly minimal contact, but they had two self-service kiosks in addition to their fairly sizable menu. Straightforward ordering process, and soon enough my name was called up for my order without much delay. They were definitely well staffed for a more busy time (we hit them just around noon). It's not going to max the charts for quality, but you still get a pretty great deal for the price of the bubble tea you're paying for. The Taro milk tea I got was freshly taro-ey and at a good level of sweetness at 50%, and even without ice they filled my cup up to the brim (which was appreciated given the weather as too cold was no good for me). The wintermelon milk tea was pretty fragrant and well balanced with nicely chewy boba, all very lovingly received by my brother. read more

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This place sells boba for $3.40!!! ( paid with cash) free upgrade to large with Yelp check in. I got the jasmine milk tea and asked how sweet, bc i don't like it too sweet and they suggested less sweet i think 30%. It was honestly a tad watery and not sweet enough but still strong tea! I would get a little more sweet next time. Can't beat the prices tho! read more

Tea Era - Front counter - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

In a world where boba costs nearly $7 a pop... Tea Era is a safe haven with great value. We stumbled upon here after dinner and it did not disappoint. The staff were kind and very quick to make our drinks. The jasmine milk tea was good; I really liked the texture of their boba, it was nice and chewy, and not too sweet. Thai milk tea was yummy too. Truly a no-frills tea spot. This is probably not the spot if you're looking for somewhere to sit and hang out with friends (no tables or chairs) but perfect for stopping in for a lil sum sweet after dinner! read more

Tea Era review update (some 3 years later): Tea Era, you deserve 5 stars and you have earned each and every one of them in my book. I grew to really love the Roasted Barley Milk Tea with boba from here that whenever I can't get my fix since they're not close by me, I attempt to replicate this at home. It's definitely not the same so it makes coming here all the more special for me lol. Their boba pearls have a distinct sweet flavor and the perfect chew to them. The drink itself has a unique taste that I haven't tried at any other boba joint to date. They still have Five Stars rewards, a reward for checking into Yelp, and now a self-service ordering kiosk! Oh, and they're still fast and efficient with making drinks to order! Looking forward to the next time I go to Tea Era! read more

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I so wish I lived close to here.. but also very glad I don't because I'd be visiting here every day. Disclaimer that this place is cash only! It's very much a hole-in-the-wall, very easy to walk right past if you've never visited before. Upon walking in, you're greeted with a huge wall of flavor options and varieties. Not only does everything sound delicious, but it's also very affordable compared to other options in the area. I decided to try their Iron Buddha tea with boba, which ended up being around $5 for their largest size. I was very impressed by the price, taste, and freshness of the boba. Although it would be nice if they had more seating/chairs inside, it's located on a busy street where you can walk around enjoying your drink. read more

Tea Era - Iron Buddha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Tea Era has been around for a really long time, and they have some unique flavors that I haven't seen at other places. I haven't been back in a while, but I don't think it's held up as well as the years passed. I probably wouldn't make the effort to come here unless I was in the area. ROASTED BARLEY MILK TEA: 3.5/5 (50% sweet + grass jelly) The roasted barley taste wasn't as strong as I remember, but it was still pretty good! What was disappointing was that the drink mostly tasted like it had been watered down by the creamer. I'm not sure if that's their method for reducing the sweetness, but it honestly tasted more like creamer than it did tea. I asked for no ice as I wasn't going to be able to drink this for a bit, so the ice couldn't have watered the drink down. I would try this drink again at 75% sweetness because this was one of my favorite things to get here, and you can't really get roasted barley milk tea anywhere else! read more

Tea Era - Roasted Barley Milk Tea w/ Grass Jelly - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

There are a ton of "Best of Mountain View" banners here and at the neighboring Chinese restaurant which are seemingly owned by the same people or are good friends. However not sure valid those are. My drink was only alright and there are at least three other boba spots nearby. Ordering is simple with two kiosks inside and there's no seating or anything to note interior wise. One plus is that drinks here are pretty cheap all things considered, under $5 for a large and just over $3 for a medium. Jasmine Milk Tea with Boba - at 50% sugar, I felt like it was 150%. Drink was basically 99% milk 1% tea. My first impression was sweet soy milk I would pair with breakfast in Taiwan. Milk tea was like very sugary milk and there was no tea taste at all. Boba was a bit undercooked so it's firm with a bit of chew but could be better. The texture of the boba did maintain the sweetness though, so the boba has flavor which is a plus. Overall though, as a milk tea, it was average. read more

Tea Era - Jasmine Milk Tea with Boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

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A complete experience - [[HIGHLIGHT]]good locations, food, good teas and plenty of seating and quick service.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Love how many options exist for drinks. The honey dew blend is a favorite but I love trying new things all the time. read more

I haven't had Tea Era for 5-7 years. This was one of my favorite boba spots back then. I was excited to try this again this past Saturday, but I kept my expectations low just in case since my boba palette is grown. This spot use to be cash only, but there's a kiosk that accepts card. No line. Cost was less than $6/drink for my group. I ordered the earl grey milk tea with boba. When I got my order, the earl grey was a dark brown color similar to a chocolate color. The drink was definitely more tea like than milky. Personally, I like my milk tea more milky. The liquid content looked a little clumpy and needed to be mixed a bit more. I wasn't a fan of the taste of the milk tea. The boba pearls however was very good. Not too hard, not too chewy, very consistent. Overall, it wasn't a good drink, the boba pearls were the saving grace. A little disappointed but I won't be returning to tea era. read more

My go to boba shop in downtown Mountain View, prices are reasonable compared to others boba shops close by. My go to drink is Strawberry milk tea with lychee jelly. read more

Tea Era - Order ahead - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

This is the legendary tea shop that has been here for so many years in mtv downtown! This shop is probably the reason why a lot of people moving to the Bay Area! lol. I like their variety of choices and always never stop to creation new drinks. Also they have a nice outdoor seating area where you can wait for your drink, read a look or even meet a friend(of course with a drink in hand). I've tried a lot of their drinks that are so great. Wanting to try something new today so I ordered a rice slushy drink and pink lady. Pink lady is perfect as it's not that sweet as I would expected in other tea places. The rice slushy tasted nice and surprising at first as it has crispy rice as one of the ingredients but not so much as slushy milk starts to melt. But I would definitely come for more old and new drinks as I always do. Thank you for being around tea era! Thank you for surviving all the Covid and financial crisis!!! read more

Tea Era - Pink lady, rice slushy - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California

Good tea and food next door. This place has been around for a long time. Order some soup to help with your hang over from here.

Great fresh boba tea. Loved the flavor it added. Super soft boba pearls!! Would come back again for sure

The Cupertino one is way better. Love going to that one. Service was horrible, the cashier girl either didn't hear me or ignored me and I had to repeat my order more than twice. How hard is Large Black oolong with boba? She kept on asking me what size? Boba? ... than after all that cash only... disecond time coming here. Last time my drink wasn't great so figured I'd give it another chance. This was my second experience. Not coming back. read more

Not only is this the best boba spot in the area. But this place holds alot of good memories. My grandma took me and my dad here. & ever since then i been on the hype. Rest in heaven lovely the most chewiest boba you can ever find in your life! Dont get me started on the 70+ options of flavors they have to offer! I will always be a faithful and long time customer. They have my heart and soul please don't ever goooooooooooooo!! It doesn't get any better than tea era !! read more

First of all- there are a ton of different flavors to choose from-- a huge wall of options of tea flavors. Most of them are green or black teas, so the caffeine free options are quite limited. There's a small sign on the register that lists the caffeine free options. I've tried the winter melon tea and the watermelon juice- both with added boba. The drinks were refreshing and the boba was decent. Nothing that made it stand out from other bobas that I've had in terms of flavor, texture or quality. The prices are reasonable for a decent boba-- it does look like they used flavored powders or syrups, so the customization is more limited than other boba shops. For the winter melon tea the lowest I could go on sweetness was 50% v. Being able to go to 25% or 10% or 0 added sweetness at other boba shops. The front register is cash only, but I think you can pay by card at the self serve kiosks. When I went there was a yelp check-in deal for a free upgrade size for one drink with a yelp check -in. No indoor seating, so more of an order and go place. read more

Tea Era - Watermelon juice with boba - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Mountain View, California