This place was cute and the drinks were good. My husband got the Passionfruit & Watermelon Green Tea 30% sweetness and it was still pretty sweet (can't imagine what 100% sweetness would taste like), but the flavors were so refreshing and delicious! I ordered the Uji Strawberry Matcha Latte (half sweet), and it was perfect. I'm pretty picky with my matcha, but this place hit the mark. Thanks for the great and speedy service you guys! read more

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Stopped by UME and tried their Matcha Mango drink... it was absolutely delicious! The vibrant mango flavor pairs amazingly well with the smooth matcha, making it super refreshing and perfectly balanced. Definitely a must-try if you're in the area! read more

UME - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I didn't expect Santa Cruz to have such good boba, but I was proven wrong. I tried boba here back in 2020, and it was not good, but the boba scene has since improved with the addition of the UMe franchise to the beachfront area. I came to Santa Cruz with friends over the long weekend for a day trip and neglected to get my caffeine fix until late in the afternoon by which time I had a headache. It's embarrassing how dependent I am on my daily tea, but as soon as I picked up my passionfruit tea with boba and lychee jelly from the pick-up window and downed it, I felt 90% better. The tea is really good with perfectly chewy boba pearls and follows standard pricing despite its proximity to the beach. read more

UME - [UMe] Passion Fruit Green Tea w/ Boba & Lychee Jelly - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This is a cute little to-go near the wharf entrance in santa cruz. It's adorable! And you can order easily online, which is what we did. The person working was very kind and working so hard, they were busy! I am glad I preordered. I did enjoy my own matcha, sweetness was 50% and mango was yummy. Came with a little matcha ice cream in a cup(it's considered a topping but optional). It was very good matcha ice cream! I think the taro drink tasted good, but my daughter did not like the brown sugar boba. I think It is just how the boba comes and is made, but it did have extra texture that was unexpected with the boba mix. It also came as a smoothie and I couldn't find an option to just make it a milk tea. So unfortunately my kiddo did not drink it. Would like to see a regular taro milk tea over ice without being blended. Maybe I just didn't order correctly. But I would be back for the matcha. read more

UME - [UMe]Uji Matcha Mango Latte [UMe] Taro Fresh Milk w/ Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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A very pleasant surprise. Reasonable price and tasty good drinks . Perfect spot to stop grab a drink then head down to the beach and then come back and get another one on your way up !!! Easy tablet ordering process on site. read more

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This boba spot honestly caught me by surprise. We were at the boardwalk craving something refreshing and stumbled across this little outdoor stand that was very bright pink and stood out. It's more of a grab and go setup where you order at the window and keep it moving. They have drink sizes on display (medium vs. large), and from the look of it I thought the medium was a solid size. I ended up ordering two mediums, Coco Mango Jasmine Bloom and the Uji Matcha Brown Sugar Boba Latte. But when the drinks came out, the medium cups were way smaller than what was shown in their display. Definitely felt a little misleading, so if you're thirsty I'd recommend going for a large. Now, the drinks themselves... my matcha latte was actually really good! They even topped it with a scoop of matcha ice cream that made it extra creamy. I went with 50% sweetness and it was the perfect balance. The boba pearls were soft and chewy just the way I like them. Only downsides: the matcha wasn't whisked all the way so I got bits of powder in a few sips, and I didn't love that they said ice levels can't be adjusted (light ice isn't an option). But overall, the drink hit the spot and was way better than I expected from a small shop. read more

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Nice little tea place near me Santa Cruz wharf .I got the cold matcha strawberry tea with mild sweetness.Its strictly a to go place.Employees are nice read more

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I'm from the SGV (iykyk), so my boba and milk tea and drink expectations are very, very high. Ume tea offers the BEST boba and drinks WITHIN santa cruz. Overall though, i'm very unimpressed. The teas have no strong flavor, the boba is nothing special and they don't give a lot, and sugar level is always sweeter than what it should be. Options are also kinda unoriginal and not well executed. There's also like 2 chairs to sit, and there's no ambience since it's a very tiny shop where the workers looked a bit cramped. Yes, Ume is the best in Santa Cruz though, hence the 4 stars. read more

UME - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

They are a total mess! Super disorganized. And not an enjoyable ordering experience by any means. They have a tiny window you walk up to to pay only and receive your drink but you need to order your drink on a screen that is very hard to get to because you have to wade through people to get to it. And there is only 1, so if someone is taking a long time to make their pick you're stuck. Bob drinks are just ok. Not worth the wait though. They are convenient if you're staying around them bc they are walkable read more

The wait is horrendous. Not even sure if the boba is good since it took so damn long.

The drinks aren't bad, but the staff needs to be better trained. I ordered a hot milk tea and it came very like warm.... Barely hot. I informed them of the error and they put the drink in the microwave for three minutes. The drink came out piping hot and burned my tongue. They simply don't know how to heat their drinks properly. It was very disappointing. read more

We stopped going to Ume. If they would expand their fruit tea menu, we would return. Service is hit or miss.

Every drink I've tried here has been delicious! Love the pink paint of their store. The touch screen ordering system is easy to use. If you see this son, I highly recommend their seasonal tiramisu matcha! read more

I really wanted to like this place but the tea was alright it didn't taste like brown sugar at all and came in a super tiny cup. The set up of the shop is really cute but the customer service wasn't great. I also paid $5.99 on top of my tea to get a "surprise plush" and I've see other reviews where they get a cute bunny that they have literally painted all over the shop. I ended up getting this weird logo I'm not even sure what it is but it's really cheap. I was really disappointed, I paid 12 dollars for the tea and that "plush" and even tipped on top. I debated asking for my money back for the keychain because that is so not worth $6 but decided not to because the service wasn't great in the first place :( read more

UME - [UMe] Brown Sugar Boba Premium Oolong Milk Tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Super yummy boba! I would recommend ordering ahead via their website as the line can get quite long. Located a really short walk from the beach, this would be a great spot to grab something refreshing on a summer day! read more

UME - Front of store - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

First time. Very good drinks! We went on a Sunday evening so it was a little busy but did not wait that long. I ordered a strawberry matcha latte, a coco mango, and a mango yogurt. They're all uniquely sweet in their own way. Will definitely visit again! read more

Drink was great and was ~$5 for this tasty brown sugar boba! It was outdoor ordering, and had one seat. Pink, cutesy decor, too. Service was very friendly and fast. They had a cute kid who waved at me, too! read more

UME - Brown sugar [UMe] Brown Sugar Boba Fresh Milk - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Delicious and fun place near the beach. drinks were great boba was fresh and ingredients like the fruit were too!

Stopped by Ume Tea on a drive up Highway 1 as I was passing through Santa Cruz. Great stop for refreshing tea and boba drinks. My friend and I enjoyed their fruit teas. Good quality drinks - texture was well blended and not too sugary. I received fast service on a Saturday. Parking is a bit of a challenge since the small shop is alongside a busy commercial road and also next to residential housing. Not a lot of seating, but it's located a short distance from the beach! read more

I love Ume Tea and was very happy to find a location in Santa Cruz close to the wharf. It is tucked away on Front St. and does not have an interior area. You order at one window and pick up your drinks at another. There is only one small table with two chairs if you want to sit while waiting for your drinks. It was a warm day and both my husband and I wanted fruit tea. I landed on the lychee and watermelon green tea as it sounded super refreshing, and my husband chose the grape green tea. Our drinks were made quickly and we were soon on our way. Both of our drinks hit the spot, and the fruit flavors were prominent, just as we wanted. My husband's drink was extra grape-y, which I loved. I was pleasantly surprised to find watermelon chunks at the bottom of my tea, which were perfect to savor slowly. We took our drinks to the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum after for an afternoon walk and for me to photograph hummingbirds. I'd love to visit Ume Tea again for some other drinks the next time we are in Santa Cruz! read more

UME - Ordering area - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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All of the servers are so nice and all of the drinks are super good! I recommend the Coco mango. While there isn't indoor seating the shop is clean and nice! read more

UME - Zzz large drinks - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Great getaway from the hot hot heat. The lines can get really long as the location is severely overstuffed, but the workers are troopers and super sweet. The yogurt strawberry drink was too sweet for my liking and too small but otherwise a good pickmeup. Also Ume is doing a $160 credit for $100 now for their $16 year anniversary. read more

BOBA: The boba is the best option of the Santa Cruz shops - it's soft, chewy, and sweet. On more than one occasion however there has been a 15-30 minute wait for more boba because they do run out of items often. DRINKS: The drinks alone are delicious, sweet, and refreshing. You get a decent amount for the Santa Cruz prices and you can adjust the sweetness (20%, 50%, etc.) The cheese foam top, taro, mochi, and matcha are all good! I personally recommend the signature boba black milk tea - creamy yet refreshing. Pretty classic and standard drink for people new to boba. If you like more sweet things go for the strawberry matcha fresh milk tea. Fruit teas are good if you don't like milk but do leave more to be desired. Overall good ambiance and relatively fast turnout of drinks too. Very easy to spot since it's the only bright pink store along the street. Took off one star only because they tend to run out of ingredients but I still highly recommend for people who like boba. read more

UME - Regular boba cups and the bunny surprise cup - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Customer service was not great, had an online order and came to pick it up after receiving a "it's ready" text. they ignored us and we had to wait an extra 10 min while we saw our drinks sitting there even after asking them for the order. Once we got the drinks we realized they had also made the one of the drinks wrong. read more

UME - Asked for no sago and the drink was filled with it. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great location, steps from the sc wharf, so convenient to grab boba while chilling on the beach. Just a lil window to place order and take it away, but it is legit. I got brown sugar oolong boba and the boba is chewy, milk tea is perfectly prepped. Would definitely buy again when in the area read more

UME - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Ume Tea is a boba chain that has made it all the way over the hill to this tiny little shop by the Boardwalk and Wharf. With a lacking boba scene in Santa Cruz, this was a much needed addition. You order at the small kiosk in the front - essentially taking care of that work before your drink is made. They have a few staple options you'll find at many boba shops as well as toppings such as lychee and grass jelly. Unfortunately, they do not have any vegan non-dairy milk options available at this location. I stuck with a fruit tea in this case but would have preferred a milk tea based option if they had one for me. My passionfruit green tea was sweet and refreshing and the boba here was the perfect soft texture for myself. Hope that Ume is able to expand soon and offer more options at this location. read more

UME - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great location off the boardwalk. Very cute pink hole in the wall. Lots of street parking. Excellent way to start or end your boardwalk / beach adventures! Mobile ordering available. (They were really quick ordering at the window too!) Friendly staff. Ofcourse, yummy drinks! read more

UME - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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I was surprised that Santa Cruz has a new boba spot and that it was right in front of the wharf. I love boba and there's not many good spots in Santa Cruz. I've been to UME Tea in San Jose before so I thought this would taste the same but boy was I wrong. The service was extreme slow. The drink was downright awful. I got their strawberry green tea slush and substituted the cheese top with boba. The amount of boba given was literally 7 pieces and the ice in the slush wasn't blended properly. There were HUGE chunks. The drink was also very sweet and watery, texture being completely opposite of what a slush is. Highly disappointed. The shop is cute though. Pink decorations and a cute little corner near the beach. Great spot for a hot day. Their menu is also very limited compared to the other UME tea locations. Wouldn't return. read more

UME - people standing outside of a pink building - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Got the Ume Signature tea with Lychee jelly. On the outside, the menu looks very basic/simple but the tea was dairy free (huge plus) and very nice! I didn't expect that. The shop is also very cute - pink color makes it pop and a fun place to go. Big plus- my little sister got the Oolong which was a little strong for her. We asked to change it and they changed it no questions asked- amazing service! read more

UME - Ume signature boba (left) and brown sugar boba oolong - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I'm a frequent customer and this was my last straw. It has been evident that they have been a bit disrespectful. I came in on april 25th at 8:00 pm and wanted to try something new. I spent like 10$ on some drink that came out with like 3 inches of dirt flavored and textured taro. When I tried the drink it was inedible. When I respectfully asked him to remake it without the taro, he said it wasn't his fault andI shouldn't have ordered it. Even when I explained that i asked him 10 mins prior what i should try and he recommended it, he wouldn't budge. It's very disheartening to experience stuff like this because it makes me not want to come back and stop recommending it to people. read more

After three years of residence, self disaplin I finally broke down and decided to order a drink from Ume tea. Ume tea is spreading locations faster than the wild fires. All the locations are different, but unfortunately in Santa Cruz Ume Tea here remains a small grab and go with no place to sit and enjoy your drink. the staff is friendly and quick on their feet bringing out our orders with no long wait unlike other places. my favorite drink to order here is the Oolong Milk Tea with cheese foam. which is smooth, creamy, and sweet. unfortunately ordering online leaves you with way less options and adjustments for your order so I would recommend you go in person rather than order for delivery. from here. no competition this has to be the best spot for boba in Santa Cruz read more

Great selection of cool but authentic flavors!! Highly recommend 10/10 There is some street parking in front of the business too read more

UME - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Stopped by on the way to the boardwalk. Its a small location no inside seating. There were only two employees working on a Tuesday afternoon so it took a bit to get my drinks First drink was a jasmine green tea w salted foam and boba (only comes in large size) the boba was super super soft almost tooo soft. The drink itself was super watery no tea flavor whatsoever & the foam was pretty bland as well I was low key disappointed & expected a better tasting drink (2/5) Second drink was CocoMango, its a blended drink w crystal boba. It was refreshing but watery & not that flavorful (3/5) Ive tried drinks at other locations & theyve been delicious so not sure what happened at this location read more

UME - Jasmine Green Tea w Salted Foam + Boba - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Ume is located right off the boardwalk, so there's not a lot of parking nearby -- you may need to walk a bit. We went by on a Sunday evening and they were relatively busy. A few people were in line ahead of us waiting to order at the kiosk, and a few people were milling about waiting for their drinks. It took about half an hour to get our drinks, though when I approached the window to ask, the drinks were already done and sitting there. We didn't get a text and I didn't hear them call our name, either. This is easily one of the better boba shops in the area. The Thai tea looked good, though I got a bit sick of the creamy topping mixed in. I got it for the aesthetic, but I probably wouldn't order it again. Passionfruit is a pretty usual order for my partner and I, and this is one of my favorites I've had. I'd recommend going a little lighter on sweetness level since it has lychee jelly in it -- 70% was perfect. The boba was also chewy and sweet. In conclusion, the drinks are good but you might have to wait a while to get one. read more

UME - Passionfruit with lychee and boba, Thai tea crème brûlée - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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This place takes one hour for boba, awful. This is absurd for a drink. Too many people for small shop.

The drink itself tastes fine but there's NO boba for both drinks I ordered. I did not choose the"no boba" option when ordering, and nobody had contacted me about issues with toppings. Please don't tell me that the toppings I add automatically replace the boba. read more

UME - Taro and mochi are smeared on the side of the cups, so I didn't know there's no boba at all until I start drinking. - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

really slow super slow takes 40 minutes for an order. I waited out here for 40+ minutes waiting for some boba. Boba is good but not w yorth that wait. hi read more

Boba by the beach? Who could say no to that! A surprise with their drink? We're definitely in for that too! Located right by the Santa Cruz Wharf, Ume Tea is a new boba spot in Santa Cruz that will make a great place to grab a drink before you take that stroll along the beach. Their menu comes with a large assortment of drinks to choose from and you have the option of getting it with the surprise plush! We got an adorable little bunny keychain plushie in ours. We get boba pretty often, and even though we definitely enjoy it each time, this made it more fun and exciting to get our drink. The mochi was also something we've never had in our drinks before and it was actually pretty good! It's like a pudding, but mochi texture. Would definitely get again. The servers were also very patient and kind when we took our orders and appreciate them giving their suggestions! However parking was a bit difficult and they only have one table in the front to sit, so definitely more of a grab and go place - -- -- - Taro and Mochi Black Tea Latte Passion Fruit Green Tea Taro Latte with Coconut Pudding Strawberry Green Tea Slush Brown Sugar Boba and Mochi Milk Tea read more

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First timer , so fun , delicious drinks , good prices . Happy customer:) Will be back !

I've been wanting to come here since last year, since I heard SC finally has a decent boba place, and I finally been able to check it out now! Ume Tea has several locations like in SJ/Fremont area, and I've heard of their bunny surprise me drink that comes with a surprise plushie at the bottom. Unfortunately, they stopped selling them, seems like it's a seasonal special. But it's okay, won't count this towards the review~ I came here 2 times and tried different drinks. The shop itself is a very small yet cute and aesthetic pinky booth. It serves for the perfect cute pics. The wait was around 15-20 mins on a Thursday afternoon (in good weather), which is understandable because it's right near boardwalk with a good amount of visitors. I ordered the mango sago pomelo smoothie (if I remember correctly) the first time and the grape tea with lychee jelly the second. They were both pretty standard/decent boba drinks. I think the flavors are very strong, so you'll need to add more sugar to your drink. I usually put 30 or 50% sugar for my boba drink because it's usually the perfect sweetness, but here I would suggest going higher because they were pretty sour at these levels. One thing I do like is that they have no ice options, for my fellow sensitive teeth friends. I think overall, I haven't had the best experiences with boba here, but I will be visiting again and giving it more chances by adjusting the sugar levels! read more

UME - Mango-Pomelo Sago Smoothie - Bubble Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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