Chun Shui Tang – Taiwan

While there are many non-culinary reasons to visit Taiwan, one of the country’s big draws for foodies is the opportunity to sample boba tea in the country where it was born – and at the cafe chain that invented it. As the predecessor and sister brand to TP Tea, four-decade-old Chun Shui Tang created two novel takes on tea, first introducing the concept of foaming tea by shaking tea in cocktail shakers, then becoming the first to put food ingredients into cold tea drinks. The former idea isn’t so much obscure at this point as supplanted by thicker additives ranging from salt to cream foams, while the latter roughly a decade to become the foundation of countless businesses (initially Tapioca Express and Lollicup) across Orange County and the world.

At Chun Shui Tang, the boba bubbles are pearl-sized, and the teas come either foamed or with milk – but with very few flavor options. The location we visited offered only Taiwan honey scented black tea, tieguanyin tea, and charcoal roasted tieguanyin as the only non-alcoholic options, all quite strong in tea flavors even at 100% sugar levels, with several tea-accented ales also available by the bottle. A half-dozen decidedly Taiwanese dim sum items, several Taiwanese soups, and braised eggs made up the rest of the menu. Some locations also offer Japanese hojicha, jasmine tea, fruit-flavored teas, and brown sugar milk tea drinks, as well as seasonal and limited edition options.

Ordering is accomplished partially through a QR code and smartphone web interface to simplify drink selection and customizations; once complete, a cashier will scan a bar code to verify your order, and personally take payment in either cash or digital form. Even with this somewhat streamlined system, wait times for freshly made drinks can easily exceed 15 minutes; a large screen and counter staff will indicate when an order’s ready for pickup.