From June 18 to June 22, Mr. Sun Tea held their soft opening at their new downtown Pleasanton location. The brand first established in 1999 as Taiwanese Red Sun Tea Shop and made a name for themselves for their new tapioca formula. As such, the downtown shop quickly filled with lines of people seeking to try their specialty handmade boba.

The store itself wasn’t very spacious, so there was no room for a designated seating area and customer lines ran outside along the sidewalk. The interior was, however, quite cozy. There’s a small nook by the front window for customers to comfortably wait for their drinks.

Mr. Sun Tea’s menu consists of a very wide range of drinks. Besides boba teas, they also have fruit teas, tea lattes, smoothies, slushies, milk foams, and flavored fresh milks. Their variety of toppings is just as large, offering caramel pudding; strawberry, mango, and brown sugar boba; as well as coconut, coffee, and grass jelly.

The Mr. Sun Special ($6.25), a strawberry shake with strawberry boba, is one of the shop’s popular drinks. The shake layers boba, strawberry milk, light cream, and crushed ice on top of one another. It’s not too sugary, and the berry’s flavor pops out, partially thanks to the crushed strawberry mixed in shake. But the key component of the drink was the stores’s specialty handmade boba, and it didn’t disappoint. The tapioca was extra chewy and flavorful– a delight to eat.

Another store recommendation and one of my favorites, is the Peach Green Tea with Sweet Cloud Milk Foam ($6.75). I ordered with an additional topping of strawberry boba to enhance the drink, since it doesn’t come with other toppings on its own. The green tea is light and refreshing, and pairs incredibly well with the subtle peach infusion. Added small peach bits give the otherwise smooth drink pops of natural sweetness and texture. And topping off the drink, a sweet, thick milk foam. It tastes almost like a milkshake, and while stirring it into the drink doesn’t change the overall texture much, it does add some more sweetness to the tea.

A more unique option on the menu is the Tea Olive (Osmanthus) Oolong Tea Latte ($5.75). The oolong tea is on the stronger side, and the osmanthus flavor stands out just as much. It has a distinctive fermented taste, so some might find it strange. However, the olive flavor will be more muted if the drink’s sugar levels are above 50%. Compared to some of the other teas on the menu, the Osmanthus Oolong Latte is rather plain. The accompanying topping is jelly, but it doesn’t have as much texture nor flavor as other toppings do, possibly because the tea itself has a more overpowering taste of its own. 

And finally, there are the classic flavors of milk teas. The Three Brothers Boba Milk Tea ($6.00) is made with black tea, and comes with brown sugar boba, pudding, and grass jelly. As with the other flavors, the boba is especially chewy, albeit slightly less sweet than your typical tapioca pearl. Instead, the caramel pudding takes on the role as the sweeter topping. The grass jelly also isn’t as flavorful compared to the milk tea and pudding. But though it may stand out less, the jelly still adds a smoother texture to the drink.

Overall, Mr. Sun Tea has made for a great visit. Their menu has plenty to choose from and can accommodate many different palates. And while the service staff may not have been the most efficient since they were new, they were very dedicated and patient. Many locals are now looking forward to their grand opening from June 23 to June 25. 

Given how busy the store had been during their soft opening, it seems downtown Pleasanton has fully welcomed the new boba shop to their streets.