In early August, Mark Keppel students received a delicious gift – a new boba shop for students to enjoy after school. The Tea on Atlantic Boulevard, just a half-hour walk away from Mark Keppel High School, has brought another new boba shop to Monterey Park.

One of the strongest selling points of The Tea is its dedication to quality and creativity. Their fruit teas make use of fresh ingredients and they blend several different matcha powders to create the perfect blend. Their focus on high-quality ingredients ensures a unique flavor that you won’t find at many other boba tea stores. According to the owner, Connie Sham, one of their best sellers, the Mango Pomelo Sago, blends an entire mango and creates a fresh and real flavor that customers love. Their matcha drinks also use ceremonial grade matcha that’s hand-whisked for every order.

Previously, Sham only had stores on the East Coast, although after discovering open buildings for rent on Atlantic Boulevard, her husband called the property owner and property manager to potentially open a shop. The property owner introduced them to their current space and they began the process of moving into the property. Due to Covid, however, the project was extended to three years. Furthermore, Sham rebranded the whole store, spending time changing the logo, creating a new menu, and finding new suppliers and manufacturers. Despite the difficulties Sham had to overcame, it resulted in The Tea we know today.

The Tea is more than just another boba shop opening on Atlantic Boulevard. It’s a hard-working business focusing on bringing fresh ingredients and quality tea to the table. It’ll be exciting to see how the shop grows.