At Teaspoon, which opened at 4546 El Camino Real in mid-March, customers can build their own drinks or choose from pre-set combinations made from 15 types of teas (roasted oolong, black, Earl Grey, green tea, to name a few), 18 toppings (different flavors of boba, lychee, fruit, cream; 50 cents each), a range of flavors and dairies. The tea is brewed fresh and to order with a special espresso-like machine and then mixed with your choice of flavors, toppings, customized sweetness level and milk.
The same goes for shaved snow, which for those of you who have not had the pleasure of trying is a hard-to-find Taiwanese frozen dessert made from shaved layers of frozen ice blended with various ingredients to create flavors like mango, taro, coconut, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or avocado. (Read more about shaved snow in this feature on Snozen in Mountain View.)
The shaved snow flavors at Teaspoon include strawberry, mango, honeydew, taro, coconut, Thai tea, avocado, coffee, chocolate, vanilla and green tea.
Teaspoon opened to rave reviews on Yelp, mostly about the milk tea, which some are proclaiming to be the best in the area. Teaspoon is entering an increasingly competitive market, with many milk tea spots popping up nearby in recent months.
The Teaspoon owners took over a space previously occupied by Go Go Gyro (next door to Pho Vi Hoa, near Dittmer's if like me that is your point of reference in the area) that also boasts plenty of outdoor seating.
Teaspoon is open daily from noon to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays until 10 p.m. Don't miss an official grand opening event on May 2; check the shop's Facebook page for further details.
For more on the local milk-tea scene, both past and present:
- Milk tea chain setting up shop in Palo Alto (January 2015)
- Boba sensation comes to Palo Alto (December 2014)
- Bubble tea bonanza (March 2014)
- Honeycreek: Chinese tearoom and lounge (October 2013)
- Japanese fusion at Q-Cup (October 2003)
- String of pearls (August 2002)
