You Should Visit Omomo Tea in Irvine, California
There is a bubble tea shop called Omomo in Irvine, California that Aaron wanted to try. He mentioned it for a few weeks then, on a whim back on March 20th, we decided to go discover for ourselves why it is so popular. The typical wait time, especially if you go on a Saturday afternoon, can be 30 to 60 minutes with a line out the door but after one sip, we realized its success is well-deserved.
We figured the reviews had to be accurate if so many people were willing to wait in line like this …
… we’re walking, we’re walking … finally made it into the tea shop itself.
… even more progress. Most of the line is now behind us and we’re about to order.
… almost there! At this stage, watching the efficiency was impressive. This place ran like a well-designed machine, everyone clear on exactly what they should be doing and how they should be doing it. Someone in the back was preparing cups with certain base ingredient combinations so they were ready to go when ordered, the middle staff portion poured the drinks and put most the beverages together, then the finisher completed the picture, topping each with any desired foam then sealing it with a special machine. That way, you wouldn’t spill your drink as you carried it out of the store. When you were ready to drink it, you pierce the top of the foil cover with your straw. People would come in and order a large number of beverages for their friends or office co-woerks, walking out with drink carriers and a handful of straws.
I am obsessed with what I ordered the first time. It is, hands down, one of my favorite drinks of all time. The recipe:
- Black Jade Milk Tea
- 80% sweetness
- Tiramisu cream
- Boba ($0.50 extra)
The cost is $5.50 for the base drink plus the $0.50 for the Boba, bringing the total to $6.00. It’s easily the best $6.00 you’ll spend all day if you like black tea and a rich coffee-like flavor. Aaron laughed when I took my first sip because my eyes lit up like a kid looking at a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts.
His drink was great, too: a Jasmine Green Tea base with Strawberry and a cream cheese-like foam.
About a month later, we made a return visit on a beautiful spring day to try something different. This time around, I ordered a Strawberry Tornado at 80% sweetness, he ordered a Grapefruit Green Tea. Again, both were good. The Grapefruit green tea was so rich, it felt like the sort of thing you’d order on vacation at a resort.
I’ve always loved black tea with a splash of milk but it was something that wasn’t really available or convenient in the Midwest. Coffee, my first and true beverage love, was much more prevalent so I was okay with the situation. Now that I can get black milk tea almost anywhere due to the wide range of options in Orange County, it’s become a thing for me. My youngest sister recently flew out to visit us and we took her back to Xiaolongbao in Costa Mesa, which Aaron and I had tried on a recommendation. Their recipe was pretty good, too, but Omomo has my heart in this category.
I mean it … Omomo tea in Irvine, California… order the Black Jade Milk Tea, 80% sweetness, Tiramisu cream, and Boba. It’s a dark, rich, coffee-like tea fantasy in a cup. I have no idea what the nutritional information is, and nearly no way to estimate it, but whatever it is, it’s worth it.
