Soma Tea & Mocktail

As the only Orange County location of a Taiwanese chain, Soma Tea & Mocktail chose one of Irvine’s most popular areas for Taiwanese businesses – the stretch of Jeffrey Road between Walnut and Irvine Center Drive – then specifically a plaza with A&J Restaurant, Lollicup, and Sunmerry Bakery as neighbors. Soma occupies the suite that formerly held dessert shop Bambu, though it has curiously left the space mostly empty, offering guests only three stained cloth loveseats and two small tables for seating.

Slightly different versions of the same basic menu are posted outside and at the front counter, where you can order drinks from a person. Signs at the counter note that Soma won “most popular boba drink brand” award in 2019 at the Taiwan Milktea Festival, and uses Straus Family Creamery’s famously barista-friendly milk, though a close look at the menu suggests it doesn’t appear in many drinks – only two “fresh milk tea” choices listed as “original fresh milk tea” and “espresso fresh milk tea.” The latter is notably Soma’s only coffee option.

Most of the menu focuses on “original,” “premium,” and “high mountain tea” drinks made with either black tea, light oolong tea, or matcha. We tried an “original” almond tea that had no shortage of almond flavor, skim milk powder, or sugar, and didn’t enjoy Soma’s default 100% “sweet-toothed” level of sweetness: In our view, it should be labeled “200%” and only offered on request. Somewhat better was the Mangofest high mountain tea, mixing oolong tea and mango juice with grapefruit at a 50% sweetness level, which the menu oddly describes as “recommended.” Mangofest included actual grapefruit pulp for added texture and flavor, and we added crystal boba, which made the drink even more interesting.