TP Tea

Founded in Taiwan in 2005, TP Tea (aka Taiwan Professional Tea) now has 10 locations in California, including a single Orange County shop on Main Street in Irvine. Although that description suggests it’s easy to find in the county’s second-largest city, TP Tea is actually all but hidden in a plaza between numerous office buildings and apartments, facing away from the street near a handful of similarly underpublicized restaurants. In other words, you’re only going to discover it if you live nearby, or are lucky enough to hear about it through word of mouth.

Consider yourself lucky: Despite its local anonymity, its drinks are worthy of its “professional” name – excellent. You’ll order from its relatively compact menu of tea choices using one of two wall-mounted touchscreens, while several people behind a counter assemble orders. “Pure teas” such as jasmine, tie guan yin, four season osmanthus, and black tea are offered alongside fruit teas (lemon, winter melon, passion fruit, pineapple, mango) and milky versions of the pure and fruit teas, plus variations on Thai and matcha teas. In our experiences, the drink flavors are delicious, the ice quantities acceptable, and the one-size-only but large cups offer more than a quick sip or three of tea. TP’s fruit teas also contain real fruit: a “Sunshine” tea included orange and pineapple slices, plus pieces of chewy golden jelly.