SUNRIGHT TEA STUDIO
X MARKS THE SPOT WHEN IT’S ‘TEA TIME’

For anyone looking for a caffeine pick-me-up, move over ‘coffee break’ because it’s ‘tea time’ at Sunright Tea Studio—SoCal’s newest bubble tea shop.

With locations across the Southland, including shops in Little Tokyo and West L.A. on trendy Sawtelle Boulevard, Sunright Tea Studio is steeped in culture, combining traditional Taiwanese flavors and current SoCal trends to create boffo beverages packed with flavor.

In case you’re not familiar with bubble tea, it is a tea-based beverage that originated in Taiwan in the early ‘80s consisting of tea accompanied by chewy tapioca balls. At Sunright Tea Shop, they utilize fresh flavors such as boba, taro and matcha alongside American classic flavors, like Oreo cookies. At Sunright, the idea is that guests get the best of both worlds.

While I’ve never been a fan of bubble tea, in particular because I don’t care for boba, I still find these types of sweet teas enjoyable. For me, these kinds of tea are more dessert than they are a much-needed caffeine jolt.

At Sunright Tea Studio, the tea leaves are cultivated on mountaintop farms where they soak up the essence of the sun and absorb nourishing misty evening rains. Sunright’s master farmers pick the freshest leaves and carefully roll, roast, or ferment them to perfection. The tea is then blended with other natural tea varietals based on origin, weather, and season, resulting in balanced and consistent flavor.

A visit to Sunright is more than just a stop at a tea shop – it is designed as a tea studio where the flavors include Sunright Boba Milk, Cheese Foam, Frosties, Coffee, The Right Milk Tea, Sunny Fruit Tea, Original Tea, and Brûlée Lattes with Oat Milk.

During our recent visit to the popular Little Tokyo location, it happened to be 2-4-1 day. FYI, to learn more about these types of promotions, follow them on Instagram. Taking advantage of the deal, we blasted off on caffeine overload taking our cheese foam tea, frostie (ice blended matcha smoothie), Brûlée Lattes with Oat Milk, and iced tea to nearby LA State Historic Park and enjoyed a beautiful day made in the shade. With cool liquid dessert in hand, it just made for the perfect afternoon.

Sunright’s original flavor pairings combine traditional teas (Ceylon black tea, jasmine green tea, roasted oolong, and special oolong varietal called Four Seasons) with unique ingredients, bringing a new understanding of how each tea’s individual qualities complement the additional flavors. The four tea varietals in Sunright beverages are selected for carefully defined attributes that deliver unmatched experiences when combined with Sunright Tea Shop’s fruits and tasty toppings – Oreos, red bean, fresh taro, lychee jelly, cheese foam, crème brûlée, brown sugar, grass jelly, pudding, boba, agar boba, and honey boba.

Personally, I’m a fan of the frothy Cheese Foam tea where cheese foam sits on the top of the drink creating a sweet and salty combination (think cheesecake with a touch of sea salt) that can be mixed directly into the tea or enjoyed as a special separate layer. 

I also love the Brûlée Lattes with Oat Milk collection. Featuring five flavorful teas – Ceylon Brûlée Latte, Jasmine Brûlée Latte, Oolong Brûlée Latte, Four Seasons Brûlée Latte, and Matcha Brûlée Latte, each latte is prepared with Califia Farms Oat Milk and a creamy caramel brûlée.

The fun Frostie collection is a selection of dessert-like drinks featuring bold flavors and special ingredients such as Strawberry, Matcha Red Bean, Mango, and Fresh Taro blended with fresh ingredients, milk, and ice to create a delectably creamy and perfectly rich indulgence.

At Sunright Tea Studio, guests are encouraged to shake their drink 17 times to blend the flavors and textures perfectly. It also allows people to stop and savor a happy moment – even if it is only 17 seconds long.

Sunright Tea Studio has locations in Chino, Costa Mesa, Diamond Bar, Fullerton, Irvine, Monterey Park, Rowland Heights, West L.A., and Little Tokyo.

Story By: Jose Martinez

Photography Courtesy Of: Sunright Tea Studio