Whether dawn or dusk, downtown San Mateo’s Molly Tea is never without a line out the door. Nestled in the midst of over a dozen boba shops, Molly Tea is one of a kind; it’s not a boba shop like its competitors, but rather simply a milk tea shop. It hails from Shenzhen China, and expanded to San Mateo in late October.
I visit downtown San Mateo weekly, and have passed their crazy lines since Molly Tea’s opening three months ago. It became an inside joke with my family that there must be something sinister about the place; there was no way it could actually sustain so much popularity for so long. A quick perusal of Instagram affirmed my conspiracy: the tea shop is viral, and, ever the skeptic of viral locations, I chalked the craze up to a social media trend.
However, when I finally caved and tried the tea, I found myself pleasantly surprised by how authentic it felt. For instance, Molly Tea’s most popular drink, Premium Jasmine Milk Tea, tasted like a quality tea. Subtle at first, it hits you with a rich creaminess paired with a tinge of subtle floral notes. It’s delicate and softspoken, a stark juxtaposition to the typical viral boba drink.
At the end of the day, Molly Tea approaches the beverage with a tea-first approach; It makes the tea the star of the show. Their priority of quality over flashy flavors has gained a cult-following.
Sitting outside Molly Tea sipping my drink, I found myself surrounded by Mandarin speakers who were chatting about their day and posing with their tea for social media. It was then that I realized that the place has sort of become a thriving “city-center” for young Chinese immigrants, a much-needed platform for cultural connection.
Not everyone’s going to like the long lines or the subtlety of their drinks, but at a time when the US is lacking in public spaces, it’s up to us to find and create private spaces like Molly Tea where immigrants can build community.