Junbi, Multiple Locations

Junbi is a tea house franchise with two locations in Los Angeles, California, one in Richardson, Texas, and one in Princeton, New Jersey. When Junbi opened up in Princeton around the end of February I was eager to try it. Their aestically pleasing ambience as well as their wide selection of matcha teas, told me that I had to give it a try. And, my instincts proved me right: their tea is incredible! I have tried almost half the menu at this point so I’ll wind the review down to a couple of my go-tos.

The first tea I absolutely recommend you try is the strawberry matcha fresca with light ice,

normal sweetness and boba. The matcha fresca is different from the regular matcha because it has no milk which I think makes it more refreshing and lighter than the usual matcha that has whole or oat milk. If you like sweet things I would ask for normal sweetness, if you are sensitive to sweet things I would ask for light or no sweetness. I would advise against asking for extra sweetness - the normal sweetness is already pretty sweet as long as you mix the matcha really well before drinking, like shake it up and down for two minutes! The strawberry flavor is perfect. Both sweet and slightly tart it contrasts the bitter matcha to make the perfect blend of flavors. I like to get mine with boba, not because I think boba tastes good but because I think it is fun to eat. You can add a bunch of things into your drink like boba, lychee or aloe. I have only tried boba, but any addition is an extra 50 cents. One thing that is crucial to the order is asking for light ice. That way you maximize the amount of drink you’re getting for the price, because it is pricey. With boba, my drink usually comes out to around $6.50 which is a little expensive but you get a lot for your dollar. They also only have one size which is quite large - probably about equivalent to a venti at Starbucks - so I would recommend bringing a friend and sharing one if you are not in the mood for a large portion.

Another tea that I like a lot is the mango matcha fresca. This drink has ripe mango and

mango juice at the bottom, topped with matcha. I recommend getting this one without boba because the mango is sometimes really pulpy so I think that getting it with boba is a bit of a choking hazard - but, then again, boba in general is a bit of a choking hazard. This was the first matcha drink I ever tried from Junbi and it did not disappoint. I definitely recommend this one if you are looking for something sweet and want to try matcha for the first time but are not set on the bitter flavor.

They also have iced teas which are really good. I got a free earl grey tea with boba once and it was really tasty - just a little more earthy than my regular matcha order. I have also tried some of their iced teas which are also really good and a great option if you are not a fan of the slight bitterness of matcha.

Junbi does offer all of their drinks served warm. I would highly recommend you do not get your drink served warm. I tried the madagascar vanilla matcha with boba served warm and it was not good. It was hard to drink because there were no lids with straw slots for hot drinks. And it was not even hot, rather it was lukewarm. Also, because of the type of lid they put on the drink, I could not shake it well so the drink was not mixed and when I hit the bottom I got a mouthful of matcha powder. Now, this could also be because the person who made it did not quite know what they were doing, but since this experience I have not given warm matcha a second try.

They also have matcha soft serve which I would also advise against getting. When I ordered

mine, the machine ran out of mix about halfway through making my order. So, they refilled it, but they really took their time refilling the machine. By the time I got my soft serve, half of it was melted - it was gross. I also asked for boba on the bottom which was not the move. The boba was really warm and I think that contributed to the melting ice cream. I also got coconut on top - also not the move. The coconut was stale and unsweetened so the flavor just mixed with the bitterness of the ice cream and the texture was hard to chew and not crunchy like I had hoped.

Also, one last tip for the article: they do samples! See something on the menu that I did not go over in depth, you can just ask their staff for a sample!

Overall, Junbi is still one of my all time favorite spots - you just have to order well. Stick to the iced drinks and you will be good to go. I would rate Junbi a solid 8.1/10. Both the refreshing tea and the fun environment make it a great place to go but, you just have to make sure you know what the good things are to order.