Tenju Tea House

Tenju Tea House is hands down the BEST tea place. Period. I have been coming here for years now, and I cannot believe that I used to drink anything else!
Tenju shares a space with another store, so on the outside, it says «Champion Gourmet». This is located next to Little Sheep Café. Once you go inside, Tenju is straight to the back of the store. (It’s not big at all, so it’s very hard to miss). The owner is a very sweet lady who works there most of the time, and she is really the nicest person.
They brew every cup fresh, and don’t use any high fructose corn syrup in their drinks! Their toppings (boba, grass jelly, etc.) is also way better than any other chain that I’ve visited, and I have been to a LOT of tea places over the years.
My favorites:
Genmaicha with half honey: A green tea with popped brown rice, it’s a very popular tea in Japan. It’s a very light tea that almost has a subtly «rice» flavor to it.
Iced Matcha Tea Latte, half sweet: One of the best matcha teas I have ever had. They don’t overpower the matcha flavor with too much sugar and they really do a great job of blending the whole thing
Cream top green tea: If you want something a little heavier, this is the drink! The cream sits on top of the green tea until you decide you want to mix it. Personally, I like half mixing it and letting the flavors slowly intertwine as I sip this wonderful treat.
Come here and you don’t regret it!
***Cash Only! (CC only for orders +$ 15 (I think) and there’s a charge)

Good variety of drinks and service was okay. Nothing special but doesn’t deserve a 5 star or a 3 star, so a 4 star it is

The sea salt cream topped green tea is phenomenal! I usually reduced the sweetness level to at least 75%. The wait is significantly shorter than Half & Half and the product is fresh & delicious. The other teas are also delicious. They have a list of around 10 most popular items as you approach the register, and all of those I have tried are great!
Tip: There is a charge for using a credit card when order is below $ 15 or so, so I usually bring cash instead.

~WE FOUND LOVE IN A HOPELESSSSS RANDOMASIANSNACKSSTORE PLACE~
Tenju — a simple tea spot with sophisticated tea variety. It’s a humble place with a PLETHORA OF TABLES AND OUTLETS so I feel like i can actually get some motha effin’ work done. It’s fobby enough that i know i won’t be seeing anyone from high school here tryna distract me from my productivity since it’s not a cutey, instagrammy, saturated with teenyboppers place.
ATTRIBUTES WORTH MENTIONING:
— YOUR DRINK IS BREWED FRESH TO ORDER. patience is a virtue
— for hot drinks their large is freakin’ LARGE. It’s the tallest Large i’ve ever seen (in the boba world).
— TRY THE CREAM CORN NUGGETS! its like deep fried drops of creamed corn heaven! I’d bet a billion dollars they probably come frozen and they just fry ‘em but I DONT CARE THEY ARE SO GOOD
— Tables were all fully loaded yet the Wi-​Fi showed no signs of slowing down.
— Seriously a great place to study ~ there’s at least 6 tables and more than 2 outlets for each table.
— they still have their christmas decorations up so come here if you want christmas all day err day!!!
LOCATION/​PARKING — same plaza as 99 Ranch on Colima and Azusa, in a store labeled «Champion Gourmet» to the right of Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot.

This place is one my favorite authentic Taiwanese milk tea shops near Rowland Heights/​Hacienda Heights. The three things that I’ll advise you to get are the Monk’s Blend, the Sea Salt Green Tea and the Almond Milk Tea. I like that this place uses really good ingredients and you can taste it in their milk and tea. Their boba is above average too. I’m sticking with my top 3 drinks more often then not because they’re done better here than most places I’ve tried it.
This place has the outward appearance of a place that might be too Asian for you to enter as it’s got a bunch of Chinese writing in front, Chinese preservative stuff in glass cases, and it’s stuffed into a 99 Ranch plaza… But make no doubt, there’s a reason why this place gets good reviews.

This is the best tea house that I have been to as the consistency of quality is always maintained every time I come. One has to wait for some time as all the teas at this Taiwanese-​American tea house are freshly brewed and made upon order. You customize your drink by telling them the drink size, how sweet you want your drinks to be, with ice, easy ice, or no ice, or hot, and whether you would like to have any toppings in your beverages or not.
I like all their toppings except for their grass jelly because it does not taste as good as how it should be. In fact, Health Station in Diamond Bar sets the benchmark for grass jelly.
You can ask the staffs about their teas and the ingredients in their drinks as the list of ingredients are not mentioned on any of their menu cards or stands. This is crucial if you have any food allergies or want to know more about the drinks, such as what goes into their most popular mixed tea of Monk’s Blend. Kindly note that this tea house serves cows milk, and there is no soy option for the lactose intolerant.
Please do not order the wrong drinks as they do not taste as good as you would have expected. Kindly come here for their specialities of Monk’s Blend, Cream Green Tea, Kingdom of Morocco, and Paris Sensation.
DO NOT waste your money by ordering the Thai Tea with Honey Boba.

I really think I ordered the wrong thing. I got the thai tea with honey boba. Boba didn’t taste fresh, thai tea was made with non dairy creamer, and it was not good. Weird consistency & tasted nothing like thai tea.
They do not offer soy milk or any alternative milk.
My friend got a ton of Asian snacks from inside but I tried a dried squid & it was so fishy I can still taste it, 3 days later. Won’t be back.

Ugh, I am so disappointed which makes me really sad because of all of the great reviews about this place!
The location of this store is inside the same plaza as 99 Ranch Market, but it doesn’t have a storefront. Tenju is located inside Champion Gourmet, so look for that sign instead.
They have a variety of drinks and a top 9 list at the register. A lot of their drinks have unique names that don’t tell you what’s in them… I ended up ordering what I would always get at a boba shop — peach green tea with no sugar, but with boba. The drink ended up being $ 4.45, which is a pretty decent price for a large drink.
The tea was still way too sweet for my liking and it wasn’t anything special. There was barely any tea taste to it, but I think the syrup is to blame, but if I got 0 sugar, then what would a drink with regular sweetness taste like? Yuck. The real downfall was the honey boba. It was chewy, but not the good kind because it was really hard. Maybe I just got a bad batch, but if their boba is always like this, I won’t be getting it again.
I ended up finishing the tea, but throwing all of the boba away since it was pretty much inedible.
If I’m in the area again I’ll consider giving one of their top 9 drinks a shot, but other than that, there’s too many boba places around to try a bad place twice.

I absolutely love drinking tea with a friend at night. There’s something so calming, warm, and congenial about it. Now, I’m a coffee drinker as well (you can thank my profession for that), but work or emergency studying aside, I honestly prefer the soothing flavor and the slow, natural energy boost of tea. Besides, as much as I love coffee dates at night, I always have a secret fear that I’ll be cracked out until 3 AM.
Enter Tenju Tea House. Being Taiwanese, I’m sorry to say that I still have no idea what Tenju means. There’s also a local, popular Taiwanese restaurant called Monja Taiker that I’m just as clueless about. A name, perhaps? Beats me.
If you’re the type to be curious about the most popular drink (s) of an establishment, Tenju has you covered. They have a list of the Top 10 drinks that is displayed right by the cash register. If you want to go more in-​depth about the flavor profiles, ask the cashier! She knows her stuff. There’s also a free «sample of the day» to the left of the cashier that you can freeload on, just like you would at Teavana.
I ordered the Sea Salt Cream Topped Green Tea (say that ten times, fast) because it’s Christina W’s favorite. She really knows her stuff and we just get each other, so naturally, the green tea was excellent. The natural green tea flavors came together perfectly with the creamy milkiness and sea salt. It was both refreshing and satisfying. I’d order it again! If I see Christina here, I’ll buy hers, too!
The tea here is just fantastic. It’s such high quality and at such a good price. While Tenju isn’t the most stunning place, it’s certainly cozy, quiet, but casual enough to where you can speak up without feeling public shame. A fantastic local choice!

LOCATED INSIDE CHAMPION GOURMET. There’s a neon sign on the storefront that says Tenju, but it’s difficult to see during the daytime.
Sometimes, parking in this plaza is a breeze, and at other times, it’s a nightmare. Regardless, you should still check out this sorta hidden gem in boba-​laden Rowland Heights even though you get Asian moms swearing at you in Cantonese because you stole their parking spot!!! YES!!!
Alright, so I’ve tried the following: monk’s blend tea, Paris Sensation milk tea, strawberry basil lemonade, sea salt cream top green milk tea, Lady Londonerry.
They are DELICIOUS and WORTH YOUR MONEY. Unlike a lot of boba places, they brew your tea to order, and use loose-​leaf teas. Because of this, a drink could run you somewhere close to $ 5, and almost even $ 6, depending on what you get.
Yes, Tenju is pricer than some other boba places, but the quality, taste, and unique types of tea blends keep me coming back for more each time. It also doesn’t hurt that the baristas are helpful af, and accommodate my picky ass.
I also highly recommend the cream corn nuggets for a snack! I’ve never seen these before at any other boba joint, and I thought they were great – sweet, crunchy, salty, and creamy, all in a fried snack.
100% would recommend!
BONUS: located next to a restaurant named Pleasure Ocean. made me giggle a lil bit tbh

I was in the area visiting a relative and wanted some milk tea, I’d usually go to half and half because I’m not from the area and that’s all I know… but it wasn’t open. Found tenju tea and decided to give it a try. It’s located inside the gourmet house inside the same plaza as the 99 Ranch Market. I went right when they opened at 11am and ordered drinks for my family as well.
I got: genmaicha, which is a Japanese green tea with roasted rice flavor, the Paris Sensation Milk Tea, and the Strawberry Basil Lemonade.
They freshly brew their teas, so each drink is made as you order them which I really appreciated. I tried all three drinks hahahah. I definitely could taste the roasted rice flavor in the genmaicha which gave the tea some depth, I ordered it with ¹⁄₃ the amount of honey they use to sweeten the drink and it was just the perfect amount. I really hate it when honey affects the flavor of the tea in a negative way, but the honey used in the genmaicha essentuated the taste.
I got the strawberry basil lemonade because it was one of their popular drinks and for some reason I expected basil seeds in it but I totally misinterpreted the name of the drink. It was definitely an interesting concept and the basil complemented the strawberry lemonade really well — ordered it with regular sugar levels but could have gone with a little less.
I got the paris sensation milk tea for myself because I was craving for a floral green/​black tea blend. I think I made a mistake ordering it as a milk tea though because the diary really masked the taste of the tea. After a few sips, I really wished I just got it as a regular iced tea.
Even though I didn’t like my order, I think tenju has some promising aspects to it and would definitely go back to try their other signature drinks (and next time I won’t try to get creative with my order so I can enjoy it).

I never knew how good a milk tea could taste until I came here. I got the cream topped green tea which is one of the top 9 most popular drinks. I got 70% sweetness which was perfect for me because I like my drinks a little less sweet than usual but not to the point where the drink tastes bland. The lady recommended to try a sip of the cream before mixing it with the green tea. I was super excited to try it but when I did, I didn’t think it tasted good by itself at all. But everyone has their own preferences! The cream definitely tastes amazing when mixed with the green tea.
This is hidden inside a little shop that’s easy to miss. When facing 99 ranch market, the shop is to the left of it. You’ll see the name tenju on the store window. There are also plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot.

Located inside a shop called Champion Gourmet next to Little Sheep so it’s a bit harder to spot if you’re looking for a sign that says Tenju.
The tea here is delightful and refreshing and their staff is very friendly. If you’re not into overly sweet drinks then I would recommend ordering your desired drink with half sugar. The only drink I wouldn’t recommend getting half sugar would be their lychee oolong, the amount of sweetness is perfect in my opinion.
Overall, their tea and service are spot on so if you have a hankering for tea stop in and try one of their top 9 or whatever tickles your fancy (:

First off, this place is located inside Champion Gourmet. We drove around and couldn’t find Tenju Tea House at first, thinking it was closed or something. But my friend spotted the Tenju neon sign hanging in the corner of the window. The shop is very spacious, clean and bright. There’s not a lot of tables so if it gets busy you might just have to stand. Fortunately, we came at night so that wasn’t a problem.
My friend ordered the strawberry basil lemonade for me and it was more lemony then strawberry. Which means it was quite sour. It could definitely be a bit sweeter and have a more strawberry flavor to it. The basil came off a bit strong as well. I’ve had better versions of this drink elsewhere, but for the price it was decent.

Sooooooo this place is dangerously delicious.
Been wanting to try this place and finally got a chance to go. I kept on thinking I was going to the wrong store since all I saw by the window was champion foods.
But hiccups aside, their drinks are delicious! We got the lychee oolong tea and jasmine green tea with cream top. Both are heavenly. Lychee oolong tea wasn’t too sweet (and they put a lychee in there for you too!) if you enjoy a good tea with a hint of fruit flavor, this is the drink for you! The jasmine green tea with cream top was also amazing. It’s the perfect amount of everything and I could totally just sit there and eat the cream only. Will come back soon!

I’m assuming that back in the day in ancient china the tea house acted as a space where people came together, shot the shit, and drank good tea.
This, is not your traditional teahouse. The tea is great, but the meeting place is swapped for a bar where customers come and go, getting their tea fix. You’ll find families and sometimes students at the tables they have, but if you’re looking for a quiet and tranquil place, this is not it.
And that’s okay!
The workers here know their tea and will work with you to customize a drink to your liking. The monks blend and cream top green tea are the stars of the show, but they have enough options to please just about any palette. If you find your drink too sweet, they will add tea to top of your drink, or add sugar if it’s the other way around.
This place is here to bring good tea to the people and create something to your liking.

Came through with my friends after a trip to round 1 and we were a little confused at first were this place actually was. It wasn’t until I saw the little neon sign that flashed «Tenju» that I knew it is located inside the Champion Gourmet place. The place is really clean and nice. The workers were extremely friendly and courteous.
I ordered the strawberry basil lemonade and though it was a bit sour, it was quite tasty. I loved the bits of strawberries that came with it and the basil was definitely stronger than most of the other places that serves this drink. They do pack a lot of ice so my drink was finished in no time at all. It was quite refreshing though not the best I’ve had and the flavor could be a bit sweeter.
There are a few tables available for you to sit at. We were hanging out there for a good minute there just having a good time. I really like the store a lot and if I’m in the area I might come through again.
Overall its a nice shop…3.5

After a bomb meal at Boiling Point with my bf, we decided a nice cup of boba would help cool down our stomach because ya know… I got that Taiwanese FLAMIN’ hot. T_​_​_​T
Decided to get their creamed topped drinks since that’s what they seem to be known for. My boy got the cream topped green tea (regular sugar + no boba) and I got the cream topped rose black tea (30% sugar + honey boba) which is not on their menu but the guy was willing to make it for me!!! TYTYTY~
Honestly, the cream topped drinks just reminded me of 85 bakery’s sea salt drinks… And I think 85 might do it better but what I can say is that the quality of the tea is really good! I enjoyed my rose tea because you can actually taste the rose!!! Not many places actually brew rose tea since they use the syrup like 99.9% of the time. My drink wasn’t sweet at all but since the boba was covered in honey goodness, it was the perfect amount of sweetness in my book~ AND as a boba expert, this place serves up some nice chewy boba!!!
Overall, I wouldn’t go out of my way to get boba here but if I was in the area and craving boba. Tenju is a good spot to hit up!

Being a SoCal boy, I hate admitting it… but the boba options in NorCal are waaaaaaaay more superior than the ones in SoCal. I love me some Lollicup, but it honestly cannot compare to my high end favorites of Tpumps, Sharetea, and Gong Cha. Thus, I commence the search for anything that can potentially substitute for them.
And that’s how I stumbled on Tenju. From what I saw, it looks like they only brew your tea when you order it, so that was a plus for me. Tried the rose milk tea and it was pretty good, although not quite at the levels that I am accustomed to. Still, it is definitely a step up over the chain brands that are down here in SoCal.

I wish I knew about this place before! This is currently my favorite tea shop in the hood.
Yes, I like Tastea and I frequent Starbucks a lot but I really love the flavored teas here. I really like their Grapefruit Green tea. You can really taste the grapefruit well blended with green tea. I usually always get half sugar because I dont like my teas sweet but it was still sweet for me. Next time I want to try no sugar and see how it is. I am hoping that bittersweet taste of grapefruit is sweet enough.
My friend got her Lychee Oolong Tea and she really really loved it. Whenever she visits me in the area, this is like her must-​go-​to-​place for her tea fix. She lives in the valley so you know she will love Tenju for sure.
Tenju is actually ‘shared’ with Champion Gourmet Foods. Its the same store with the sign. Once you walk inside, just go straight to the register to order. Plenty of parking in the plaza though parking in right in front of the store is almost never possible, haha.
I paid about $ 3.85 for a large size and its good enough for my boyfriend and I to share. Dont forget to ask them for a bonus card! You get a free drink after collecting 10 stamps!