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A Chinese tea chain with more than 10,000 stores globally is making its Bay Area debut – in downtown Palo Alto.
Auntea Jenny, specializing in fresh fruit teas and other tea-centric drinks, expects to open this summer along University Avenue. The women-owned and women-led tea brand was founded by Rongrong Zhou in 2013, opening its first U.S. location in New York last year. Earlier this month, it entered the California market with its first shop in Orange County.
“Our core goal is to redefine the modern tea experience by blending traditional tea culture with contemporary wellness,” Cherry Wu, marketing manager for Auntea Jenny North America, wrote in an email. “We aim to move beyond the ‘sugar-heavy’ stereotype of bubble tea.”
Auntea Jenny offers a superfood and veggie series line of drinks, which includes drinks such as kale fiber boost tea and six-berry glow boost tea, made with raspberries, blueberries and blackberries ($6.99-$7.59). The shop also offers vegan boba made with watercress instead of starch. Called pearl boba, it has the texture of popping boba with a flavor similar to lotus root.
The most popular beverage is the mango pomelo sago, featuring a mango slushie, coconut cream, pomelo pieces and sago (small, chewy pearls). Other popular beverages include strawberry green fresh milk tea daifuku (honey strawberry jasmine green tea with soft mochi) and royale fruit tea (made with watermelon, mango, lemon, orange, passion fruit and jasmine green tea). The brand plans to launch its coffee series later this year.
The Palo Alto store will have limited seating, with an orange banquette and two small tables.
Auntea Jenny is the latest of many tea-focused beverage shops to come to downtown Palo Alto, with other options including Molly Tea, Mr. Sun Tea and Tong Sui. Other boba chains expanding their footprint in Silicon Valley include HeyTea, expected to come to Santa Clara’s Westfield Valley Fair in the summer, another branch of Molly Tea, expected to open at Santa Clara’s Rivermark Village, and Ume Tea, expected to come to San Mateo.
Auntea Jenny, 328 University Ave., Palo Alto; Instagram: @aunteajennyusa. Expected to open in the summer.
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