Henry Tang always wanted to share his love of handcrafted things with the world. Growing up in China, he witnessed people making everyday items with loving care. High quality ingredients were also cherished — especially when it came to tea.
It’s no wonder that San Francisco, with its artisan shops and foodie culture, held a particular appeal to Henry. When Henry began dating his wife, Yan, one of their favorite pastimes was exploring the various milk tea shops in San Francisco. Yan loved milk tea and would sometimes drink two cups a day!
However, Henry’s first sip of milk tea in San Francisco left him unsatisfied and disappointed. “Is this what people think milk tea tastes like?” He was even more dismayed when he researched the ingredients and learned that most milk tea contained harmful preservatives, artificial ingredients, and synthetic chemicals. He worried that the milk tea that brought his wife so much joy was actually doing her harm.
When Yan became pregnant, the love for his wife and future child inspired Henry to set out on a quest to create a milk tea that would satisfy his wife’s cravings while providing nourishment from healthy ingredients. He looked to educate himself, calling every tea farmer he could find and sourcing the best ingredients possible.
He returned with an armful of samples and set up shop in his kitchen. After many caffeine fueled nights of experimentation and seeking out ingredients from both local sources and afar, he finally crafted the perfect cup of tea. Henry felt like he passed the ultimate test when a smile lit up Yan’s face as she took her first sip of his milk tea creation. Henry’s heart surged with happiness.
Only after many weeks of Yan and Henry happily sipping their homemade milk tea, did Henry finally realize that tea was a handcrafted thing he could share with the world. He felt that people should have a better choice than mass produced tea along with a product that, under the watchful guidance of a dedicated Bubble lover, would always be improving. With that goal in mind, Plentea opened its doors in the spring of 2014.
Today, Plentea serves over 20 types of Bubble tea, each one handcrafted to order and made from ingredients that are uniquely sourced from the San Francisco Bay Area and around the world. Henry and Yan want to leave a better world for their children, so Plentea serves its milk tea in glass bottles in order to reduce waste. It’s Plentea’s small and sincere way of helping to preserve the Earth for the generations to come.
Only the highest quality ingredients.
A good cup of tea goes beyond the quality of the tea leaf. This is why we seek out the best ingredients from around the world, but also try to use local sources whenever possible.
Being in one of America’s greenest cities has inspired us to always keep looking forward. We understand that our craft can have huge effects on the Earth. This is reflected in everything that we do, from where we source our tea and ingredients to how we package our product.
Our teas are organic and loose leaf, hailing from Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan, China. It’s one of the largest and oldest tea plantations in the world, home to trees that are over 1000 years old! The locals have been picking tea by hand for generations, and we can really taste the difference. A good cup of tea goes beyond the quality of the tea leaf. We’ve chosen a specific brewing method to highlight the character of each tea. Hot steeps create a stronger, more astringent bite, while cold brewing allows for a crisper, smoother, and refreshing taste with minimal tannins and less caffeine. Want to learn more? Come talk to us, or check out our artisan loose leaf teas brewed by the cup!
Most shops traditionally use nondairy creamer, which produces a rich, creamy mouth feel. However, it’s made with sugar, oil, and thickeners, which are not good for you. We believed there was a better way to get that rich body without sacrificing our own along the way. After sampling the Bay Area’s dairy (and having a few scoops of ice cream along the way), we found that Clover Stornetta dairy was the perfect pairing to our tea. After discovering that Clover was the first rBST free dairy on the west coast to become American Humane Certified, we were sold. Like us, they’re making a better, greener product, and we’re proud to serve their delicious milk with our tea.
You’ll never find high fructose corn syrup or factory made syrups in our drinks, only real brown sugar, honey, and homemade simple syrup. As for the fruits? We buy and use only seasonal fruits, offering only the highest quality fruits to complement our tea.