Continuing the ongoing Dessert Detectives series — where El Estoque staff members review the quality and cost of local dessert shops — we maintained the alphabetical theme, visiting Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea in San Jose. Named after the founder’s grandmother, Yifang, a pineapple farmer, Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea commemorates her memory by integrating fresh seasonal fruit into their menu items, including their most popular drink, Yifang Fruit Tea.
Yifang Fruit Tea ($6.00)
Created by Yifang herself, this drink incorporates several seasonal fruits such as apple, orange and pineapple and provides a refreshing balance among these flavors. The intense sweetness of the fruit and added sugar pairs well with the crunchy, sour passion fruit seeds, which welcome textural variety along with the addition of whole slices of fruit. However, while successful in providing a strong, natural flavor, the pieces of fruit also cause frequent blockage in the straw, preventing us from finding closure in the last perfect sip.
Rating: 4.5/5
Original Egg Pancake ($6.75)
Alongside their fan favorite fruit drinks, Yifang Tea offers several boba-shaped Taiwanese egg pancakes that can be ordered in either the original flavor or chocolate. While the pancake emanates an enticing aroma, its taste does not evoke the satisfaction its smell promises. An overly salty outside shell overwhelms the first bite, creating an unpleasant first impression that remains consistent throughout. However, the light and fluffy interior contradicts the saltiness with its sweetness, as the egg brings out a sudden taste that works surprisingly well with the overall flavor of the pancake. While unique at first, this flavor, along with the sickeningly salty shell, becomes heavily repetitive and nauseating to the taste, rendering the pancake to nothing more than a breakfast doomed to disappoint.
Rating: 2/5
Mango Pomelo Sago ($7.50)
Another fruit-based beverage, the Mango Pomelo Sago assures the taste of fresh mango, and does not disappoint. This drink delivers an authentic mango taste mixed with sago — starchy pearls made from the pit of a palm tree that is traditionally used in Asian cultural desserts — adding a twist on a classic fruit tea. It is hard to overlook the natural flavors of the mango in the drink upon the first couple of sips, however, towards the end of the drink, the mango becomes nearly untraceable and it is equally hard to locate the flavor at all. The drink’s lack of excitement is only amplified by an excess amount of sugar, a shocking amount in comparison to the 70% sweetness the drink was ordered at. Additionally, the sago adds no real flavor or taste, only a textural element that serves as the only highlight of this mundane drink.
Rating: 3/5
Avocado Matcha Latte ($8.50)
The Avocado Matcha Latte strays further away from the traditional teas the store usually serves, but doesn’t disappoint with the unique combination of avocado and matcha. Although the drink seems oddly grassy at first, the avocado pairs surprisingly well with the matcha, not combating its sweetness but complementing it, a key highlight of the drink. The flavors of avocado and matcha are differentiable, yet the flavors work together. Along with its incredible and unexpected flavor palette, the drink sports an aesthetically pleasing look, with a marble pattern created by the light green of the avocado and the dark green from the matcha. While the avocado is on the heavier side, overall the Avocado Matcha Latte proved to be a successful recipe in spite of its unusual ingredients list.
Rating: 4/5
Coffee Jelly Black Tea Latte ($6.25)
As yet another unique item on the menu, the Coffee Jelly Black Tea Latte seemingly promises a creamy coffee drink topped off with coffee jelly. However, the drink is consistently disappointing from the very first sip to the dreaded last, with a sharp, bitter taste that burns the tongue. The 70% sweetness selected must have been referring to two granules of sugar, as it was negligible and did absolutely nothing to combat the jarring bitterness. Its flavor was impactful, as the acerbic aftertaste indicates, and the drink possessed no unexpected high points or hidden depths. The coffee jelly, while soft and well-made, was overshadowed by the drink itself and added no depth to the drink. Overall, the monotonous nature of the Coffee Jelly Black Tea Latte left no room for highlights or recovering factors, as it started off with a bitter taste and ended with a bitter impression on those who ordered it.
Rating: 2/5
Overall: 3.5/5
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Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea, known for its fresh fruit and refreshing drinks, didn’t disappoint on its promises. Its diverse selection of drinks provides every customer with a drink tailored to their personal taste, which goes hand-in-hand with the overall charm and enticingness of the store. The writing on the wall telling the story of Yifang, the founder’s grandmother and a pineapple farmer, immerses the customer in the rich culture and history of the store. However, while we recognize the quality and care, the drinks themselves lack depth and originality, rendering it just another average boba store.
