I understand skepticism surrounding mega-chains considering so many unfocused concepts with shoddy quality control, but Gong Cha seems to be exceptional based upon my Koreatown experience. The company launched in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 2006, and now operates over 1500 tea shops worldwide. I visited a Los Angeles location with LED menus and bar designed to look like boba at the base of a mixed-use development called Solair across from the Wiltern.

I was impressed with Gong Cha teas topped with “milk foam,” a fluffy, airier version of whipped cream seasoned with sea salt that adds richness and a savory quality to each tea. I ordered Brown Sugar Milk Foam Tea ($4.25 large) with judicious sweetness, and my wife ordered Earl Grey Milk Foam Tea ($4.25 large) and added bouncy boba made every four hours.

The name Gong Cha translates from Mandarin as ““tribute tea for the emperor,” though it’s clear the emperor never enjoyed “milk foam,” or boba for that matter. Too bad; he would have had a much richer life.