A popular Taiwanese tea brand is preparing for its next chapter in Greater Boston.
CHICHA San Chen, the internationally renowned tea house known for its handcrafted Taiwanese teas and upscale café experience, is opening its second Massachusetts location at One Brattle Square in Cambridge’s Harvard Square. Franchisee Andy Liao recently shared the news on social media, offering a first look at the upcoming space through a series of bright, minimalist renderings.
“A little preview of what we’ve been working on lately,” Liao wrote on Instagram. “Our second Chicha San Chen Boston location, coming to One Brattle Square in Harvard Square. Soft textures, warm tones, tea, and a space designed to feel calm in the middle of everything.”
The upcoming Cambridge shop follows the success of the brand’s first Massachusetts outpost, which Liao opened in 2024 at the Lyrik development in Boston’s Back Bay. Liao told What Now Boston that the Harvard Square location will be similar in size to the Newbury Street shop at Lyrik, though it may feel a bit smaller visually since the ceilings aren’t quite as high.
Founded in Taichung City in 1998, CHICHA San Chen has since grown into a global tea phenomenon with more than 200 locations spanning Canada, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Australia, and the United States. The brand is especially known for its elevated approach to tea-making, combining traditional Taiwanese tea culture with modern technology and contemporary café design.
“We aim to create an upscale and sophisticated space, providing an inviting atmosphere for our guests to enjoy their tea,” Liao said.
The menu features an extensive selection of bubble teas, fruit teas, oolong teas, and cassia black teas, all crafted using tea leaves sourced from Taiwan’s Lishan mountains, and the company’s patented “teaspresso” machines are designed to brew each drink with precision and consistency.
In addition to the brand’s signature drinks, the Cambridge outpost will introduce a unique experience called “Wish of Tea Sealed,” inspired by a long-standing tradition in Taiwan. Guests will be invited to place handwritten wishes or messages alongside Lishan Oolong tea inside ceramic pottery jars, which are then sealed and aged for six years.
“When reopened years later, the tea will have naturally aged over time while also becoming a personal memory capsule that lets guests revisit the message they wrote years before,” Liao explained. The experience will allow for a more personal and interactive connection to Taiwanese tea culture while also encouraging self-reflection.
