Presotea Brings Taiwanese Tea, Treats to Manhattan Beach
Sep 17, 2023 01:18PM ● By Sofie Jones
Presotea, the Taiwanese boba tea shop in downtown Manhattan Beach, recently celebrated its first anniversary. And to owner Eugene Yeh, the shop's success reflects the culmination of a lengthy quest to find authentic Taiwanese tea in the area.
Although countless boba shops have popped up across LA County in recent years, Yeh and his family had struggled to find a business serving the kind of freshly brewed, high-quality tea authentic to Taiwan.
Although they had no experience in the food or service industries – they both previously
worked for the family’s commercial real estate business – they got to work learning all theycould about tea and planning their first location in Torrance.
The Torrance store opened in November 2021 and developed a loyal following. Less than a year
later, in August 2022, the Yehs opened their second franchise location in downtown ManhattanBeach. There, they serve a wide variety of tea and coffee-based drinks, fruit slushes, and bubble waffles. They recently added açai bowls to the menu in partnership with the San Diego-based supplier Açai Roots.
The star of the show, however, is their authentic Taiwanese tea. Produced in Taiwan, their tea
itself is available in a dozen varieties and is among the highest quality in the market, accordingto Yeh.
“We focus on the tea,” he said. “And we brew it in a way that is very unique and special.”
Fresh Tea Made to Order
Unlike many U.S. boba tea shops, which make a large amount of tea in the morning to serve
throughout the day, Presotea’s tea is all made-to-order using a specialty brewing machineexclusive to the company and a unique high-pressure steaming process. In this way, Yeh said,
they function much more like a barista-style espresso bar than a typical boba shop.
This allows Presotea to cater to individual customer’s preferences and needs. “You can come in
and craft your drink however you like it,” Yeh said, adding that customers can pick their sugar level, milk type, toppings, and more. To him, he said, it was important to provide healthy, low-sugar options for those like himself who prefer a more pared back drink.At Presotea, each step of the tea making process has been perfected to create the optimal drinking experience, Yeh said. This includes the water they use in their drinks, which goes through reverse osmosis filtration prior brewing. According to Yeh, water clarified through this process has a better taste and makes ice that stays frozen longer than non-filtered water.
offerings. Most popular are their bubble waffles, which can be customized with toppings like
fruit, sweet sauces, and even tapioca pearls as well. In addition to their new açai bowls, Yeh
plans to expand the menu to include more savory snacks later this year.
community, especially those who may be unfamiliar with the kind of authentic Taiwanese teas
they serve at Presotea. Eventually, Yeh said, they hope to open a total of eight shops across
greater Los Angeles, the third of which is under construction at the new West Edge apartment
development. “Hopefully that will kick off more development in West LA and Downtown,” he
added.
Presotea is located at 1100 Manhattan Ave. #102 in Manhattan Beach and is open from noon to 7:00 p.m. (310) 374-1150.
