Formerly known as Tancca Tea House, Machi Tea Bar recently reopened with a new array of drinks. Judging by what I ordered, the quality of its drinks is inconsistent. 

 The restaurant, located in the Towne Centre Village in Diamond Bar, was following  the  strict social distancing procedures, which I appreciated. While most restaurants are  allowing customers inside to place orders, Machi Tea Bar workers stopped me at the door and had me place my order without entering the restaurant. 

But I did  notice the interior, which was  clean and polished aesthetic featuring  marble floors and white walls decorated with paintings and neon signs. The  furniture was temporarily  pushed up against the walls to make it easier for them to take orders from the door. 

I ordered a large taro-flavored milk tea with boba ($5.00) and a large mango slushie ($5.50). At the time, the restaurant  was running a buy one get one 50 percent off sale, which cut down my total order to around $8.

After five minutes, they came out and gave me my drinks, which I sat and enjoyed at the outside tables. The taro-flavored milk tea definitely did not live up to my standards. The drink had a chemical tang to it, tasting like it was expired. I could immediately tell that they used taro powder to flavor it instead of fresh taro. 

Although the drink was only $5, I was still disappointed since I knew many other boba places used fresh taro to give their drinks a cleaner taste. The boba also tasted too sweet and some of the boba pearls were also somewhat melted and deformed. 

After I drank the taro flavored milk tea with boba, I moved on to  the mango slushie. The mango slush was without a doubt worth the price. Unlike the taro milk tea, it tasted freshly made and more natural. Furthermore, the slushie wasn’t too watered down and had perfect consistency.  It was the ideal drink to cool off with on a hot summer day. 

Overall, I would recommend Machi Tea Bar to anyone looking for a moderately  priced boba drink. Although I wasn’t happy with the quality of the taro milk tea, I do know that other restaurants like Lollicup also use powders to flavor drinks due to how cost effective it is. Overall, the mango slushie made my trip to Machi Tea Bar worth it.