By Cambria Kelly and Rosie Lu
Every issue, we will have a new article on our tea-tasting travels to look forward to! The Westgate area welcomes a new tea drink spot once again, nestled into the side of the Sprouts plaza. Since its opening in the winter of 2026, Formosa Aroma has become a go-to spot for its customizable teaspresso series, as well as a fantastic array of handcrafted delights.
Rose Cream Top Assam Black Tea – 10/10
This order was made with 0% sweetness and half ice. The foamy, comforting texture of the floral foam top paired with the bitter tea, all over the sweet boba pearls, created a ravishingly robust rose-y refreshment for our relaxing afternoon tea.
Wow–ironically, while the name is a mouthful, this drink invited me to take small, appreciative sips as opposed to chugging it down whole. The first layer of the drink to reach your taste buds is the smooth, gently aromatic rose cream foam. Oftentimes, I dislike cream tops–the taste, texture, and scent are all off-putting to me. However, this drink quite possibly changed my mind for good. The cream was very smooth, light, and paired perfectly as a palate-preparer for the deep, almost bitter black Assam tea. The sensual difference between the silky top and the chilly tea added an extra layer of enjoyability to the drink, and even as the foam dissolved into the drink, its aroma and creaminess stayed in the drink, making the experience overall very cohesive and delicious.
Dancing Crane Milk Tea – 10/10
I ordered this drink with 30% sweetness and half ice. The perfect balance of toasty aroma and earthy black tea flavor, blended with the creamy soymilk, had me constantly CRANEing my neck for more.
This milk tea is a part of Formosa Aroma’s Teaspresso series, which allows customers to personalize by choosing from over ten varieTEAs—black, green, jasmine, and non-caffeinated options at different roasts and fermentations. The next step is milk customization, for the lactose-intolerant specimens, where there is a choice between soy and oat aside from the normal dairy milk. The drink can be finished off with a topping—I recommend the boba, which is cooked fresh and often still warm and chewy from the pot—but lower the sweetness by one level from your usual, since the brown sugar in the boba provides sufficient sweetness.
