Tpumps

I’m not even sure how this place had 4 stars back when I visited, with 1.5k reviews. One of the few times Unilocal has disappointed me. I’m glad it’s now seemingly closed.
I think the reason why this place is called «T pumps» and not «Tea pumps» is because they don’t actually use any real tea. I got strawberry green tea, which literally tasted like strawberry syrup mixed with water. Not even a HINT of tea. I thought I might have came at a bad time, maybe they had a new worker? 3 of my friends have tried this place out, and have the same exact experience. Save your money, don’t bother coming here. There are 2 or 3 other boba places in downtown San Mateo that are MUCH better than this place.

Ordered strawberry blackberry black milk tea VERY sweet, light ice, light boba… emphasis on the VERY. it felt more like a glass of pink-​colored milk with NO sugar in it. Seriously? I had to come home and add all the sugar myself. The place is always musty and crowded all the time. If they don’t have the brain or decency to make the place bigger and well ventilated, then at fucking least give customers what they are PAYING for.

I don’t get it. What am I missing? It’s milk tea!
Sure, sure, there’s flavors and sugar levels and whatever else they offer. But, is it really worth the wait? Not really. I originally wanted to write, «Good for a quick drink,» but it’s really not that quick of a wait in line and for your drink to come out. Sometimes there’s no line but that’s really rare (the times I’ve gone, at least).
The drinks are okay, but they do not live up to the hype. The prices, however, are very affordable for the size of your drink.
Lots of middle to high schoolers seem to really like this spot. I assume for the affordability — which is why I don’t mind coming out here if I have some time and $ 3 to spend.
EDIT: Just looked at some other reviews that mentioned they closed ³⁄₃₀ and are moving to FC. Looking forward to try again at a (hopefully larger) location.

Sooooo many flavors! When I went to this location in San Mateo, they were out of their regular sized cups and were giving free upgrades to the HUGE Pumpbo size and it was insane. I have big hands and could barely hold the thing. The Taro flavor I got was sooo good though! One of the best boba places I have tried.
The super nice cashier informed me that they are moving to FOSTER CITY soon just FYI so I guess this location won’t be around for much longer.

$ 3.50 instead of $ 2.50 now! Bad move Tpumps! U used to be my fav boba place but with more and more boba place coming out and you raised ur price? I just don’t understand why!
They’re permanently closing this san mateo location on March 30^th. Bye bye Tpumps!

I am just not a fan of fruity and milk teas mixed all in one.
I think a couple years ago, T-​pumps was like business. There was always a hefty line that wraps outside the store. Mixing strawberry and rose, or honey and peach. the concept definitely attract a younger crowd that enjoys high fructose and being able to pick their flavors. I like it simple with a black milk tea. But their black milk tea isn’t out of the ordinary. or mixed in the style I am used to. Better luck next time!
Parking is a drag, since my friend really wanted to try this, we had to circle around at least four times to find parking that is about 2 blocks away! Don’t come during dinner hour!

I think this is one of the most overrated places in San Mateo. It is definitely not worth the wait and even if there was no wait, it’s not a place I would choose to go to.
I have tried them a few times, but my feelings remain unchanged. Their tea is not impressive and I really think people love it because you get a lot for what you pay…
…which isn’t really a good reason to go to a place…

Too many options
Place is always packed
Unsure what to order
Mehhh…
Popular amongst teens
Small samples while in line
I’ve been here a few times and have tried different drinks, but didn’t really like any. I’m not sure what all the craze is about. With so many boba shops around San Mateo, there’s got to be something for everyone! I really wanted to like Tpumps, but I felt it was definitely overhyped. Waiting in the long lines didn’t help either. Maybe I just never know what to order here since there are so many options! Or maybe every time I’m here, they keep running out of this «honey boba.» :(

Mixed feelings… My husband liked it, like LIKED it! Usually when it comes to boba, he might comment that it’s ok, or that it’s sweet and addictive. But this one he LIKED! So, they probably deserve all five stars? Well, this is where I get picky… He didn’t rand in line with me, nor did he go through the ordering process, which is painful. May be that process explains the line, not the quality?
So, I rate experience as 1 star and tea is pretty good, prefer this to a lot of other locations in San Mateo.

Great selection and consistently friendly service. They have always let you try a sample of something before ordering it. I have enjoyed everything I have tried so far. Every time I am in the area I stop by for a drink.
It is a little cramped and I guess they don’t run the AC cause it is warm inside.

Tpumps isn’t your latest style of shoes, maybe a Mary Jane style on a Pump Base with a T-​Strap, it is your latest iteration of the popular drink craze, originally from Taiwan, of Milk Teas and Boba, or Pearls, or Bubble drinks.
This location of TPumps is on a strip on B Street in San Mateo, where there are at least 4 places in 1 block that specialize in some form of these Milk Teas and Pearl drinks. It is sort of the mecca of the peninsula for these popular Asian drinks.
TPumps is perhaps the most popular, not sure why. Perhaps because they have hit the sweet spot of combining the Puzzle Food concept (a la Chipotle, where you construct pieces to your food puzzle for a final meal option), and the Milk Tea/​Slushy/​Smoothie wave that is hitting the Pacific Rim.
Here you pick a Tea base (black or green), temperature (hot or cold), decide milk or not, pick a flavor (add up to 3 fruity flaves), and type of toppings (or bottomings, i.e. Pearls/​Boba/​Bubbles). They even have the «Popping» bubbles, which are flavored filled Bobas that burst into liquid from a gel sphere, like a starburst gum or Ikura salmon roe sushi.
They haven’t got it down to cups with menu check offs on the side like Starbucks, they write it all down with a Sharpie on the side of your clear plastic cup, but they do have nonsense branded names for the size of your glass, like Starbucks.

Second visit to Tpumps and much better than the first. Unlike Cupertino, this location had no lines and no crowds, though is similarly small.
Most importantly, the execution was much better. I was reluctant to specify any sweetness after our too sweet versions at the Cupertino branch but was told to try light sweet one more time.
This time is it was just right and just as great was the honey boba pearls were super fresh and delicious. Guess the sweetness is very server dependent or the Cupertino one just has more new staff.
Tpumps accepts credit cards including American Express.

Hip bubble tea place in downtown San Mateo
This place, along with Sharetea down the street, are the 2 bubble tea places that always seem to have a line outside. Everyone seems to want in!
Luckily I visited during off hours, and ordered a simple milk tea. They do drinks and drinks only, and do not sell snacks, but they do drinks very well! They were one of the few bubble tea places I know that asked if you wanted your drink sweetened. They even offered samples of their special plum tea when I was waiting for my order. Nice!
In terms of drink quality, the milk tea definitely had large amounts of smooth milkiness. The portions are also pretty big.
Definitely worth stopping by at least once!

On my way out of San Mateo, I decided I was thirsty and could use a drink. I’m not generally a fan of boba, but I saw Tpumps and a line out the door so I stopped in to give it a try. A big line generally means the business is doing something right and is generally a good sign.
The shop itself is not much to look at, pretty bare with no seating and part of the front being used for storage, it was clear the customers were not here for the ambiance. The menu was fairly impressive and definitely what sets this place apart from the countless other boba shops peppered throughout the bay.
You have your choice of something like 30 flavors to choose from to flavor your tea, of which you can choose black, green or decaf. Added to that you can choose from around 10 flavors of either regular boba or popping boba. Lastly you can add milk to it or even turn it into a smoothie if you wish.
I ended up getting a mango/​litchee flavored black tea as a smoothie and added honey boba. The drink was satisfying, although nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t really like the idea of spending $ 5 for tea though and I don’t think I would come back again. Maybe boba is just not for me.

Been to this place many many times and I must admit that I find their drinks way better than the one they (recently) opened in Cupertino. I also think that their service/​turnaround time (in comparison to Cupertino’s) is much quicker.
I highly recommend trying the Passion Lychee Green Tea
(no milk; non-​sweetened; extra boba)
…my favourite!

Be prepared to wait. They use syrup instead of powder I believe. And they added milk to mine even when I said no milk but I understand cause it gets so busy. They remade it immediately.
It was good but not the best I’ve had. Their bubbles were good though and I enjoyed that. I would go back but only if there was a short line.

Once upon a time Tpumps used to be a big deal. When San Mateo only had two boba shops within a 5 mile radius and selection was limited. People were amazed by the variety of flavors you could mix. are you feeling like mango strawberry coconut today or maybe peach passion black tea? Now that there’s about 5 boba shops within a 5 mile radius with premium ingredients Tpumps is facing some competition.
Although you can basically mix any flavor you want to come up with a custom drink, it’s not necessarily a good thing. All of the drinks taste like they’re pumped with flavored syrups. There is no taste of tea it’s more like drinking flavored milk water. Their mix ins are also limited in selection you can get boba or popping boba but no grass jelly? The line is always out the door and at this point it’s not really worth it anymore when you have joints like Sharetea and Kung Fu tea nearby.
Pass on this and try another boba place instead. You have tons of options within walking distance of this place.

Who doesn’t love balls in their mouth?! Well, boba that is. Hehe!
I had dinner with a friend earlier this year in San Mateo. Since I was in the area, I thought, why not finally try Tpumps?! I came by on a Thurs night around 9p. Surprising, the line wasn’t too bad. I probably waited for about 15 mins to order and another 5 for my drink. While in line, there was someone also passing out random samples, so it helped pass the time a little.
I ended up getting a Taro black milk tea smoothie, light sweetness, honey boba. The boba was chewy and soft which I loved. Who wants hard balls in their mouth?! I didn’t love the taro smoothie though. It tasted earthy and bad. Not sweet and creamy. I think the next time I’d probably just get a normal black milk tea. Maybe with some extra balls just cuz I loved them so!

Long line you just have to be patient. Try to mix it up and try different flavors. Be patient because lines can be long and can be very crowded.
On a hot day this can be very refreshing.

This main & first location has got to be my favorite one, but the line is unbearable especially when it’s windy & rainy.
My favorite and only drink is pomegranate lychee green tea with no milk, normal. Sometimes boba or lychee popping boba depending on my mood at the moment.
The workers here seem to have got people’s order down and make it exactly how they want it. The workers are also more «trained» unlike the workers at the SF location.
It is always super hot & stuffy at this location. As the line progresses to the front, it gets worse. I appreciate the heat more on cold days/​nights. Hate it on warm days.
I just absolutely hate the line here. Feels like more than an hour wait on some days. But however, there are certain times of the day and even on the weekends the line is super short. Like on Sunday evening before closing time! Just a tip.
Oh, sometimes parking sucks! Just sometimes.