With no experience in the former and not enough capital for the latter, the couple decided to explore other options when the opportunity to buy the Alley, a milk/boba tea shop in DTC, came up. While milk tea was booming during COVID, the industry has had a rougher go recently. The main reason is because of inflation: most ingredients are sourced from Taiwan and transportation costs have significantly increased. Plus, as inflation squeezes customers’ wallets, milk tea is one of the first “luxury” items to fall out of the budget — it’s more expensive than coffee, but not as substantial as a meal.
The couple knew they had to make a distinctive product that would beat out chains like the nearby outpost of LaTea and win over loyal guests. “The customer is already educated, they know what milk tea is. But right now, they want strong tea flavor, they want fresh fruit instead of syrup, real tea instead of powder,” explains Pham. “These are slim opportunities for me to emphasize the quality of our drink.”
Before the Sen, the couple were only occasional milk tea drinkers so in the months before opening, Pham flew to Vietnam to learn from milk tea shops there. After a month of renovations to transform the space into a minimalist, wabi-sabi aesthetic that is inviting and comfortable for folks to hang out, work and even take meetings, the Sen soft-opened last September.
What you’re drinking
Most milk tea shops in the U.S. are Taiwanese-style. But the Sen is more Chinese or Vietnamese-style, which is known for a very strong tea flavor with less sugar. In fact, Pham notes that 50 percent of the shop's customer base is Chinese (we love tea so strong it tastes like discipline). A good example is the roasted oolong milk tea ($6) — at other shops, it tastes like mildly floral milk but at the Sen, you’ll fully taste the notes of caramel, roasted nuts and honey.The jasmine milk tea ($6) is a favorite standard but for something different, try the Sen milk tea ($7) which tastes like liquid peanut butter but is actually a caffeine-free vegan buckwheat milk. Unsure? The Sen happily offers free samples of all its milk teas for indecisive customers. Of the tea refreshers, a fan favorite is the kumquat plum jasmine ($7) which is lemon tea with a little bit more acidity and a salty note.
The Sen’s menu is constantly evolving to include any new, trendy items that Pham and Ngo scout for in California tea shops. It now offers three different foams (sea salt, ube and black sesame) to accompany its Vietnamese coffee and it's added blended creamy drinks and matcha plus food options like croffles and bao buns.
Pham and Ngo’s bet is that with their strong tea flavor, distinctive menu items and quality ingredients, the Sen will be able to stand out in the crowded field.
The Sen Tea House is located at 4940 South Yosemite Street in Greenwood Village and is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit thesencafe.com.
