A trip down memory lane…
The writers at yeat take a trip down memory lane to look back on some memorable bubble tea and why it made such an impact on them.
Kengi
My first time having Chase Tea’s Mango Green Tea will be a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life. You would just assume this drink to be like any other mango flavoured green tea, artificial and really sweet. That’s what I thought at first but I was heavily mistaken when it turned out to be a fresh mango smoothie with a green tea base. Blended to perfection, there were still some tiny mango pieces that added that texture and sweetness to the drink.
I think a factor to it was my expectations of it to be something else.
This was the perfect drink for me, something that wasn’t too sweet (sweetness all from the mangos), light and refreshing. The amount of green tea was just enough so that you can still taste it at the end which left your pallet light and clean. Which of course makes it harder to stop drinking. Although it was a bit pricier, it was a very big cup and I would say it was worth every penny.
Overall this was the bubble tea that gave me the biggest “wow” right when I drank it. I think a factor to it was my expectations of it to be something else. Nevertheless, this is the bubble tea that I will never get sick of and will always have a special place in my heart.
Matt T.
When I first moved into Canada, there still weren’t very many places open to grab good Chinese food, let alone bubble tea. The few places we as a community went to grew to become the cultural hubs for Asians and Asian-Americans. The first place for bubble tea, Peanut’s Bubble Tea – an institution by now, was the family go-to back in the day. They’re still mega popular nowadays, holding their own against every bubble tea and Taiwanese restaurant in the area, having built up a loyal following since 1996 for their true-to-Taiwan bubble tea and che lung bing. As a child I would go every weekend with my family, having just immigrated in 2001. There was nothing like it in the area at the time, and it was just like bubble tea back home. My family would always pick up Cantonese food at the stall down the hall and get bubble tea for the car ride home, and during the Lunar New Year season we’d pick up extra snacks. We would go there a lot more during the summertime, and as a child there was nothing better than a cold strawberry slush with pearls on a summer’s day.
The few places we as a community went to grew to become the cultural hubs for Asians and Asian-Americans.
As I grew into my late teens and early adult years, bubble tea culture boomed in Richmond and Vancouver. I got my bubble tea fix elsewhere, as I was excited to try out all the new spots that popped up – many of them chains from Taiwan and China. Peanut’s was still around, serving bubble tea and snacks at 1996 prices. Out of nostalgia, after a couple years of my absence, I came back to Peanut’s on a trip to the Public Market to eat some yangrou paomo at the Xi’an restaurant across the hall. I still feel a sense of comfort and nostalgia knowing they’ve never changed, and have always stayed true to their vision, having never lost their strong following since 1996.
Clarisse
They say you never forget your first love. It’s the one you’ll compare the rest of them to and the one that holds a special place in your heart. For me, that first love was back in California at a bubble tea shop called “Half and Half”. Half and Half combines the best elements from eastern and western cultures to create a new, gourmet drink experience. They are known for their original signature Hot Honey Boba which is what I ordered as a topping to an iced milk tea. The very moment I took my first sip was the moment that my bubble tea addiction started.
The harmonious blend between hot honey, sweet and soft pearls, freshly brewed black tea and the perfect amount of milk made this a memorable experience. My heart was racing and I couldn’t bring myself to deny the fact that it was love at first sip. By the end of the drink, I felt as empty as the bubble tea cup it came in, but my heart was full.
The very moment I took my first sip was the moment that my bubble tea addiction started.
From that day forward, I sought out other bubble tea shops to try new flavours and different styles of bubble tea like slushes, lattes and even cheese foam teas! (They’re delicious and not as crazy as they sound). After moving to Vancouver, my bubble tea journey continued and I learned a lot. Back in California, bubble tea is referred to as “boba” which took some getting used to when I moved. No one really knew what I was asking for. Nevertheless, I’m glad that the selection in Vancouver is just as good as the plethora of cafes in California. I’ve come across some amazing drinks but as they all say, “you never forget your first love”.
Matthew S.
It started when I had to go grocery shopping at superstore with my mom, there was a bubble tea shop and my mom bought a drink for me one day. I was 5 years old, and I vividly remember my mom giving me a strawberry drink, no milk and pearls, I couldn’t buy my own bubble tea, so I would only be able to drink it when my mom got some. For 5 years that was the flavour I only knew. Fast forward 8 years and one day I went to bubble world with my friends and realized how much better this bubble tea place was. This experience changed my life forever, from then until now you could catch me and my snapchats associating with the bubble tea lifestyle.
I couldn’t buy my own bubble tea, so I would only be able to drink it when my mom got some.
Also, when I was 12, I had a taro milk tea and it made my stomach upset because I’m lactose intolerant ☹. I thought I would adapt, overcome, and conquer my intolerance, but I never won the battle.
Andrew
The most vivid memory of bubble tea I have came from Grade 11 in high school. In our grade 11 schedules, we had a spare, or free period which was intended for students to study or something – but usually meant they went off-campus to get food or just pop home. My friend Jonathan and I both had spare at the same time, so we usually spent spare talking about anime or music while going off-campus.
We didn’t go far, because you had to budget time accordingly, but we did go for bubble tea. It was at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a kinda-sorta strip mall where development had sprung up around it. The restaurant straddled the line between a Chinese restaurant and an English-style fish and chips shop. It was hard to tell what you would get, from the outside. Culinary identity crisis aside, they also sold bubble tea in a few varieties. Much like the restaurant itself, the tea was quaint and humble, not overflowing with vibrant colours and gimmicky additions (those would come later with a short-lived business at the nearby mall).
I think I got blueberry. Or, I got a chocolate milk tea. The bubble tea was definitely not the best quality in the Lower Mainland, but it didn’t really matter. The feeling of taking those first few steps of self-directed independence was the prevailing feeling associated with the bubble tea – and that’s why I will remember it.
Bubble Tea shops mentioned in the article:
- Peanut’s Bubble Tea
- Chase Tea
- Half & Half Tea House
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