Chatime is a bubble tea cafe located all over the world. I remember seeing it in Asia when I was travelling a few years ago. They currently have 3 locations in Vancouver, and a few more across Canada. They differentiate themselves from competition by using fresh tea. They don’t use pre-made teas or powdered flavourings.
I was invited by ChineseBites to try some of their top Bubble Tea flavours.
The global franchise now has just over 1200 locations in 26 countries. They were founded in Taiwan.
I came here last Sunday and this place was buzzing. It was a hot day, so you can’t take us Asians away from our Bubble Tea.
Their regular menu is quite large, but these are their top 10 drinks. We got a chance to try a bunch of their drinks to see if they are really top 10 flavours.
- Pearl Milk Tea
- Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea
- Taro Pudding Milk Tea
- Brown Rice Green Milk Tea
- Taiwan Mango QQ
- Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea
- Mango Smoothie
- Red Bean Pearl Milk Tea
- Matcha Tea Latte
- Chocolate Mousse
What I like about the drinks is that it’s easily customizable and you know they won’t forget since they write it on the cup. They have 2 sizes of bubble teas, you can choose how much ice and sugar you want.
Ways to Customize your drink:
- 8 toppings available: pearls, grass jelly, coconut jelly, red bean, coffee jelly, aloe vera, rainbow jelly, pudding.
- Ice level: regular, less, no ice
- Sugar level: extra, regular, less, half, slight, no sugar
Pearl Milk Tea is a classic and there’s no denying that it hits the spot. I would actually go with no ice for this drink so you get a bit more milk tea. Plus, ice just dilutes the drink if you consume it too slowly. Also the ice gets in the way of sucking the pearls with your straw.
Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea is another favourite. Try getting no ice with the grass jelly because I had a hard time slurping up all the grass jelly.
Taro Milk Tea is another fan favourite. Instead of taro powder like most places out there, they use taro paste to create the drink. It drives me crazy when other places use powder.
Brown Rice Green Milk Tea was a surprising favourite. I would definitely order this again.
Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea has the layer of red bean on the bottom and then filled with matcha milk tea. I thought it was ok, but not my favourite.
Matcha Tea Latte looks pretty cool with the 2 different densities in liquid that gives it the two different colours. You definitely need to mix this before you drink to disperse the flavours.
Superior Milk Chocolate with pearls has a very strong chocolate taste. Great if you’re a chocolate lover.
Hawaiian Fruit Tea is nice and refreshing. Good if you’re not into milk.
Strawberry Au Lait was like a strawberry milkshake. Good, but could use half sweet.
We definitely consumed a lot of Bubble Teas as a group. They have different sizes, so it’s great if you don’t want a regular size.
Overall, it was good bubble tea in the area. It kicks Bubble World’s ass. I can never go to Bubble World again. Chatime is a good addition to the Downtown area on Robson Street.
Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by ChineseBites to try Chatime drinks with a few other bloggers. The service is not representative of their usual service since they knew we were coming.
We Rate Chatime:
Address:
1274 Robson Street,
Vancouver
Website:
www.ichatime.com