Chatime is a bubble tea café that originated from Taiwan, and now a global franchise in 26 countries with over 1,000 stores. They’ve opened up 6 locations in Metro Vancouver, including one on Robson that I had the chance to visit on Sunday. I had previously tried their location at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, inside the Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle House, so I was more than excited to check out this location.
This location was very busy, especially since it was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Vancouver. The menu was quite extensive with milk teas, fruit teas, juices, smoothies, mousses, coffees and other drinks available, with the price range floating around $4-5.
In addition, Chatime also offers customizable options in terms of ice and sugar. This is perfect for people who don’t need too much sweetness in their drink to enjoy it.
Their top 10 drinks feature a variety of popular Asian flavours, like green tea, taro, and mango.
- 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
My favourites from the 10 popular drinks were Taiwan Mango QQ, Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea, and surprisingly, the Brown Rice Green Milk Tea. These drinks may be a bit too sweet for some, so I recommend ordering them half-sweet.
I love how the Taiwan Mango QQ tasted wonderfully of mango goodness. And boy, Chatime knows how to make their pearls – perfectly soft and chewy, just the way they should be. They probably have the best pearls in Metro Vancouver, and it reminded of the bubble tea stands I used to frequent in Taiwan.
If you ask my friends, they will know that I love anything with matcha and red bean. With this bubble tea, the Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea gives a good punch of matcha in the first sip of the milk tea you taste. The bottom has a layer of red bean that I thoroughly enjoyed. My only wish is that there were more!
Finally, the Brown Rice Green Milk Tea had a distinct roasted flavor that I quite enjoyed! It had a whole, aromatic taste that I don’t think I’ve tasted anywhere else in Vancouver. I will definitely be back for this.
There’s a little sign posted by the counter that says “Every cup of tea is freshly brew[ed], the wait is worth it J”, and I could not agree more. The wait is worth it for a bubble tea from Chatime, especially for a Brown Rice Green Milk Tea! Good time, good tea indeed.
Mary in Vancity 