As part of their grand opening event, I was invited as a blogger by ChineseBites.com. I’m super glad I was!

When I became health-conscious several years ago, I stopped drinking bubble tea because of its high sugar content and all the artificial flavours and chemicals. So it had been a long time since I had bubble tea.

Unfortunately, I came a little late in the day and so Sheepie and I were the last of the bloggers to arrive, and we didn’t get to meet any other bloggers. Boo…

Still, there were fruits and cakes left. Sheepie kept eating the brownie mini muffins. I don’t think these are offered on a daily basis , just for the party. The interior was clean and modern. It had a ‘Asian’ feel that was more upscale than most bubble places in town.

We both chose on from the Top 10 list. I went with the normal Pearl Milk Tea. Yes, I know, it may be boring to others, but for me, I just find that the plain one is always so good, so I went with the traditional. I was delighted to find out that I could customize my drink in terms of ice and sugar. I asked for regular ice and 30% sugar.

Sheepie ordered the Brown Rice Green Milk Tea. It had the slight brown rice flavour, but with the regular sugar amount, it was too sweet for me. But the flavour tasted good – and healthy.

Despite being #1 bubble tea brand in the world, it was my first time knowing about ChaTime. But with over 1200 locations worldwide and over 100 million cups of Chatime bubble tea sold each year, I wonder if I’ve been living under a rock. But they are just venturing into the Vancouver world, hence the grand opening.

Founded in Taiwan, with 30 years of tea manufacturing experience, their tea is brewed fresh in store, using tea leaves and other high quality natural ingredients, (including Chatime’s own tea farm!) and relying on natural flavours without the use of preservatives, pre-made tea or tea powders. This was really good news for me.

They have certifications to ensure the quality and safety of their drinks, including throwing away the pearls after a few hours to make sure that pearls being served are always fresh.

More and more people are becoming health conscious (or just plain picky ) so this is a great place to chill out with friends without getting too much of a sugar crash afterwards. Prices are fair, and for good quality and service, I give ChaTime thumbs up. The portion is smaller than most other places, but for me, this is just perfect. I can’t drink a lot in the first place, so the size is great.

I am really curious about the Mousse drinks…Mmmmmmmmm

*This event was hosted by ChineseBites.com which invited food bloggers from across town. Each blogger had complimentary bubble tea.

 Taste:    Price for Value:

Atmosphere:     Service: 
Location:

DRINKS
Top 10:
1. Pearl Milk Tea
2. Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea
3. Taro Pudding Milk Tea
4. Brown Rice Green Milk Tea
5. Taiwan Mango QQ
6. Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea
7. Mango Smoothie
8. Red Bean Pearl Milk Tea
9. Matcha Tea Latte
10. Chocolate Mousse

Customize your drink:

• Toppings: 8 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

Locations:

DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER
1274 Robson Street, Downtown, Vancouver, BC
Opened April 2015

VANCOUVER
1545 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC
Opened April 2015

RICHMOND
450-9100 Blundell Road, Richmond, BC
Opened April 2015

WEB | SOCIAL MEDIA
www.chatimeca.com
Instagram: @chatimebc
Facebook: Chatime Vancouver
Twitter: @chatimebc