A new bubble tea shop has popped up in the west end of Guelph.
Kung Fu Tea, located at 206 SilverCreek Pkwy N., opened earlier in December and offers a menu of over 50 flavours of tea and specialty drinks, along with three kinds of bubble egg waffles.
With a seating area and self-serve kiosk, the business gives people a chance to sit and enjoy their order, or get it quickly while on-the-go. With so many drink options, plastic models of Kung Fu Tea's most popular drinks are situated at the counter, showing customers what they look like and their ingredients.
Mango Le is the franchise owner of the Kung Fu Tea location in Guelph. With most bubble tea businesses located downtown or in the south end of the city, Le wanted to provide a new option for bubble tea enthusiasts.
"Some people know, they have tried the brand before," said Le about customers coming to the store. "I know some people, they come in every day."
Le, a self-proclaimed 'foodie' who also owns Chungchun Rice Dog in Guelph, said she wanted to share something good with the community. Compared to other franchises, Le liked how Kung Fu Tea used honey instead of sugar syrup and offered a larger variety of drinks.
"I've tried a lot of different bubble tea, and I wanted to offer something healthy, fruity and tasty for everyone in Guelph," said Le, adding there are not a lot of bubble tea franchises in Guelph.
Helping to launch the franchise with Le is store manager Tai Huynh.
"Kung Fu means the art of something, so the art of tea, they do everything step by step and make sure (to choose) quality over churning out drinks," said Huynh, adding all their toppings are also made in-house.
Since opening earlier in December, one of the most popular bubble teas is called the 38 milk king. It contains black tea, tapioca, grass jelly and agar jelly, which is vegan.
Other popular drink options are the strawberry yogurt slush and the signature lite fruit tea containing apple, grapefruit and orange slices.
Huynh said more adventurous bubble tea drinkers in Guelph should go for a cheese milk foam on their drink.
"It tastes more like a cheesecake on top, so it gives you that salty-sweet contrast and goes with a lot of our teas," Huynh said about the topping.
While they have drinks on their menu found at different bubble tea businesses, Kung Fu Tea also offers other drinks that are harder to come by.
Huynh said Kung Fu Tea also sells one of the most popular drinks in Asia, a dessert called the ice cream black warrior.
"People will line up for it," said Huynh, which contains tea, ice cream, tapioca and cheese milk foam.
Most Kung Fu Tea franchises are located across Toronto and the GTA. Huynh said they are hoping to open future locations in Guelph and Wellington County.
"In Guelph there is not a lot of Asian presence here, so it's more of an issue with like, more variety of bubble tea, and letting people try something new," said Huynh.
Kung Fu Tea is open Monday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Residents can also order Kung Fu Tea online or by downloading its app.
