BY EMILY TAM

2887 East 12th Avenue and Renfrew
604-423-4995
m.facebook.com/gongcharenfrew/
Delivers on UberEats and DoorDash

Gong Cha, the bubble tea chain, originated from Taiwan back in 2006 and has become a globally known chain since then, according to their website. There are many locations across Canada and the Lower Mainland, including one in our very own Renfrew-Collingwood, near the Renfrew SkyTrain station.

Our branch recently acquired a new ice cream machine, and their team was gracious enough to invite several foodies to try out their new flavours. There are four flavours in total: matcha, Earl Grey milk tea, oreo and vanilla – but only two flavours are offered per day.

I got to try matcha and Earl Grey milk tea, both delicious but catered to different palettes. My preference would be the matcha ice cream as it reminded me of a matcha mochi ice cream I’d eat as a child and used to be sold at T&T supermarket. That nostalgic feeling paired with their delicious bubble waffle definitely puts them near the top of my list of bubble tea chains I’d visit again, especially in the summer.

My fellow foodie friends thought the matcha ice cream was quite sweet and preferred the Earl Grey. It had a well-rounded flavour and I would definitely recommend it to all the tea lovers out there.

The brown sugar oolong milk tea is served both hot and cold, both equally tasty depending on how you are feeling in the day. I usually order cold bubble tea in the summer and hot bubble tea in the winter, which can be comparable to ordering steeped tea from Tim Hortons or milk teas at Hong Kong cafes. 

Gong Cha chains typically make drinks that are on the sweeter side and I tend to request 30% to 50% sugar instead of their regular sweetness. 

The next time I visit Gong Cha Renfrew, I would be interested in trying their flavoured bubble waffles because I only had the original one during this visit. 

Emily Tam has been a resident of Renfrew-Collingwood since she was a child. She attended Renfrew Elementary and Windermere Secondary and recently graduated from Capilano University with a business degree in international trade & logistics and finance. Emily is an avid learner of new things and one of her passion projects includes running an Instagram food blog, @hungrygirl_emily.  

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