Boba Bubbles up in Santa Clara

Taiwanese tea shop opens doors near campusMaura TurcotteTHE SANTA CLARAApril 7, 2016

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s the dog days of summer loom on the horizon, Santa Clara students have a new place to cool off and wet their whistles.

Sharetea, a Taiwanese chain that sells black tea and pearl milk tea drinks commonly referred to as boba, just opened a new shop one block from campus.

The new franchise hopes to capture the market of the student population.

Sharetea first opened its doors in 1992 in Taipei City. In 2010, the company went international, moving first to Hong Kong and then expanding across the globe to a number of countries, including Canada, England and Australia.

With many boba shops popping up in cities across the country, the company emphasizes the authenticity of their recipes in order to stand out from the tough competition.

“(Sharetea) is traditional bubble tea from Taiwan,” said Alex Zhen, the Sharetea manager. “The milk tea (served in our shops) is like going to Taiwan and getting the taste of it there.”

After taking on much of the world, Sharetea finally landed in our very own Santa Clara. On April 2, the boba shop celebrated its grand opening.

The menu consists of a variety of tea and coffee drinks. Customers can select from fruit teas, brewed teas, milk teas, drinks with a frothy cream known as creama and ice-blended beverages.

Most drinks come iced, with options for more or less ice. Many of the selections can be served hot as well.

Customers can choose levels of sweetness and toppings, including famed tapioca boba balls, pudding, aloe vera, red bean and various fruit jellies.

During my visit, I sampled the Mango and Passionfruit Green Tea flavor and the Almond Milk Tea. Both were very sweet and tasty, but I eventually settled on the Coffee Milk Tea with boba pearls to get a nice kick of caffeine for the afternoon.

With an open, simple interior and a fun playlist of pop music playing in the background, Sharetea is a relaxing place to hangout with friends.

Although several of the taller tables are oddly placed with shorter chairs, plenty of the other tables could provide a comfortable space for studying.

The new shop has caught the attention of at least one Santa Clara student already. Junior Hanna Ravi visited Sharetea after its opening and already plans on heading back for more tea.

“I like how you can customize the sweetness and amount of ice for each drink,” she said. “Sharetea is really refreshing and perfect for a hot day.”

The Santa Clara Sharetea is located at 1171 Homestead Rd., Suite 115.

Contact Maura Turcotte at mturcotte@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.