Shiny Tea International Village is officially now open at International Village. This marks the first franchise bubble tea opening in the Chinatown area (shocking, right?) I had been awaiting the opening of Shiny Tea in International Village because up until now there was only one food court stall focusing on bubble tea – Bubble King. Originating from Taiwan with worldwide locations, Shiny Tea has two other shops locally, Crystal Mall and Aberdeen Square. Shiny Tea is proudly endorsed by Mr. Tsung-Ho Tu, the creator of Taiwanese Milk Tea. This newest location at International Village opened up last week in time for Chinese New Year. While I missed their grand opening day special of Original White Pearl Tea for $0.25, I managed to pick up a few of my favourite drinks earlier this week.
SHINY TEA MENU
Shiny Tea brews loose leaf tea leaves for their drinks and they have a protocol of replacing pearls every 4 hours in order to ensure freshness. One thing of note is that they offer two types of tapioca pearls: the regular black ones as well as smaller white ones. For the latter, it’s the same type of tapioca you would find in a dessert.
They have a decent selection of beverages including regular Milk Tea, Basic Tea, Honey in Tea, Osmanthus Flower Smoked Tea, Vinegar/Fruit Juice in Tea, Tea Macchiato, Tea Latte and more. Other topping options include coconut jelly, red beans, grass jelly, taro, aloe vera, coffee jelly, mung beans and more. Ice levels and sweetness are customizable while size options include medium and large.
TOP 7 DRINKS
The top 7 drinks at Shiny Tea by sales rank are: 1) Hanlin Creation; 2) Pu-erh Macchiato; 3) Honey Tieguanyin; 4) White Pearl Lemon Green; 5) Mango Black Tea; 6) Apple Vinegar Oolong; and 7) Herbal Jelly Tea.
International Village Location
The bright and shiny (pun-intended) new International location is very spacious compared to their other shops. It is located across the food court on the second level of the mall. There are counters and seating along the walls within Shiny Tea where you can sit down and enjoy your drink.
What I Tried
My usual order from Shiny Tea is the Hanlin Creation (regular milk tea) with the small white pearls. To be honest, the small white pearls are really what makes me return to Shiny Tea. They make the drink almost seem more like a dessert drink or tapioca dessert. The times I’ve had them, the pearls are cooked well. One slurp captures quite a bit of these small pearls, followed by a brief chew and then swallow. The pleasure of eating these small white pearls is short-lived but still leaves me lingering for more. My issue is that I end up eating these pearls quite quickly and I am then left with a pearless milk tea. Nevertheless, it’s quite a enjoyable drink.
Overall Impression of Shiny Tea International Village
While I still the drinks from Chatime and Gong Cha, Shiny Tea is not bad in my opinion. I continue to be a fan of their Hanlin Creation with small white pearls – looking forward to getting it again sometime. Rating: 3.5/5
Facebook: @shinytea.internationalvillage