Bubble tea shops have been popping up left and right in Chinatown, but nothing prepared me for the influx around Burwood. With so many to choose from, we decided the one to try based purely on aesthetics. This one is Beau Tea, which attracted me after I spotted the designs on their cups!
The interior of the store is a beautiful off-white and decorated with artificial cherry blossom trees and a hand-painted mural.
Their regular sized drinks are served cups with five beautiful designs, giving every incentive to order the regular size over the large! This time I try their Peach Oolong Teaccino ($5.50, regular). Consumed cold (also available hot), the milk tea is a translucent off-white colour with a mellow peach aroma and a generous layer of microfoam. The foam provides the creamy viscosity, as the drink itself has a thinner mouthfeel than full cream milk coffees or teas. Mouthfeel aside, peach notes with a mellow sweetness came through on tasting against a fragrant oolong background. The initial flavour of a fruity milk tea takes some accustomising, but the milky notes are well restrained and the natural fruity and creamy notes of an oolong make it a logical pairing.
They also sell non-milk teas and this one here is the Orange Passionfruit Tea ($6.80, large only). The drink is made with fresh fruit — the oranges are sliced to order from fruit kept in their fridge — and the result is a refreshingly sweet and tangy beverage that stands apart from other fruit-flavoured drinks using only syrups to provide flavour.
With a promising first visit, I’d be happy to return to try their other drinks with flavoured pearls.
Beau Tea is located at Shop 8/38-40 Railway Parade & Clarendon Pl, Burwood NSW 2134.