Emma Tuey
Contributing Writer
Tai Chi Bubble Tea had their grand opening on Oct. 7 in the space formerly occupied by Boston Market in the University Plaza. The chain was created in 2015 and now has 34 locations in more than 10 states, with more to come throughout the United States.
“Albany seemed close to home,” said Selena Zhang, manager of the new Albany location and previous manager of the Latham location, which had opened last December. Tai Chi Bubble Tea had a soft opening on Sept. 29. “So far the investment has turned out to be a good idea,” said Zhang. “We plan to keep upgrading, upscaling, and improving,” she said.
Although they’re a chain, “each location has its own kind of identity and from location to location you’ll have different things,” Zhang said. To create their own atmosphere, they have plans to “open up karaoke lounges in the back of this location and those will be rentable for parties; there will be an open area where a bunch of people can hangout,” she said.
Like opening any business, starting the new location was not without its hardships, Zhang said. “Managing the necessities like working with certain contractors and getting the fire system setup and then inspecting it to make sure that they’re up to code,” were some of the things they had to manage, she said. “We had a good foundation to start off here, as at the previous location we started ramping up employment to start training new members early on,” Zhang said.
Tai Chi hopes to connect with the community in their new location as they are surrounded by large college campuses. “We want to work with them to open up ideas for holding charities here and holding fundraisers for certain clubs,” she said. They want to be a place “where a bunch of college students can come after a hard day’s work and really just chill out with each other, hangout and have a good time,” Zhang said.
They offer milk tea, fruit tea, smoothies, milk crushes and many other specialty drinks with a variety of flavors. To accompany the drink, they offer toppings such as tapioca pearls, popping boba, and jellies. To fulfill your hunger needs, they offer sushi burritos, poke bowls, ramen bowls, and rice boxes. “What makes us different is we offer some food options that really can give you a whole meal,” Zhang said.
Ayisha Ahmed, a sophomore at Saint Rose, had the miso ramen and said “their food is really good and their eggs are amazing, I had to get two of them,” she said. “I feel like for the price I really got my money’s worth,” she added.
“They have a lot of things you can pick from, including vegetarian options, vegan options–there’s something for everybody,” Ahmed said. For those who suffer from lactose intolerance, “our milk teas are actually made with non-dairy creamer,” Zhang said.
“The staff is super nice, and they have options for ordering that are no contact; you can just go in, tap some buttons and boom, you got a boba,” said Albany resident Layla Sheldon. “I’ve gone back four times since my first time because of how good it was and the prices,” Sheldon said. “I got the strawberry milk tea, I got it with no boba, it was really good,” she said.
Their staff aims to provide inclusivity as “we treat everyone like family, with care and respect,” Zhang said, as they aim for inclusivity.
“The atmosphere was really cool and the staff was very helpful,”said Sheldon.
“We really just want to be a family friendly location where anyone can come have fun and grab a good drink and tasty meal. Maybe when karaoke spots open up and they can get to singing in the back,” Zhang said.
“The very first thing I would recommend getting if you’re brand new to boba is just try the taichi original milk tea,” or if you’re experienced and “if you like caramel flavors, get a brown sugar milk tea that is equally as good,” Zhang said.
The watermelon milk tea captured the essence of summer as it was subtly refreshing, and the lychee boba has a floral aromatic taste that blended nicely with the drink. Second runner up is the brown sugar milk tea that has an enjoyable caramelized flavor and brown sugar coated around the cup. The strawberry milk tea was a creamy delight and sweet but was down to the basics.
“Don’t be afraid to stop in,” Zhang said. “Our staff is great, we’re really friendly, don’t be afraid to ask us any questions, we’ll be patient with you,” she said.
Tai Chi Bubble Tea is located in the University Plaza at 1225 Western Ave, Albany.
