New tea shop Joy Cup Bubble Tea is expected to open in mid-September or October, the owners said.
Reminder Publishing submitted image
EAST LONGMEADOW – A new tea shop offering unique drinks such as bubble tea and Vietnamese coffee will soon be opening in East Longmeadow.
Joy Cup Bubble Tea is a family business that focuses on encouraging older and younger generations “to come together” through tea, Owners Bao Chau Van and Choo Heiska told Reminder Publishing. Van emphasized that the tea shop was designed to create “unity and connection.” When complete, the “grab-in-go” shop at 34 Shaker Rd. will offer new drinks for local residents to try.
Van explained that tea is a cultural drink that she shares with her family during gatherings and that she hoped to spread the value behind the tea of sharing old traditions with new traditions through the drinks offered at Joy Cup Bubble Tea. Van is Vietnamese American and her husband, Choo, is Korean American, Van said.
Bubble tea is a globally popularized drink of Taiwanese origin that is made up of a base tea, usually black or green tea, and combined with sweetened tapioca balls called boba that sit at the bottom of the cup, Van explained. Traditional boba is solid and chewy while popping boba is filled with fruit juice and bursts when chewed.
The standard menu at Joy Cup Bubble Tea will include green and black tea as well as regular boba and multiple different flavors of popping boba, such as strawberry, mango, passionfruit, orange and peach. Milk teas made with choice of non-dairy milks and matcha tea will also be available with boba, Van said.
In addition to bubble tea, Joy Cup Bubble Tea will also sell smoothies with flavors such as chocolate and different types of fruits, as well as hot tea, Vietnamese coffee and seasonal drinks, such as pumpkin spice and a special drink for Vietnamese New Year, Van stated. Hot teas will include jasmine, oolong and peppermint teas.
While the shop will have a “simplified” standard menu available for residents, drinks can also be customized by mix and matching different boba flavors and teas to fit the preferences of the customer. In this way, residents can find joy from their chosen drink at Joy Cup Bubble Tea “in many forms,” Van explained.
While the Van and Heiska are still in the process of preparing the shop to open, Van estimated that the shop will officially open in mid-September or October, stating that they were interested in opening “as soon as [they] can.” The shop hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, Van said. Online ordering and delivery will be available through UberEats and DoorDash.
Although the Shaker Road shop is the first Joy Cup Bubble Tea, Van highlighted that other members of their family were also interested in opening locations in the future, noting that even with growth the company would remain a family business.
