Gong Cha Tea opens in Mineola and Jericho
Milk foam dirty brown sugar milk tea at Gong Cha Tea in Mineola. Credit: Gong Cha Global Ltd.
Bubble tea spots, from mom-and-pops to worldwide chains, are on the fast track on Long Island, with Mineola and Jericho being the latest to welcome international franchise Gong Cha Tea.
Mineola, opened in May in the space that was last Urban Brew Co. espresso bar, is the third local location of the fast-growing chain that began in Taiwan in 2006 (it launched at Roosevelt Field in 2017; Smith Haven Mall followed last year). A fourth location opened this month in Jericho (311 N. Broadway), with a Plainview location (393 S. Oyster Bay Rd.) scheduled to open this fall.
Gong Cha's menu focuses on milk and fruit teas, with its specialty being a milk foam topping made from a proprietary recipe that balances both sweet and savory. The creamy, whipped foam — inspired by cappuccino milk foam — also comes in strawberry, matcha and Oreo flavors.
As for other toppings, customers can choose from tapioca pearls (boba), white pearls (different from traditional pearls as they are not made from tapioca and have a crunchy consistency), ai-yu jelly (sweet jelly with caramel notes), pudding (with a hint of caramel), basil seeds and coconut jelly.
There's a lineup of eight “slush” drinks, which have a consistency similar to smoothies, available in mango milk, lychee, passion fruit yogurt and caramel chocolate. Most of these are caffeine-free, as is a wintermelon drink — a naturally sweet fruit more common in Asia (think cantaloupe).
Yogurt-based beverages, blended with either tea or fruit purees, come in flavors such as passion fruit, lemon, grapefruit and peach. Coffee-meets-milk tea drinks round out the menu.
Through mid-September, all locations are featuring a series of pineapple beverages including pineapple mango green tea, milk foam pineapple green tea with coconut jelly, and piña colada crush.
Drinks are available in medium (starting at $4.50) and large ($5.25).
All products used at Gong Cha are sourced from Taiwan, said president Anchal Lamba.
The chain has more than 150 U.S. shops and nearly 1,800 worldwide.
Gong Cha Tea is open daily, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 196 2nd St. in Mineola. More info: 516-877-2188, gongchausa.com
