Indeed, the Handmade Taro Fresh Milk ($5.40) is the next best thing I have tried at ShareTea, other than the original classic milk bubble tea. Loved that it is not overly sweet or thick, and that it has bite-sized yam bits to ‘play’ with while drinking.

Daniel's Food Diary speaks to Ms Hong Ke Jia, owner of ShareTea Singapore to share her bubbletea experiences.

Why did you decide to bring ShareTea to Singapore?
In May 2010, one of our shareholders came across ShareTea in Hongkong and decided to give it a try as she was intrigued by the long queue at the outlet. She ordered the Red Bean Milk Tea and was won over by the taste.

After her memorable experience, we decided to do a market research on ShareTea and we discovered that the brand was in more than one way different from the bubble teas we know.

The bubbletea competition in Singapore is tough. There is Koi, Gong Cha, A-Gan Tea, Artease Café and many brands. How is ShareTea different from other brands then?
For example, ShareTea offers a fresh fruit tea series using fresh fruit juices. The juices are first frozen below 40 degree Celsius before being exported to various countries. They are later defrosted at the outlets prior to use so consumers are assured of authenticity and quality.

Using real fruit juice in bubble teas is uncommon in Singapore’s market as fruit concentrate or syrups are often added as an alternative because it may cost less and is easier to obtain.

ShareTea sells many types of drinks, over 50 items in the menu – the classic Taiwanese bubble tea, Yakult drink, fruit teas, fresh milk and a filling QQ Happy Family Tea with six different toppings all in one cup. What is your personal favourite flavour?
That’s a tough question, the list can get really long! My latest favourite is our Winter Melon Series, specifically Wintermelon Lime and Wintermelon with Sea Salt Crème, which will be launched in the month of July.

Full Post + Details of ShareTea giveaway!

A fan of ShareTea too? The good news is Daniel’s Food Diary is giving away 5 x $20 Sharetea vouchers, and you would be able to try their unique chilled beverages such as Aloha Fruit Tea, Ice Cream Milk Tea, Handmade Taro Fresh Milk and hot milk teas. Yums.

All you need to do is to *likes* the FaceBook pages of Daniel’s Food Diary and Sharetea Singapore

Leave a comment below to say you have done so. Results will be announced next Wed 20 June 2012. Contest winners must be addressees of Singapore to facilitate postage.

Artease, which can mean putting art into tea, has been very popular with office ladies at its first outlet at Tanjong Pagar. The good news is this new shop at Orchard Cineleisure is also a collaboration with a Japanese restaurant, and you can therefore expect food such as bento sets, burgers, rice rolls, salads and munchies. As frequent movie-goers, we feel that Cineleisure just lacks a fast food concept shop like this.

I was recommended the grapefruit green tea with aloe ($4.70) which was indeed refreshing and different, enhanced by the chunky aloe bits. The youths will certainly like the Artease bento sets ($13.90 – $14.90) which consist of a burger, crispy seaweed fries, meat balls, salad and fruits. The chicken burger was a winner compared to the fish. Bubble tea with fries and burger also means an instant trip to the gym.

Full Post at InSing.com -Artease opens at Cineleisure

Artease Café, Orchard Cineleisure, 8 Grange Rd #01-03 Singapore 239695 Tel: +65 6235 6966
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Daily)

Bubble tea fans were so worried momentarily that their favourite drink would be banned. Ever since beverages, jams and jellies manufactured in Taiwan were test for DEHP contamination, bubble tea chains in Singapore are hot on their toes.

Gong Cha 贡茶 has earlier voluntarily stopped selling its fruit-flavoured drinks because the flavoured syrup comes from a Taiwanese supplier. While supplier is not one of those affected, Gong Cha wants to play extra caution. The good news is for fans is that ALL their juices have been tested in Taiwan, and has passed all the required tests.

And yes, this is my first post on Gong Cha. (Don’t ask me why.) Gong Cha was first established in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2006, and has taken Hong Kong, China, Macau and Singapore by storm. It has 15 branches in Singapore and growing. And when I first had it years back at City Square Mall, it had no business. The service staff were bored and just sitting around. Things change.