Founded in Taiwan in 2006, Gong Cha was one of the first main bubble tea shops in Melbourne alongside the likes of Bubble Cup, EasyWay, Chatime and CoCo, and is one of the most commonly found franchises. Their menu is broken up into categories like signature, brewed tea, health tea, milk tea, creative mix, yoghurt series and smoothie series, and it’s this variety, coupled with reasonable prices, quality, consistency and various locations that makes them many people’s first choice. They’re the great all-rounder.
Gong Cha’s most popular drink is one of their signature teas, Milk Foam Green Tea. The green tea is medium strength, making it very accessible to most palates, and the milk foam sits atop the tea and adds a touch of creamy sweetness. You can keep the milk foam separate or mix it in. It’s refreshing on a hot day and good as is, but add pleasantly chewy black pearls, white pearls with a firm jelly-like texture, or herbal ai-yu (fig) jelly.
If you love a loyalty card, Gong Cha has a digital one you can keep in your phone’s wallet app. You’ll find Gong Cha scattered throughout the CBD (often next to a Hot Star Large Fried Chicken stall – try the fried mushrooms!), as well as in Springvale, Chadstone, Footscray, St Albans and Richmond.