Have you ever tried bubble tea?
You may have heard about this Eastern Asian drink in recent years, with a host of new bubble tea shops popping up across the country.
One of those is Hea, based on Aberdeen’s Castle Street.
This sleekly designed shop is run by owners Ringo Lee and Karen Choy. Their drinks taste as delectable as they look, bringing sweet flavours to the forefront in a whole host of customisable varieties.
From brown sugar bubble teas to tapioca pearls and agar jellies, Karen and Ringo are happy to guide both novices and connoisseurs of bubble tea towards the drink that’s just right for them.
More and more people are catching on to the bubble tea craze as the shop enjoys continued success.
For Ringo, running his shop has been a dream come true.
“It still feels like a dream when I am sitting in the shop,” says Ringo.
“Combining all the emotions and feelings during the journey so far, it’s just been amazing.
“We’re really glad that we decided to start the business and for our many customers who have come in to try our bubble tea.”
Far East to the north-east
Ringo and Karen are both originally from Hong Kong. However, they both met whilst studying at the University of Aberdeen.
“We met on a gathering among Hong Kongese students at Aberdeen University,” says Ringo.
“I had been in the city since 2016 studying computer science and Karen came here in 2018 to study environmental science and ecology.
“We just got along really well together and eventually started dating!”
The vibrant and varied food and drink scene of Hong Kong is what Ringo says he remembers most fondly from home.
Artisan coffee became another of his interests after moving to Aberdeen, but it was only a matter of time before he and Karen spotted a gap in the market for bringing flavours of the Far East to the north-east.
“Back when we first came to Aberdeen, there were no bubble tea shops in the city,” says Ringo.
“Every time we would go out in Hong Kong, we would hold a bubble tea in our hand most of the time, so we really craved it.
“That’s when we started making our own from scratch at home, which was really fun.
“By late 2019, we felt that we’d come up with a satisfying recipe and thought about selling it to others. We saw an opportunity and we went for it.”
Hea
Originally making their bubble teas from home and delivering to customers via online orders, Covid may have posed as a big obstacle early on for Hea, but Ringo and Karen still managed to find success.
By September of last year, the pair had achieved their goal of moving into their own premises, designed and curated by themselves along with Karen’s eye for style, which Ringo is immensely proud of.
“I thought for a while we might be geniuses in interior design and renovation work!” Ringo laughs.
“I remember just sitting on the bench after we’d finished all the renovation works thinking ‘wow, this is beautiful.’”
Looking around the minimalistic, elegantly crafted space, the pair have every right to feel proud of their work.
There’s nothing else in Aberdeen quite like it; the white canvas evokes a contemporary feel, the pebbles lining the front window offer a tranquil retreat from the cold outside while both the plants and art works add dashes of colour and character.
Bubble tea delights
If this isn’t enough to tempt you inside, Hea’s drinks certainly should.
“We usually recommend our customers to try brown sugar bubble tea if they are trying it for the first time,” says Ringo.
“If you’re looking for something more advanced, a golden caramel bubble tea, replacing the tapioca pearls to agar jellies, is a great option.
“We also have matcha lattes that you can add pearls and brown sugar syrup to, or a black sesame latte with plant-based milk and a coffee shot.
“My favourite is our bubble tea latte (which can be vegan by substituting the regular milk with plant-based milk) with jasmine green tea, pearls and herbal jellies.”
If some of these options all sound a bit mind-boggling, don’t worry.
Ringo and Karen guide customers towards making a drink customised and tailored to them, whether it’s hot or cold, sweet or strong.
“More and more people are asking us how they should start with bubble tea,” says Ringo.
“It was originally made in Taiwan as a milk tea with tapioca pearls, but now it’s evolved into much more.
“It first went viral during Covid on TikTok. Now, it’s just like another drink that you will share on social media instead of just a cup of coffee.
“Being able to put imagination into our products is something that we really like.”
What dreams are made of
Light-bite food options like macarons are also currently available at Hea. Ringo and Karen are keen to add more dessert options to their menu as well as tables for more customers to enjoy a sit-in experience.
But for now, the pair are still marvelling at how far they’ve come with their business.
The only way is up for the popularity of bubble tea, it seems. And if that’s the case, then Hea’s journey is still set to become more prosperous yet.
“I would never have thought that we’d have our own bubble tea shop just a few years ago,” says Ringo.
“I was probably expecting to find jobs maybe back in Hong Kong after I graduated and I think Karen was the same as well.
“But since we started Hea and opened our own shop, that’s all changed. This place is better than we could’ve imagined.
“Dreams do come true.”
A round of questions with Ringo Lee of Hea…
Favourite drink at Hea?
Matcha bubble tea, slightly sweet, with extra brown sugar syrup.
Bubble tea or coffee?
Gold caramel bubble tea with extra coffee shot – why not both!
Most unusual drink you’ve ever tried?
Butterfly pea latte, basically coloured milk.
Any secret tips of the drinks trade?
Make drinks that you would like to drink every day without getting bored of it.
Best food and drink pairing?
Korean fried chicken and beer! But for bubble tea, probably some warm soup noodle, preferably Taiwanese stewed beef noodles.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what three drinks would be there with you?
An espresso to wake me up, a brown sugar bubble tea as a starter and a special Taiwanese tea to wash my mouth for another round.
You have to serve your favourite superhero or celebrity a drink. Who is it and what do you serve them?
Maybe James Hoffmann from Youtube. We would like to let him try some special teas from our menu then he can do some taste reviews on them!
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