EasyWay Tea, Sydney

Think Chinese tea and you're likely to conjure up images of traditional tea pots, small porcelain cups and black or green tea.  EasyWay is trying to make tea hip, fun and contemporary.  The brand started in Taiwan almost 20 years ago and EasyWay is probably best known for introducing Australia to 'bubble tea' - pearl bubbles are those black, gluggy buggers lurking at the bottom of the cup.

I was invited by the Kat, Marketing Manager of EasyWay, a friend and sometimes contributor to noodlies, to sample some of their flavours at the George St EasyWay branch.

The first flavour I chose was their milk pearl bubble tea because it's their one of their original and still the most popular one.  I haven't had EasyWay for a while and really was very surprised, the tea taste is there but subtle and the pearl bubble (the dark bits at the bottom of the cup), far from being gimmicky, really does give the tea a lift by giving it an unusual edge.

Next on my list was the Osmanthus Fragrans tea, part of their new floral series (above).  Apparently Osmanthus is a white flower from China that is good for the skin, a cup a day is said to enhance skin tone and colour.  Instead of the bubble, I chose pieces of aloe vera... my skin better look good after this!  Watch the video below for my taste test.



Admittedly it was a hot day, but this flavour, I found to be really very refreshing.. and maybe it's the clear colouring but it feels like it's healthy and fresh.

Next was roselle, a species of hibiscus also known as rosella is rich in vitamin C.  According to EasyWay, in addition to promoting healthy skin, it also helps to promote weight loss and assist with circulation problems.  I ordered the blended ice version.  I couldn't say I tasted the roselle, but the crushed ice and clean tea taste did a good job of quenching my thirst.

To finish off, I tried the herbal jelly dessert. It reminded me so much of one of my favourite Vietnamese desserts of this jelly in syrup.  This was basically the deluxe version that and included pearl bubbles, nuts, lotus seeds and beans.  The description sounds odd, but the whole thing works incredibly well, the seeds and nuts give texture and contrast to the jelly and the syrup bind them together.  Somehow this dessert managed to satisfy as well as make me feel like it's a healthy, non fattening alternative.

Once upon a time, bubble tea was for Chinese only, but I'm seeing a  change.  During the taste test on a warm Sunday afternoon, EasyWay customers were from a wide variety of backgrounds, which should be good news for EasyWay.

This noodlies Sydney food blog experience was courtesy of EasyWay.



EasyWay
694-696 George St, Sydney
(Opposite World Square)
02 9281 7003