Bubble tea craze hits York Beach with new shop Snow Tea

YORK, Maine — Bubble tea is hitting York Beach in a new way this summer with Snow Tea , a spot specializing in the popular drink, shaved ice cream and other treats.

Snow Tea, one of the newest shops on Railroad Avenue, recently opened its doors with a menu of bubble teas that feature those little balls of sweetness that have grown in popularity in recent years. The shop, which previously was a Thai restaurant, is run by two friends who have dreamed of opening a bubble tea shop for at least 10 years.

“Bring something different to the area,” said Ornthao Vattaso, who opened Snow Tea with her friend Jennifer Jiapong last week.

The two owners met while living and working in Lewiston, Maine. Vattaso, who immigrated from Laos at a young age, moved to Lewiston to help her family run a restaurant. Jiapong, originally from Chicago, had finished school in New York and moved to Lewiston to help her own family run a restaurant.

Today, they both own Thai restaurants, Jiapong in Lewiston and Vattaso in Manchester. Both were looking for something a little less straining.

“It takes a toll on your body,” Jiapong said of restaurant work. “And bubble tea’s easy.”

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What exactly is bubble tea?

Bubble tea, also called boba tea, originated in Taiwan in the late 1980s, according to Food & Wine magazine. Milk tea was already well-known, and shaved ice and tapioca balls, known as “pearls,” were common desserts. The three were combined to create bubble tea.

Vattaso and Jiapong describe the pearls as popping like the candy Gushers, with a much thinner layer containing the sweetness inside. The beverage can be made to order with several choices of tea and bubbles, from standard tapioca balls to popping boba, which has juice inside.

The duo said the drink has seen a rise in popularity in the United States over the years. This year, Starbucks announced they were adding bubble tea-style drinks to their menu. The Starbucks Refresher features raspberry-flavored pearls styled after the traditional tapioca ones.

Vattaso said she first discovered bubble tea in Arizona during a trip for her son’s travel baseball. When she returned home, she told Jiapong they needed to try and bring this to New England.

“I came back, said, ‘They have all of this (bubble tea),’” Vattaso said. “We have to open this shop up. There’s nothing around this area.”

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Snow Tea finds home on Railroad Avenue

Opening a bubble tea place took planning, according to Jiapong, and it was not until last year they stumbled upon the York Beach space.

Jiapong drove to the location during the offseason when little was open and the streets were empty.

The two laugh now at the impression Jiapong’s first visit to York left on her as she told Vattaso she found a nice new place in an “alley.”

“It looked like an alleyway,” Jiapong said apologetically.

“I was like, ‘I’m not sure I want to open in an alley,’” Vattaso said. She recalled the excitement she felt when she finally visited the space with Jiapong on a busier day and saw the downtown section of Short Sands Beach’s potential.

“She drove me here, I was like, ‘Where’s the alley?’” Vattaso said.

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Snow Tea offers more than just bubble tea

The duo opened in the middle of July and have come to love the tourists and neighborhood of businesses.

For those unsure if they will enjoy bubble tea, Jiapong said there are plenty of options.

“The tapioca pearls do turn off a lot of people, the texture,” Jiapong said.

That’s when you get other options like jelly candy, she said, or none at all. The tea is good on its own, they say.

Also, on the menu is shaved ice cream, which is a take on shaved ice.

Jiapong said they plan to stay open this year as long as possible to make up for starting mid-season. She said they hope to be in York for the long haul, having fallen in love with the seaside town.

“It’s such a cute little town,” Jiapong said. “It’s been really welcoming.”

The key to longevity, she said, is consistency and good communication.

“Showing up and doing a good job,” Jiapong said. “Love what you do. Because we love what we do.”

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Bubble tea craze hits York Beach with new shop Snow Tea