A Yunique approach to tea

By Jack Hayes

Bubble tea. It’s the sweet, colourful, and sometimes addictive drink that is taking over the globe, and now Docklands.

Since opening just over a month ago at The District Docklands’ Market Lane, Yunique Tea has already garnered the title from some customers as the “best bubble tea in Melbourne.”

For owner Harry Lin, the response to his island store, which is the brand’s fourth location in Melbourne, is confirmation the bubble tea craze has well and truly arrived in Docklands.

“We have been open for about one month and, already, the response has been great,” Mr Lin said. “We opened our first bubble tea store in Glen Waverley three years ago and are slowly growing our franchises.”

“All of our drinks are ordered and made on the spot. The black sugar pearls take two hours to prepare. It is a long process, but something that can’t be rushed. For some other brands, preparing the pearls will take half an hour, but here we are unique by taking a bit more time.”

Yunique Tea has four locations across Melbourne, with the other two locations on Swanston St and A’Beckett St, the brand is internationally recognised with more than 300 locations across 15 countries.

Although widely debated, the origins of bubble tea date back to 1980s Taiwan and according to Fortune Business Insights, the global bubble tea market is projected to reach $4.27bn by the end of 2026.

Mr Lin and his team at Yunique Tea have adopted a mainland Chinese method, which uses a mixture and combination of tea, milk, black sugar pearls and fresh fruit.

“We use the best quality black sugar you can find, which is unrefined brown sugar. It is a much healthier option than your typical white or brown sugar,” Mr Lin said.

“We also want to be able to provide a little extra for our customers, not just our range of drinks but also deserts to accompany them like creme brulee and milk puddings.”

“We want Docklanders to come, take a look, find a surprise and try something new.”

Yunique Tea is quickly becoming a staple for many locals craving their bubble tea fix.

According to new Yunique Tea convert and self-confessed connoisseur Lauren Mitchell, of all the bubble tea shops she had visited in Melbourne, Mr Lin and his team made the best.

“I’ve been drinking bubble tea a long time; I love bubble tea, and this is definitely the best place,”

“We come here pretty much every day. Today I’ve gone with watermelon, passionfruit and guava.”

You can visit Yunique Tea at Market Lane everyday between 11am and 7.30pm •

For more information visit, facebook.com/yunique.tea or call 0452 691 698.