Full Disclosure: I was invited to check out this new restaurant and received free products. However, as usual, the opinions are completely my own and I am not being compensated for this post.
Last week, I was invited to check out a new tea shop in downtown Madison – Steepery Tea Bar. I was contacted by their PR person at pretty short notice. They just opened last Monday, September 24, and the owner was only going to be in town for a few days. Lucky for them, I love tea – and even more than hot tea, I LOVE bubble tea. I’m not sure when exactly I first tried it, but it is hard to find so when I do find somewhere that has it I get pretty excited. Since my schedule is pretty flexible I was able move some things around and visit the shop just a couple of days after it opened.
The shop itself is really cute and cozy. Quite a few chairs and tables to sit at and study, or chat with friends. Their menu is huge. As someone who isn’t super familiar with different types of tea drinks it was a little overwhelming at first. I tend to not like the cream based beverages so I went with the Cooler which is basically just like a slushy – but with tapioca pearls (bubbles). Tapioca pearls are traditional in bubble tea but they had other “bubble” options as well. Since I hadn’t had any other kinds of jellies before, I decided to try some of the strawberry jellies as well.
After talking with the owner a bit, I decided I’d go for a raspberry lemonade flavor. He did warn me that this particular beverage can get really sweet really quickly – since it is just basically flavor syrup and ice – so I took his advice and went for a slightly more sour combination of flavors. (Yes, my bubble tea didn’t have any actual tea in it) I’m glad I took his advice because it was still pretty sweet! Not too sweet for me, but I can definitely see how it can get that way. I’m still a big fan of the beverage and the tapioca pearls, but I probably could have done without the other jellies. I like the traditional tapioca pearls a lot more.
Aside from the cold beverage, they also have hot beverages – including a good selection of loose leaf teas. All of their tea is from fair trade and organic sources. They have a large selection – but it isn’t too overwhelming. As someone who likes tea, but is still fairly new to drinking it and still learning about what the different types and flavors are, there were enough familiar types that it I can find something that I like but there were also interesting flavors that were different from the “usual” selection that some places have.
While I was there I tried Thai Tea. I always see this on restaurant menus – and on tables of patrons that are clearly more experienced Thai food eaters than I am – but I never get up the guts to try it. They let me try just a small sample so that I wouldn’t waste a whole cup if I didn’t like it. So I tried it. I’m not really sure what I was expecting….but it kind of looks like milk, so I guess I thought it might taste like milk? It was sweeter than I thought it would be….it had a bit of a coconut taste to it too. I’m not really sure how to explain the flavor, but it was definitely unique. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t extremely dislike it either. Maybe some time I’ll give it another try!
Overall, this tea shop is very cozy, and I could see myself going there to study if I was still in school – an nice alternative to a coffee shop! All of the staff seemed knowledgeable and friendly. I have a feeling that this is going to be a popular place on campus – everyone coming in to the shop while I was there was very excited to see a shop serving bubble tea!
Taste: A, what I had was delicious, and they definitely have something for everyone!
Cost: A, while I was given my bubble tea for free, it would have been about $4 if I would have paid for it myself. I don’t have much to compare it to, but I’d say that is pretty reasonable!
Would I go there again? Yes! Like I mentioned, there is something for everyone, and there are many different flavor combinations that I would like to try, and I really do love the tapioca pearl bubbles!
Filed under: Restaurant Review Tagged: | Bubble Tea, madison, restaurant review, tea
WHY did this place not exist when I was in college? I would have studied there all the time!
Seriously. When they asked me to come check it out I immediately thought: JULIE!
I wish it was closer to me, it is such a cute place!
[…] Healthy Living Summit activities, and a walk to Steepery Tea Bar with some bloggers. (Yes, that place that recently opened in Madison is based in the Twin Cities.) It was a great, relaxing end to the […]