Purple pastel taro slush, a popular bubble tea blend made from the Southeast Asian root vegetable, is a nutty, vanilla-flavored refreshment served at Denver's Tea Street.
It's one of the popular offerings of shop owners and siblings Victoria and Patrick Lam.
Seated around a syrup brown traditional tea ceremony table brought in from Taiwan, the duo reflect on five years of their bubble tea business.
"I am most proud that we have built a community here," Patrick said.
Denver's bubble tea row has popped up along Colorado Boulevard, a busy and often chaotic roadway hugging neighborhoods like Belcaro and University Park and home to eight businesses carrying the popular tea-based drinks on their menus.
Tea Street Denver is set to open its second location in Parker this spring, expanding its reach and building on the vision that the Lam siblings sought out to do when they first opened their shop in 2019.
Pulling from their experiences abroad and at home as third-culture Asian Americans, the duo have carefully curated a space and a menu that celebrates the intersection of their ethnic identities.
"I could literally walk outside of my dorm room and there were five mom-and-pop bao and tea places within a block of each other," Victoria said, reflecting on her study abroad experience in Taiwan. "I had this yearning to learn more about who I am and who we are as a family."
"[Bubble tea] is a means for us to connect with our heritage," Patrick said. "I've learned that I am very much, so Asian American."
The two have amassed a crowd of regular customers, primarily millennials stopping by for an early morning, post-meal, savory boba beverage.
Tea Street joined a growing list of boba neighbors along the street just before the pandemic.
An alum of the University of Denver, Victoria frequently visited Lollicup Denver down the street with a group of friends.
"It makes me feel like there's more Asians," said Venice Yuan, founder and owner of Lollicup Denver.
First opening the shop in 2003, Yuan was one of the first bubble tea owners along this strip of Denver. Dishing out popular holiday-themed drinks, Lollicup has been a hub for nearby college, high school and middle school students. Immigrating from China to Korea and then to Denver, Yuan has seen more and more competing shops along Colorado Boulevard over the years.
"It's fun but it's also very challenging," Yuan said.
Ding Tea is a global bubble tea franchise originally founded in 2004 with two locations in Colorado, one in Fort Collins and another in Denver. Owner Cindy Nguyen opened the Denver branch in July 2019 and has seen just how much the city has grown, particularly its interest in boba.
"When you crave boba it's almost every corner now," Nguyen said. "Kids want to spend time with their family, go to the movies, go to a boba shop. It's just like a spot to hang out." Tea Street Parker will offer the same offerings and drinks, with an added focus on dumplings. Guests will be able to look into a dumpling showroom and watch a dumpling machine make about 1,000 dumplings an hour.
Victoria and Patrick are excited to take their vision to other parts of the state, too.
"It's our chance to take what we've done here, what we've learned here and take it to the next level," Patrick said.
Here's a list of bubble tea shops along Colorado Boulevard you can check out:
Gong Cha - Glendale
Location: 760 S. Colorado Blvd.
Store Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Boba & Crepes
Location: 4085 E. Mississippi Ave.
Store Hours: Noon-7 p.m. (Sunday), 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (Tuesday-Thursday), 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
Tea Street Denver
Location: 4090 E. Mississippi Ave.
Store Hours: Noon-8 p.m. (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday), Noon-9 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
Mango Mango Desserts
Location: 1144 S. Colorado Blvd.
Store Hours: Noon-9 p.m. (Monday-Thursday), Noon-11 p.m. (Friday-Sunday)
Yomie's Rice x Yogurt Denver
Location: 1350 S. Colorado Blvd.
Store Hours: Noon-9 p.m. (Sunday), 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (Monday-Thursday), 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Friday), Noon-10 p.m. (Saturday)
Lollicup Denver
Location: 1589 S. Colorado Blvd.
Store Hours: Noon-8 p.m. (Sunday), 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (Monday-Thursday), 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
Ding Tea Denver
Location: 1699 S. Colorado Blvd.
Store Hours: Noon-9 p.m. (Sunday-Thursday), Noon-10 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
TBAAR
Location: 3970 Buchtel Blvd.
Store Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (Monday-Thursday), 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (Friday-Sunday)
