New bubble tea shop opens, competition brews with Lollicup

A new tea spot recently opened in Gainesville, and business is brewing.

A mixture between a modern lounge and a classic tea room, Kung Fu Tea caters to avid bubble tea drinkers. The tea room opened Dec. 20 at 3102 SW 34th St., offering a lengthy list of black- and green-based teas, coffee and slushies. 

A medium-sized iced tea at Kung Fu is $4, and additional toppings like boba and red beans are an extra 50 cents.  

Owner Amy Lin said she chose to open Florida’s second Kung Fu Tea location in Gainesville for its student population. The other location is in Tampa. Lin said she set the shop’s hours as noon to midnight because she heard UF was “kind of a party school.” 

Kung Fu Tea opened on the same block as Lollicup, another tearoom known for its bubble teas and varied topping flavors. Lollicup also offers Vietnamese-inspired desserts, cake and a colorful assortment of macaroons.

While both shops are known for their tea, Lollicup is a bit smaller and sports a more coffee-shop feel with books and board games for entertainment.

Andrea Tham, a regular at Lollicup, said the Kung Fu Tea buy-one-get-one deals that lasted from Jan. 1 through 5 are what drew her in. Although she liked its modern setup, she said she will probably stick to Lollicup. 

“The setup is very homey,” the 21-year-old UF sociology senior said. “Kung Fu Tea is definitely more modern, but they don’t have board games.” 

Melanie Galvis, on the other hand, has been converted. The 19-year-old saw friends posting about the new spot‘s buy-one-get-one deals and decided to try it out. 

“The ambiance is a lot more relaxing,” the UF political science sophomore said. “It’s very feng shui.”

 

[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 1/13/2015 under the headline “New bubble tea shop opens, competition brews with Lollicup"]