A long time ago, I heard that Gong Cha was well-known in the international market. In recent years, after foreign investments, it has completely transformed into a foreign company and has returned to Taiwan to open new locations. This particular store has only been open for about a month.

But how does it taste? Can foreign businesses really understand hand-shaken drinks? After all, in the fiercely competitive domestic market, there are very few supporters of Gong Cha.

I ordered a Pearl Red Tea Latte (medium cup, one part sugar, slightly ice). The pearls are medium-sized and chewy with a sweet taste, which is acceptable. The tea flavor is on the refreshing side and may be due to the less fermented red tea, lacking any special tea aroma. The milk flavor is light, merely creating a uniform texture, without being rich.

For foreigners trying hand-shaken drinks for the first time, this might be a relatively safe choice. However, compared to other distinctly characteristic mainstream hand-shaken drink brands in the country, Gong Cha does lack sufficient competitiveness, even if we only consider the pearls or the red tea latte.