Since the bubble tea and pearl milk tea have become so popular all over Taiwan and even spread to the whole world, the competition of the classic shake drinks have turned fierce in Taichung, the origin of the drinks. In the past ten years, chain beverage bars, including Qingxin, 50 Lan, and Kingyo, have expanded quickly throughout Taiwan. Beverage bars are standing at almost every street corner in cities. However, the drinks they provide are quite the same. Ever since Chun Shui Tang sold the first cup of pearl milk tea, the style of these kind of drinks has been settled. It's not until the first Just Tea Shop opened that new flavors began to be infused into the shake drink culture.
Although we don't know which branch store in Taichung is the first one, the Just Tea Shop near Feng Chia University is a must go wherever you visit Fengjia Night Market. The milk-tea based signature drink features mashed Dajia taro, separate grains of small pearls (small chewy tapioca balls, 小珍珠) and sweet red beans with a smooth texture. The fantastic flavor makes everyone savoring the drink keep nodding and thereby gives the drink a nickname "Nodding Milk Tea." With a flavor built up by distinct layers of smooth texture, the drink definitely deserves to be ranked as the top three drinks all around Taiwan. As for other drinks offered at Just Tea Shop? Embarrassed, we have to admit that we haven't sampled any of them because the Nodding Milk Tea is so great that we choose it every time.
