QUEENS — A new shop bubbles up in Forest Hills.
O’Tea, serving bubble tea, coffee, fresh juices and Asian baked goods just opened its doors near the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens subway station, on the border of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills.
"It’s right next to the subway station and bus stop where there is always a lot of people,” said owner Daniel Hua, 32, a Fresh Meadows resident, referring to long lines of commuters waiting for the Q46 there every day.
The store, at 118-15 Queens Blvd., near Union Turnpike, replaced a jewelry and watch repair shop that closed a couple of months ago.
Bubble tea, also known as pearl tea, was created in Taiwan in the 1980s and consists of iced tea, milk or creamer and black "pearls" made of tapioca.
O'Tea offers the drink in many flavors, including black tea, taro, caramel, brown sugar and ginger.
They can be combined with different toppings, like tapioca pearls, coconut jelly and red beans, and cost between $2.50 and $3.25, Hua said.
(DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)
The store, which opened last Wednesday, also carries a variety of coffees and hot teas, as well as fresh juices, like “Daily Detox,” made of carrot, apple and lemon ($5) and smoothies, like the "Green Guardian," made with milk, orange juice, cucumber and apple ($4).
“A lot of people in this area like to eat healthy and we want to help them do that,” Hua said.
The shop also offers a number of baked goods, including Asian buns, egg tarts and almond twists.
O'Tea joins several other shops offering teas and coffees at the busy intersection, including Starbucks and North Penguin Coffee and Crepe.
