ChaHalo on the left and Cha Redefine on the right. Photo: Shafaq Patel/Axios
👋 Shafaq here! Last weekend at Dun Huang Plaza, I stumbled across two tea shop grand openings: Chahalo and Cha Redefine.
State of tea: Asiatown already has no shortage of boba shops — especially in this popular plaza — but of course, I had to taste the newcomers.
On the scene: People were lined up outside at both shops to check out the new offerings.
🫖 My experience: Chahalo has been a highly anticipated Chinese tea brand that offers handmade boba, so my expectations were high. I tried their jasmine milk tea and osmanthus tea (each $6.49), two of their most recommended drinks.
The jasmine had a great tea flavor but was quite sweet, even at 75% sugar. It wasn't bitter or overly floral, and the creamy finish made it approachable for those hesitant about astringent jasmine teas.
The osmanthus tea was fruity and floral with an almost peach-like flavor. It was also on the sweeter side at 75%, but refreshing.
🥠Cha Redefine surprised me. I ordered the signature mango mango drink ($7.95) because…hello, summer.
The shop is known for its matcha, but don't overlook the fruit drinks. At least during opening weekend, they were using delicious mangoes.
It was packed with fresh mango chunks, agar boba, and jelly, making every sip a fun textural experience. Sweet at 50% but well worth it.
The bottom line: There's a tea shop for every kind of drinker at Dun Huang.
