SUWANEE IS BECOMING THE NEW DULUTH

Suwanee has been talked about as the new hotspot of Gwinnett county when it comes to new cafes and places to study, work or just hang out. Living in Duluth I love the strong competitive atmosphere of cafes and lounge spots. It reminds me of living in Asia where many places compete with new trends and unique atmospheres. I first heard about Pearl’s Tea from a Lan who is more upon the food scene then I am most of the time.

Seeing images and hearing about her experience I wanted to come by and try it for my self. when We first got to Pearls Tea,  we were in love with the atmosphere. The main color you’ll see is a mint or seafoam which is the color of the walls and backdrops. The vintage plaid. seats give a great contrast. The modern wooden floors and weaved chandeliers make it work.

I love that lights along the side that resemble street lamps. To me, if you are going to create a place for people to linger, you need to make sure that you have an inviting enough atmosphere that keeps your guests attention. They did this very well in my book. Similar to ding tea and a few other chains you will see a mural-like the wall of leaves with their catchphrase “Be playful, get a cheekful”.

ORGANIC TEAS

One thing that’s pretty unique about Pearls Tea is that not only is it privately owned and looks very professional but they advertise on the wall towards the entrance that all teas are loose leaf and organic. That said, Pearls Tea takes pride in not using powdered teas in the teas here. that does not mean that they don’t use powdered creamers but at least the tea is steeped daily. If you are getting a tea latte (they have those), you have a choice of almond, whole and skim milk. We couldn’t try everything in one go so here is a breakdown of what we did try. Another thing to note is that the straws they use in the drinks at Pearls Tea are made of bamboo. It’s a bit more durable than the going cardboard type straws and last a bit longer in your drink. I am still a plastic straw fan due to the fact that I tend to drink slowly and not want to end up drinking my straw as it dissolves.

BLACK MILK TEA

The black milk tea was pretty average actually and I believe that it’s because of the nondairy creamer. It was not overly sweet which I love since I don’t like overly sweet bubble teas. that said, you can always choose the sweetness level if you want it sweet or non-sweet. So it’s not bad but not noticeably great. I would say the fact that they brew their organic tea leaves brings them a step above most of the other bubble tea places you’ll try that typically use just powders.

Creme Brule and Cream.

The cream Brule bubble tea was truly unique. It wasn’t just a creme Brule flavor but the top of the milk tea was a creme Brule that you ate with a spoon. They torched the top of the drink so it was a crispy and creamy dessert layered on top of a cream-topped milk tea. I will give double kudos for this idea for sure. If you tend to find yourself at Pearls Tea and unsure of what to order, definitely give this one a try.

Brown Sugar Milk Tea Latte

I am a big fan of brown sugar – anything. That said, I got the brown tea sugar latte for that purpose and also noting that I’ve tried this at many other bubble tea places around so it would be good to compare it. The visual of the drink was pretty killer. They did a good job prepping the cup and doing the pour in a way that the brown sugar was apparent in the cook. Taste-wise, I would say stir it up a bit, the brown sugar is more of syrup then powder and needs to be mixed well after your done taking the amazing shots of the drink. Altogether, the taste was balanced to me. That’s the best I can describe it. It was not too sweet, had a good flavor and not overbearing on the tea side.

All Around Comfy and Modern Tea house

Altogether, after trying a few drinks and loving the atmosphere. I would say Pearls Tea is a cozy and comfy place to hang out and enjoy a good drink. I would scale the drinks here a bit higher than your going bubble tea spot and you can taste the difference in the quality of the drinks here. The atmosphere is very bright and inviting compared to the dim and dark cafes that are popular these days. I would come here more often is it wasn’t so far from my location.