This Luxe Melbourne Bubble Tea Chain Is Opening Two Sydney Stores in 2019

Melbourne's bubble tea franchise Gotcha Fresh Tea is rapidly expanding. Having opened its fifth Melbourne store just last month, the chain now has its sights set on Sydney, with plans to open two new stores here this year.

Its first NSW store is slated to open on China Town's Dixon Street in late April, with the second store near Broadway's UTS campus aiming for a late-May opening. While no more NSW spots are confirmed just yet, take a peek at the website and you'll see that stores for Burwood, Chatswood, Parramatta and Strathfield could also be on the cards.

Gotcha stands out from the pack thanks to its teas, which are all exclusively grown and hand-picked on the Gotcha plantation in Taiwan — the country where bubble tea originated, mind you. The extensive menu goes deeper than your average bubble tea shop, too. Milk teas come in red bean, bamboo charcoal, taro and durian flavours. Fruit teas come with sliced fresh fruit, including lychee, passionfruit, cumquat and mango. They all range from $5.20–18.

There are also teas available with cheese, salted egg or tiramisu foams; a range of 'healthy' collagen teas in bamboo, aloe vera and mulberry flavours; and a menu of macchiatos, lattes, health teas and smoothies to choose from. Of course, you can add pearls and jelly to any and all flavour combinations.

Gotcha's expansion is no where near slowing, either, with over 15 stores slated to open in 2019. Five additional stores across Victoria are currently in the works, as well as many more around the country.

Images: Gotcha Tea, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.