Fast forward to our present time - it’s good to note that tea-drinking culture is not lost with the younger generation. In fact, it is thriving especially in Asian countries like Taiwan, Korea, Japan and right here in Malaysia. Since bubble milk tea exploded in popularity (originating from Taiwan) in the 1980s, there was no looking back. Tea chains have popped up everywhere selling different variants of milk tea in Asia and the trend is not slowing down anytime soon.

Now SunnyCha is one of the newest trendy tea chains from Taiwan to launch in Malaysia. There are three SunnyCha outlets opened in recent months at Lot 10, Sunway Pyramid and 1 Utama. SunnyCha takes their tea seriously and only uses the finest real tea leaves and the purest ingredients to create a range of really refreshing Chinese tea, with a modern twist.

Yes, the keyword at SunnyCha is REAL. No artificial additives, colourings, flavourings or preservatives are added to their cha (tea). You can see real tea leaves on display in a row of transparent containers, and also take a whiff of the tea leaves poured into tiny bowls on the countertop as they are preparing your tea. SunnyCha drinks are available in both cold and hot, and they use brown sugar to optimize sweetness.

There is nothing more satisfying than drinking iced cold tea to quench one’s thirst in this hot Malaysian weather, so we opted for all cold drinks. We ordered SunnyCha’s best sellers and signature drinks: Signature TGY Cha Latte with Pumpkin, Matcha Soy Latte, Oolong Cha Latte, and the Elara Signature Sunny Sky with Citrus Honey.

The Signature TGY Cha Latte with Pumpkin is made with the freshest pumpkin mixed with fresh milk and Tie Guan Yin tea leaves, creating a uniquely tantalizing tea that is quite refreshing. The Matcha Soy Latte is sweet pick-me-up for matcha lovers, combining matcha goodness with smooth and creamy soy milk. The Oolong Cha Latte mixes earthy oolong tea with latte; the slight bitterness of the oolong cha lingers in the mouth rather pleasantly in this fragrant tea.

Lastly, if you could only pick one tea, we'd highly recommend you to try the Elara Signature Sunny Sky with Citrus Honey from the Sunny Sky series - infused with Butterfly Pea Flower Cha (also traditionally used in Nasi Kerabu and the Nyonya Pulut Tai Tai). This tea comes in a bottle with hypnotizing hues of electric blue, purple, violet and tangerine. The Elara Sunny Sky is a perfect blend of sweet and sour; it’s refreshingly tangy and soothing to the palate. We’d call it the ultimate thirst quencher!

So if you're shopping in Sunway Pyramid, 1 Utama or Lot 10, you may want to swing by SunnyCha to say hi to their friendly Sunnycharistas and have some real good cha!