Boba Beyond the Cup

Entrance of Ding Tea

 The bell above the door jingles as you step foot into Ding Tea. Sparkly fairy lights fill the whole store illuminating the room. The white hue of the lights reflect across the mint green walls. Walking towards the front counter, the back lime green wall stands out. Immediately, you encounter smiling employees excited to take your order. One steps forward, dressed in a long sleeve brown striped shirt with light jean overalls and a huge silver statement necklace. Her luxurious brown hair slicked back into a high ponytail, leaves her huge hoops to stand out. She stands ready to ensure your boba tea matches your exact liking. Ding Tea located in the heart of Bloomsburg thrives to create a fun, new, exciting environment for college students to hang out and try boba tea. 

The smell of caffeine and fruit tea overloads your nostrils. The clanks and whistles of the coffee and tea machines competes with the blasting of pop music. Many options of what to do when you walk into the store awaits you. Board games sit on a decorative arch. Two vending machines lit up by colorful LEDs, holding rubber ducks and squishies, pop in the corner. You have unlimited seating options at Ding tea. From green and white plastic chairs, to stools at the counter, all the way to a swinging bench, there's an option for everyone.

Wall decal of the boba making process

When talking with the owner of Ding Tea, Ai (a), she described her reasoning for opening the store, “opening a coffee and tea shop was always a dream of mine. I'm Vietnamese, I was born and raised in Vietnam. Boba tea is something with my family. I grew up around them(boba shops). When I came to US I was so sad when nobody knows about boba tea.” Her usual perky face toned down as she reminisced. It perked right back up and her red lipstick become brighter than Rudolph's nose when she asked herself, “What is something that I want to provide for the community? When I came to Bloomsburg I noticed that there was nothing around here for student. There are a lot of bars here but like nothing for anyone under 21. So we were like, ok let's open something for like people under 21.” A boba shop serves as both something good to provide for the community and something for those under 21. 

“Making drinks is really fun!” exclaims Ai. They have lots of stuff on the menu. They like to make a lot of new drinks, whatever the customer want, they basically can make it. Ai states, “If someone comes in and is like oh I want a Nutella drink, we can make it for you. We can mix and match all the flavors and we can make it customized your drink.” With their huge menu set up, Ai tells the truth. The tv menu hangs brightly on the wall displaying the options of drinks. You can choose from milk tea, fruit milk tea, Yakult, yogurt, coffee slush, milk tea slush, fruit smoothie, yakukt slush, fruit tea, coffee, hot drinks, lemonades, lattes, and matcha.

The way Ding Tea creates their boba makes them stand out in Bloomsburg. Ai illustrated, “Our boba takes a very long time to cook. It usually takes like an hour and a half. It's not like normal boba. That is why our boba is a little bit different from like everyone else's. We put a lot of work in it.” Her testament seems to ring true as one customer, James, states, “I got the signature boba tea. It tastes pretty good. I would come here again with friends.” James has the biggest smile as he talks in a slow, deep, dragging voice. Ai continues to praise Ding tea, “The best thing in here is that you can customize your drink. Some people like boba, some people don't. You don't have to put the boba. You don't have to. The best boba is the one that you can customize.” If that is not the most perfect slogan for Ding tea, I don’t know what is. 

Brown sugar boba and original

Ding tea has lots of regulars. Ai joyfully talks with her hands, “When they just come we know what they want to drink and we already make it.” In her blue and white striped dress on, you can tell she cares deeply for her employees. Her long black hair gathers in a bow claw clip, while bright red lipstick accentuates her huge smile. One story stood out, “There was one customer where she always came and had the same drink. One day she opens the door and we already make her drink. When she came to the counter she ordered a different drink,” Ai giggles, “and we were all like you changed today, why you change it! You've been drinking that for like four years. She was like oh I'm just trying to try something different,” she finishes with a smirk. 

The decorations fill the walls ranging from decals of boba making, to greenery walls, and all the LED lights imaginable. Ai wanted to create a more youthful, bright environment. She informed, “I try to make spaces for them (college students) to come and hangout with their friends. We have board games in here. People can come here and have fun with their friends. The families like to come here and have fun together also.”  This becomes obvious because of the mix of customers that come into Ding Tea. Ranging from families, moms with daughters, moms with sons, college students, and groups of friends. Everyone feels welcome.

Ultimately, Ding Tea serves as far more than just a boba shop. By establishing itself in the heart of Bloomsburg, it successfully builds an inviting, vibrant, and social environment.