“Life is too short to drink bad tea.” This is the motto for Champaign-Urbana’s new boba tea shop Tenko Tea.

As more and more tea shops open in C-U, deciding which one to visit can be hard. Located at 700 S. Gregory St., Tenko Tea eases the long walk or bus ride to Champaign that many C-U residents might have had to take to satisfy their tea and boba cravings.

With midterms coming up, many of us will be studying late into the night. Being trapped in your dorm or apartment to write an essay or prepare for a test can be challenging. Luckily, Tenko Tea is open until 11 p.m. This shop is a great place to go, whether you need a late-night tea to keep your energy up or you need a place to study at night.

If you are not a huge fan of sweetened tea like I am, Tenko Tea has a plethora of options if you love the taste of tea. I ordered the Jasmine Green Tea with no milk and was delighted by the all-natural tea flavors. They ask if you want your tea hot or cold, how sweet you want it (I chose 25% sweetness) and if you want any toppings. Being a fan of boba myself, I chose to add golden boba for just 75 cents. They also ask you how much ice you want in your drink.

I wanted to try at least one drink from all their categories of tea. I am not a huge fan of milk tea, but I decided to try the oolong milk tea and was surprisingly delighted. Unfortunately, they were out of oat milk before my visit, but even with regular milk, the drink was enjoyable.

If you are a matcha lover, this is the place for you. Tenko Tea has four matcha tea options that all look delicious. I tried an iced Uji Matcha with 75% sweetness, which I can guarantee any matcha fan will enjoy. If you have never tried matcha before, I highly recommend getting your first matcha drink at Tenko Tea.

My favorite menu option, however, has to be their fresh fruit slushes. These were so good that I had to try two. I first tried the orange slush and fell in love with the refreshing, sweet flavors. I then wanted to challenge myself and order a drink I would never try on my own. Even though I love avocado, drinking it in a slush was a little scary to me. However, this was by far my favorite drink I ordered. The Avocado Slush with Cheese is rich, sweet and delicious. I got mine with 50% sweetness, but if you really like sweet drinks, you can get it up to 125% sweetness. If you want to try something out of your comfort zone or if you already love avocado slushes, I highly recommend this drink.

The only downside to Tenko Tea was the decor. If you love going to coffee or tea shops for the aesthetic, this may not be the best place for you. The inside of the store is small and has little place for studying. There are also few decorations hanging on the walls or anywhere else. Despite being incredibly minimalistic, the store is has a great quiet and peaceful study atmosphere.

The best part about Tenko Tea is the fast pickup time. When you order from the website, you can choose to pick up your order at a specific time or in 5-10 minutes. When I ordered, it only took about three minutes for the staff to finish my drink and notify me that it was ready for pick up.

If you want to try a new tea place in the Urbana area, I highly recommend Tenko Tea. Whether you’re already a tea lover or you’re new to tea, this place has something to satisfy everyone.

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