Chinese bubble tea chain Song Tea opening first Toronto location
Though their first Toronto location may be opening this month, Chinese tea chain Song Tea isn't whistling a happy tune.
Quite the opposite, in fact. The brand is named for "sang culture," the term itself derived from the character for funeral.
While it might seem like an odd way to sell tea, the growing phenomenon as a whole refers to the despair and hopelessness young people feel when facing what can be crushing hardships of everyday life in China.
It’s not surprising that the now wildly popular shop started out as a joke on Weibo (basically Chinese Twitter).
The menu reads like your favourite depressing Twitter account, and customers seem to choose drinks that resonate with them much the same way you'd like a melodramatic Tweet.
Some waited in line for up to six hours for drinks with names like "Life Sucks Like a Weekday," "Oxygen Makes Me Fat," "Achieve Absolutely Nothing" and "Waste of Life" when Song Tea first opened.
The teas themselves shouldn't suck at all, though, with varieties like oolong and dragon fruit frappe made with high-quality ingredients.
Song Tea is opening their first location in Toronto at 550 Highway 7, Richmond Hill. To celebrate, they're giving away a free signature drink to the first 100 people who show up on January 19 and 20.
For the really impatient, a pop-up will take place on January 13 with free drinks and gifts.
