Fantastea is an authentic bubble tea store on Oxford’s High Street, opposite University College. Its central location makes it convenient for those at surrounding colleges: New, Teddy Hall, Queens, Brasenose, Merton, Univ, and Oriel especially. Fantastea is currently open from 11:30 am to 7:30 pm every day, so there’s always time to go and grab a drink when you fancy a bubble tea.
Before coming to Oxford, I had tried very few bubble teas, so I was subtly surprised at how many shops there were dotted across the city. It can be quite overwhelming to decide on flavour, texture, temperature and added extras when you’re not sure what you will enjoy. In my first year, I frequently went to Bubbleology because it was familiar and I knew exactly what to order. It was the same thing every time – a mango tea with passion fruit boba. Delicious!
It wasn’t until my second year at New College that my friend, Shannon, introduced me to Fantastea. She told me that it was her favourite place to get bubble tea, and also the cheapest she had found. This ticked both boxes: good price and great taste. My first impression was a positive one, the baby-blue storefront was both cute and alluring, so I was excited to go in and try it out. The shop was a lot larger inside than I expected, with enough seating for at least thirty people or more. I typically don’t sit in when grabbing a drink, but there was certainly a welcoming feeling that made you want to stay.
My initial worry was that I wouldn’t be able to find something that I liked. Personally, I am not a big milk fan, so I typically avoid milk teas. I much prefer the fruit tea options – and fortunately, I was not disappointed. There were plenty available including orange, lime, mango, passionfruit, strawberry, etc… These were all flavours that I was excited to see! I would be able to try a variety of drinks and still be able to avoid the dreaded milk.
As a creature of habit, I picked the mango booster. It was the perfect mix of flavourful and refreshing. The mango flavour of this concoction was a lot fresher and traceable than the bubble teas I had tasted in the past. I was thoroughly impressed. I appreciated that the ice was blended into the tea, rather than added afterwards, as it meant that my drink wasn’t gradually weakened in flavour. I’m also quite picky on texture (perhaps controversially I don’t like juice with bits in it!). Fortunately, the mango booster doesn’t have fruit bits until right at the bottom: it is blended well and drinks almost like a slush. This is my go-to drink now when I want a bubble tea.
Recently, Fantastea was taken over by new owners. Upon the exchange of hands, there is always a worry that your favourite spots may change, but I was relieved to find that the drinks tasted better than ever. My friend Megan and I were passing by the High Street and were tempted inside by the autumnal decorations and warming fairy lights. The decor offered a special touch and created a welcoming environment, especially for students. If you’re a bookworm like myself, you’ll be grateful to know that there is a bookshelf that you can scour if you have an hour or two to spare whilst you drink your tea. It is quiet enough to work or read comfortably, but many people do sit inside to socialise or take a break.
On this specific trip, Megan tried a taro milk tea. Taro was something we’d never heard of before, but the aesthetically pleasing purple colour lured her in. Somehow, she managed to match the colour of her drink, nails, and jumper all at once. Taro is a vegetable that is supposedly nutty, but our general opinion was that it tasted like a mix of blueberry and cookies and cream. I took the risk and tried the milk tea *gasp*, and I was somewhat surprised that I did actually like it. However, due to the grainier texture of the drink, I think I would still prefer to go with my classic fruit teas more often than not.
During our trip, Megan pointed out the tidiness of the store, and how cute and quaint they’d made the interior. We recalled a trip we’d made to Fantastea the following year, as part of a Welfare event. About twelve New Collegers had attended the trip, and we were indeed well and truly welfared. I had a passion fruit booster on that trip, which was more of a juice consistency than the mango booster – it was perfect on that hot summer day. On that trip, we all chatted openly and laughed about what had happened in the term. It felt like a great community space; somewhere to talk and relax amongst friends. This is the sort of place I would want to go during a break from my academic work.
In terms of price, it is something I would consider to be an affordable treat. They have 10% off student discount, so make sure you have your BOD card with you! A large mango booster is £4.85 before the discount – a price I will happily pay for how much tea you receive. Most of the drinks range between £3-£5 depending on flavour, size, and extras. In terms of Oxford pricing (which is often rather steep), it is very reasonable. Now that I live two minutes around the corner from Fantastea, I do struggle not to go more than I should… However, if you live further out, I discovered that you can order your drinks on Uber Eats or Deliveroo.
My main issue is that I always experience the dilemma between trying new flavours or sticking with what I know. Maybe in the future, I will branch out from my mango booster… but who knows when and who knows with what?