The Alley is introducing a new line of drinks with a healthier twist. I’m a huge fan of the bubble tea from The Alley so I was very excited to see this new series. We all know how unhealthy bubble tea can be, so The Alley has developed a new series that features Greek yogurt and purple rice! The Alley yogurt drink has four variations available: Original, Peach Oolong, Matcha and Create Your Own. These drinks are now available at The Alley Vancouver and in The Alley Richmond.
I had the opportunity to try the Original, Matcha and Peach Oolong flavours recently. This is my first time trying a yogurt based drink from a bubble tea shop (it seems to be a new trend!) and I would warn that this series may not be for everyone.
The Matcha Purple Rice Yogurt drink has three distinct layers – matcha, ice blended Greek yogurt and purple rice. The matcha flavour is strong, but the sourness of the yogurt is definitely the dominant flavour. When mixed together the bitterness of the matcha balances well with the yogurt. The drink is not particularly thick, think liquid yogurt tubes from when you were a kid. The purple rice was definitely my favourite component. It had the perfect chewy texture and the right amount of sweetness.
The Peach Oolong Purple Rice Yogurt drink is made from Peach Oolong tea, Greek Yogurt and purple rice as the base. The peach flavour is very light and slightly floral. As with the Matcha drink, the purple rice texture was perfect. This drink is not as aesthetic as the Matcha one, and the flavours overall were quite faint.
The Original Purple Rice Yogurt is the baseline drink and it features Greek yogurt and purple rice. This drink felt incredibly healthy and I felt so virtuous drinking it. The Greek yogurt is pretty sour, so if you’re used to sweeter yogurts this drink might not be for you. This drink does grow on you though, but make sure you mix it well so the purple rice is well incorporated throughout.
Overall I did enjoy the drinks as they definitely tasted healthier than your average bubble tea. However, I don’t think these will be replacing my bubble tea any time soon. My favourite part of the drinks was definitely the purple rice. It was a nice alternative to pearls and it did offer a nice chewy texture. If you are a fan of yogurt, you definitely don’t want to miss this new series from The Alley.
