Teabrary’s name is a portmanteau of ‘tea’ and ‘library’. “Initially, we came up with the name Teaory. It [combines the words] ‘tea’ and ‘theory’. But it’s hard to pronounce, and tea theory is related to research and [being in a] library, so we decided to go with Teabrary instead,” Vivian tells us. The tea lover also decided to open a tea shop ’cos “Singapore is a hot, summery country, so it makes sense to sell [tea] drinks here.”

The shop space is mainly for takeaways (though there are three counter seats), and is decked out in shades of sky blue. There are some 40 drinks on the menu. A second outlet at Fook Hai Building is opening next week. “It’s an express outlet, so it will have around 20 drinks, instead of the 40 over drinks here,” says Vivian. She is also planning to open a Teabrary flagship store “in the town area” sometime next year. “It will have desserts like chiffon cakes. I’m in talks with a local bakery to supply cakes made with our tea,” she says.

Teabrary sells mainly a large selection of affordably-priced tea-based beverages (you can top up 60 cents for tapioca pearls). The tea leaves used come from a Taiwanese tea plantation that supplies Teabrary exclusively. The Cold-Brew Tea Series and Artisanal Crafted Dessert Tea Series with house-made pudding and jelly are served in stylish, reusable plastic bottles. 

Vivian jokes: “I’m always scolded when I step into the kitchen ’cos I don’t know much about how it works!" But she gamely agrees to an impromptu request to make a bottle of Milk Tea with Pudding for us, and she’s pretty pro at it too. Turns out, she had attended classes on tea-brewing and making Teabrary’s drinks at its Taiwan HQ. “I sampled thousands of cups for R&D till my stomach hurt,” she laughs. “I have been coming down to the [Singapore] shop to help with the operations after my filming. I do washing up, and I have mopped the floor. We’re busier since we just opened, but I was shocked by the queue on our soft opening day on Monday.”

One of the more unusual drinks that Teabrary serves is Sicily Iced Lemon Coffee ($4), which is basically lemonade spiked with two shots of espresso. It’s practically unheard of in our part of the world, but is apparently a traditional favourite known as Caffè Romano that’s typically served homemade in Italian households. The piquant lemon flavour is said to perk up the espresso and balance its natural bitterness.

“One of the members on our R&D team tried this drink in Italy and suggested offering it. Initially all of us said, ‘Are you crazy? Lemon is so sour and coffee is so bitter, how can they go together?!’” recalls Vivian. “But we tweaked the recipe until we got it right.” Due to the tricky combination, you can’t customise the sugar level for this drink. We have not tried the Italian original, but this version is a unique combo of bitter and sour that's definitely an acquired taste.

‘Chessiato’ is Teabrary’s range of cheese foam-topped drinks. This pretty cup comes with house-made strawberry jelly and milky green tea with strawberry pulp, all topped with a layer of savoury cheese foam made with “four cheeses” including cheddar. Refreshing, and the melange of textures and flavours make this drink fun to sip on.

Vivian’s personal favourite is this elegant bottle of cold-brewed Taiwanese oolong tea (the tea leaves are known as Taiwan Tea No. 12). “Look at how the tea leaves unfurl whole. That’s the sign of good tea leaves,” she points out to us. The tea is indeed delicately fragrant with a whiff of jasmine. Order this if you prefer non-sugary brewed tea. And for under $4, you also get a sturdy recyclable water bottle. Not bad lah.

This milk tea that Vivian made comes in a bottle shaped like a whisky flask, so you can savour it at your own pace. The milky assam tea is smooth and robust enough, though we had trouble hoovering up the silky house-made custard pudding at the bottom of the bottle. Tip: use the large bubble tea straw for this drink instead of the usual slim straw.

According to Vivian, most of the drinks at Teabrary are “natural and healthy”. But there’s still the ubiquitous (and relatively less healthy) brown sugar pearl milk on the menu. “This drink is trendy now, and we’ll fall behind if we don’t have it,” she explains. Other than Meiji 4.3 Deluxe fresh milk (which Tiger Sugar also uses), the brown sugar syrup in our cup is also intensely caramelly. If you plan to enjoy this drink only once in a while, Teabrary’s version is worth the calorie splurge.

Bottom line
Vivian Lai’s Teabrary already stands out in a sea of bubble tea shops due to its celebrity boss (we spotted customers eagerly asking for photos with her during our visit). The fact that its drinks happen to be yummier than most of its rivals’ makes it worth a visit.

Teabrary is at #B1-12 Esplanade Xchange, 1 Raffles Blvd, S039593. Open daily 10am-8.30pm. www.facebook.com/pg/Teabrary.Official.

PHOTOS: ALVIN TEO