Cait's Plate: Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea

It's a sunny day and the air is cool and crisp when I stumble upon Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea, a quaint little tea shop nestled in the heart of Stamford's downtown center.

The setting is well-lit and it's a weekday, so it's very quiet.

A vintage 70s-looking deck of UNO cards sits on a yellow table, creating a warm inviting touch.

I look at the menu that hangs on the wall.

should I get a tea, milk tea, brown sugar pearl tea, or winter special?

After pondering between a fruity one and one that's coffee-based, I decide to go with one that a friend recommended to me: the brown sugar pearl with coffee.

I order it with light ice as I do with most drinks to enable me to get more of the product.

If there's one thing I remember from chemistry class, it's mass over volume.

I watch as the server begins to prepare it for me.

Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea is located at 215 Main Street.

According to the website, the story behind this chain all started with a pineapple and, of course, love.

Founder Kei Tzu-kai's grandfather worked long hours under the scorching hot sun on their pineapple farm in the mid 1900s.

Concerned about his health, Yi Fang, Kei Tzu-kai's grandmother, "gave over-ripened pineapples a new purpose," cooking the homemade pineapple jam used in the refreshing drinks she made her husband and the fruit tea served today.

Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea uses only natural and organic cane sugar and fruits.

I take another look at the cards on the table and am tempted to play a game, but lack enough players for a fun-filled time.

Within close proximity to the University of Connecticut, this is a spot where students sprawl in for a study break and some quick Taiwanese street food and drinks.

The server calls my name and I thank her as she hands me the lukewarm-bottom tea.

A woman holds a brown sugar pearl with coffee tea from Yi Fang Fruit Tea.

Prior to mixing it, I admire the different layers of brown and tan, which matches the aesthetic of an Autumn drink.

I take a sip.

I find that the brown sugar balances out the coffee so it isn't overwhelmingly bitter.

It has a nice texture that's slightly thick with an almost creamy sensation.

The pearls were shriveled and small, but overall the presentation and taste make up for it.

Comments

Reading Diaries #2: On The Contrary to Freedom Nov 2024: 'Love in the Time of Cholera'

photo credit: Cait Malilay Nov. 2024 (from the unpublished drafts) "Love in the Time of Cholera." I've had this book for about 4 years now. It was sitting on my shelf unread until last Spring. I annotated the heck out of it, yet I still have yet to complete it. Here I find myself, over a year later, and still haven't returned to it. After a little over 200 pages in, I stopped because, well, I felt that the plot was just moving way too slow and the story was getting a little too repetitive. In sum, it's basically about a guy named Florentino Aziza, who is a hopeless romantic that becomes intoxicated by the beauty of Fermina Daza. He was only 18 years old. He becomes so obsessed with her, follows her, and despite her choosing a far wealthier man who is a doctor over him, he reserves her heart for her over a span of 50 years. However, that isn't to say that he hadn't had his fair share of love affairs (622 to be precise). The first time I heard about "Lo...

Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton discusses policy agendas with WBNY and The Record

photo credit: Cait Malilay In collaboration with WBNY , The Record met with Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton on Oct. 17 at her campaign office to discuss her policy agendas. In the last half decade, Walton was involved in several advocacy groups, but the turning point that inspired her to run for mayor was during the pandemic when she was working as Executive Director for the Fruit Belt Community Land Trust. She couldn’t believe the phone calls she was receiving from the Fruit Belt neighborhood. Community members were reaching out saying that they were struggling with food insecurity and had no running water during the public health crisis. What also sparked Walton’s interest in running for mayor was witnessing the young generation calling for leaders to handle police misconduct during the Black Lives Matter protests. Referring to the incident involving two Buffalo police officers who shoved a 75-year-old man during a George Floyd protest, Walton said that she felt incumbent May...

Recap of 'Conversations With Cait' episode 1: Kayla King on writing, editing and 'The Elpis Pages'

"Conversations With Cait," a new podcast that centers on the arts, culture and race and gender politics, is set to air on 91.3 WBNY-FM on Monday at 7:30 a.m. Don't have time to tune in? "Conversations With Cait" is now available on YouTube and SoundCloud . Here's a recap of episode one. For the first episode, published fiction and poetry author Kayla King shared with listeners her journey as a writer and more about her two collectives, “Pages Penned In Pandemic,” and “The Elpis Pages,” both of which are collections of poetry, short stories, flash fiction, essays and more. All proceeds from “The Elpis Pages,” according to King, will be donated to Planned Parenthood Action Fund , an organization which helps protect access to safe, legal abortion and reproductive rights. What's the story behind these two collectives? For “Pages Penned in Pandemic,” she began a featured interview series in summer 2020. photo credit: Golden Rose Creative “I was really...

Type Away Cait

Search This Blog