Kung Fu Tea opened one of their newest franchises in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in March 2023. It is their third in Tennessee. The business offers a healthier version of the global milk tea sensation, bubble tea. Using tea leaves imported from Taiwan, natural juices and lactose-free milk, every cup of their tea is freshly brewed every three hours at the perfect temperature using premium tea leaves. From the beginning, the founding partners, Allen, Michael and Ray, wanted to create a bubble tea franchise in the USA, but also wanted to create a leading tea brand that promotes healthy tea culture.
The partners came up with the idea after returning from Taiwan and bemoaning the average tasting bubble tea they had in New York upon their return. They threw out the idea to their friend, Sean, who owned his own bubble tea business in Taiwan and definitely knew how to make an excellent cup of bubble tea to partner with them. He finally joined in on the idea and in 2010 the first store was opened. There are now more than 200 stores across the United States, as well as outlets in Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Japan and Taiwan.
They offer nine different tea categories: Classics, milk teas, punches, Milk Caps, yogurt teas, slushes, milk strikes; espressos; seasonal brews; and they are always creating new flavors.
Within their nine tea categories, the company offers more than 50 formulations and an opportunity for customers to personalize. Their goal is to introduce Eastern culture into the West, and the development of new products that blend elements of both cultures. Some drinks use natural Lychee, Taro and yam flavors, while others use Oreo and caramel. And they have given into American coffee culture by offering lattes, macchiatos, mochas, and cappuccinos.
Their Milk Caps offer a thick layer of their subtly salty foam, while other drinks are finished off with their toppings. Toppings include red beans, tapioca, pudding, nata jelly, herbal jelly, coffee popping bubbles, grape popping bubbles, aloe jelly, mango popping jelly, caramel coffee jelly, strawberry jelly, lychee crystal bubbles or oolong tea jelly.
Tea punches are blended with pure fruit juices and/or lemonade. Fruit juices include orange juice, grapefruit juice, mango, strawberry, passion fruit and more.
New flavors are always popping up, including their White Grape Slush, Hershey’s S’Mores Slush, Hershey’s S’Mores Coffee Slush and Sesame Slush.
“Kung Fu Tea also has [an awards program] to incentivize and impact more customers by drawing them to a healthier lifestyle promoting tea culture and the demand for real fruit and real juice as opposed to processed fruit and carbonated drinks here in the United States,” says their website.
They want the company to be one that promotes a culture of “young, fresh, innovative and fearless” ideas and strategies that will allow them to continue to expand and impact the globe as a healthy cultural force.
Founded in Queens, New York on April 30, 2010, they’ve become America’s largest bubble tea brand with over 350+ locations around the world.
“As one of the OGs of bubble tea,” says their website, “we maintain uncompromisingly high standards.”
Kung Fu Tea
2441 Old For Parkway, Suite S
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
(615) 617-3001
Hours: Every day from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
