Croissant waffles (croffles) are on the menu at this Pierce County bubble tea cafe
A bubble tea cafe in Sumner that’s about to celebrate its first anniversary offers a variety of treats, including a croissant and waffle mashup called a “croffle.”
FORESTea at 15127 Main St. E., Unit 102 opened in January. Customers can visit from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The cafe has hot and cold drinks, waffles and a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert called bingsu.
The cheapest item a customer can purchase is a small black milk tea with no toppings for $4.99. The total price will depend on the size of the drink and the number of toppings.
Owner Jonathan Choi said one of their popular drinks is the ube taro milk tea. The cafe also serves smoothies, energy drinks, sparkling sodas and coffee.
Soon the cafe will serve Korean-style waffles. They are similar to American waffles but are thinner and crunchier, he said. It is one of the most popular street foods in Korea, he said.
Choi, 40, said he wanted to open a cafe because he enjoys drinking tea and coffee. He wanted to own a business at some point.
“I could’ve opened in Bellevue or Seattle, but I wanted to bring that into this community,” he said.
FORESTea is different from other bubble tea cafes because their tea goes through an intensive brewing process, making the tea taste better than having just hot water run through it, Choi said. He often goes to tea conventions, he said, and he has taste-tested about 80 different types of tea.
Suggestions from customers are always welcome, he said.
Choi and his wife have been living in Sumner for about eight years. He moved to Washington state when he was 13 years old. He was born in South Korea.
The cafe’s location was previously an employment agency.
This story was originally published December 29, 2023 at 1:06 PM.
