Find your happy place at Emotions n’ Tea

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This article was published 18/08/2022 (1389 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA — For my final food truck review of the summer, I opted to travel further than I ever have for this project, dropping by Neepawa on Wednesday to visit Emotions n’ Tea.

Admittedly, this particular food/beverage truck is hard to miss, since its bright neon paint job is in sharp contrast to the earthy, faded colours that dominate the community’s downtown core.

Walking up to the truck itself, I discovered that Emotions n’ Tea’s menu is similarly colourful and diverse, offering a wide range of bubble tea flavours and add-ons that was a little overwhelming at first.

The owner of the truck later told me that taro, Nutella and brown sugar are some of her more popular flavours, although variations like avocado, salted caramel and matcha also caught my eye.

Having never indulged in this Taiwanese beverage before (which features a mix of tea, milk and fruit), I eventually ordered what I thought was a safe option in watermelon and French vanilla bubble tea, with some strawberry and lychee jelly as add-ons, respectively.

It must be said that the food truck’s owner was very helpful in guiding me through these uncharted waters, wisely pointing out that my original choice to combine the French vanilla tea and Oreo add-ons would be far too sweet.

After a couple of minutes, my two drinks (which cost $8.89 each) were ready to go, being served in some of the nicest packaging I’ve encountered since I started writing for this latest version of the Brandon Sun Food Truck Review in June.

With little time to spare before my deadline, I decided to sample these two drinks as I drove back to Brandon, letting the flavours wash over me as I sped down the Yellowhead Highway.

Despite the food truck’s bold presentation, I was pleased to find out that the drinks themselves weren’t excessively sugary in their taste or heavy in their consistency, which worked wonders for a first-timer like me.

Even though I felt guilty about not ordering the classic tapioca balls as an add-on, since this specific topping is way more closely associated with bubble tea, I feel like the lychee and strawberry-flavoured jelly was a nice substitute.

Not only did these rectangular strips mostly pass through the extra-sized boba straw with ease, but the jelly also adopted the perfect kind of texture that managed to be chewy without sticking in my teeth like an old gummy bear.

However, I do think Emotions n’ Tea went a little heavy on the toppings this time, with my straw getting clogged a few times due to the sheer amount of jelly strips that were sitting at the bottom of each cup.

But that little speed bump didn’t come anywhere close to ruining my encounter with this food/beverage truck, which managed to cultivate an overall pleasant on-the-go dining experience through its vibrant colours, sharp customer service and tasty end product.

Because of this, I’m very curious to see where Emotions n’ Tea is headed into the future, especially since the business just arrived on the scene last summer and is already garnering a lot of traction.

But for my own selfish purposes, I’m just happy that I got to close out this summer’s Brandon Sun Food Truck Review on a high note, with this double shot of bubble tea leaving me more optimistic than ever about the mobile culinary industry in Westman.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

Emotions n’ Tea doesn’t have a set schedule right now, although the owner usually provides updates on the business’ official Facebook page.

However, Emotions n’ Tea is planning to attend Brandon’s upcoming “Food Truck Warz” event, which is taking place at the Keystone Centre Sept. 15-18 and will reportedly feature 26 different businesses.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson