Testing out Surrey Central's new milk tea vending machine
There’s no tea to spill about this fun new addition in the city
The milk tea vending machine at Surrey Central station. (Brylian Marin)
Surrey is bringing the tea to Surrey Central Station, or rather, a vending machine containing milk tea.
People bustling by as they make their way through their commutes can take a second to relax by buying various flavours of milk tea on the go, as well as coffee and specialty drinks in hot and cold options. This is a smart vending machine developed by B.C. equipment manufacturer G&A Robot.
As a milk tea fan, I went to check out the machine to see how it stands up when compared to other milk teas I’ve had.
There were four cold milk tea options available when I went there — brown sugar, mango, matcha, and taro. I chose taro since it’s one of my go-to options for milk tea. Within a minute or two, it was ready to go. A small window then popped open, containing lids, sugar and sweetener packs, cardboard holders, napkins, sip covers, and some drink add-ons.
The taro milk tea had small ice cubes to keep the drink cold. It was really tasty, especially considering the price. During my visit, all the milk tea cost $2.99 before tax. All the drinks cost less than $5, making it a cheap alternative without giving up too much quality, if any.
If there’s anything negative to say about these milk teas, it’s that they don’t have any additional add-ons for them, such as pearls or grass jelly. However, for a drink worth less than $5, I say it’s still worth a try.
Other than that, I would’ve picked a different SkyTrain station to place the vending machine at as I believe there’s better options than Surrey Central. I think it would’ve been cooler at the New Westminster or Joyce-Collingwood stations. If it had to be in the Surrey area, King George would’ve been a better choice than Surrey Central. I’d even argue Scott Road station would’ve made a better option.
That aside, I definitely recommend trying out the vending machine, especially if you’re thirsty and on the go. Also, university is obviously expensive, so having cheap options for food and drinks without sacrificing too much quality is always appreciated.
I would be happy to see more vending machines like this around, offering different options for food and drinks, such as the variety of vending machines in Japan. It’d be even better if they were spread out throughout the Lower Mainland and not just stuck in Surrey.
While it’d be a bit chaotic, I’d personally like to see a vending machine for ready-to-eat ramen or at least cup noodles. I would be interested to try other noodles such as soba and udon, especially if it were from a machine.
While I’ve seen this in Metro Vancouver a few times already, more vending machines with cakes in a jar would be fun to try out. I’d also like to see more flavours of cake such as cookies and cream.
