Taste Sensations: Shaved Ice, Bubble Tea from Snowflakes Shavery in
Sharon, Mass.
Article and photos by Eric Hurwitz. Story originally appeared in Sharon
Advocate, Sharon, Mass.
Chocolate peppermint shaved ice from Snowflakes Shavery.
Snowflakes Shavery in Sharon, Mass., goes against all
local food destination conventions, offering a selection of drinks,
sweets and snacks that would be impossible to find under one roof
anywhere else.
Alex Zhang, owner of Snowflakes Shavery, features two signature
offerings: shaved snow and bubble tea. With shaved snow, Zhang
takes a block of flavor-infused ice and shaves it down through a
machine that produces snow with a texture that is light and smooth, and
a creamy taste that is closer to ice cream than traditional Italian
ices. Good news, however, for those with New Year’s resolutions: shaved
ice has fewer calories and lower sugar content than ice cream, and the
flavors are gluten and nut free.
Zhang loves shaved ice so much that he left a job in the finance field
to pursue a passion in opening up a store selling shaved snow.
“I was in the finance field and was not satisfied with what I was
doing,” said
Zhang, 40, who is a Sharon resident and Boston University School
graduate with a degree in management. “A few years back, I went to
California with some friends and was introduced to shaved snow and fell
in love with it. After leaving the company, I was looking for something
I wanted to do, and figured there’s nothing like this around here.
That’s how it started.”
Alex Zhang uses sophisticated machinery to create shaved ice.
Putting the final touches on vanilla shaved ice with tapioca
pearl bubbles and... chocolate drizzle on the way!
Snowflakes Shavery features several different shaved ice flavors
including green tea, mango, strawberry coconut, pina colada,
peppermint, chocolate, vanilla bean, coffee tiramisu, taro (a root
vegetable), black sesame and chocolate.
The fun does not end, however, at choosing a shaved snow flavor. The
second step involves picking a topping such as Oreo, Gummy Bears,
rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, red bean, or any of the chewy
bubbles offered in bubble tea. A third step
allows customers to choose a “drizzle”: condensed milk, caramel,
chocolate or strawberry.
“It is similar to going out for frozen yogurt, except I think this
tastes better,” said Zhang.
While shaved snow is a rarity in the Boston area, bubble tea is part of
a growing trend and can be found at places in Cambridge, Boston and
Quincy. A Taiwanese tea-based drink served cold, bubble tea is made by
taking a flavored tea, mixing in cream and then shaking it up. Zhang
cooks flavored jelly-like bubbles for up to 90 minutes each day and
they become the center of attention in the mix, prominently forming at
the bottom of the drink. The bubbles can be consumed with the tea
through a large straw.
Snowflakes Shavery offers several different bubble tea flavors
including milk tea, green tea, Thai tea, mango, coconut, strawberry,
blueberry, watermelon, honeydew, lychee, taro, red bean, almond,
vanilla, sesame and chocolate. Bubble options include tapioca boba
pearl, yogurt boba pearl, strawberry boba pop, mango boba pop, lychee
boba pop, strawberry jelly, mango jelly, rainbow jelly, coffee jelly,
herbal jelly and red bean.
You see more of bubble tea in Chinatown,” said Zhang. “Around
here (southwest of Boston), I am not so sure. I haven’t seen it
anywhere, but I know that it has really caught on in the East Coast.”
Besides shaved snow and bubble tea, Zhang offers a few Japanese snacks:
takoyaki (a ball-shaped appetizer cooked in flour and filled with
octopus, sauce and fish shavings), and edamame (snow peas baked with
salt). Snowflakes Shavery also serves several flavors of mochi ice
cream (wrapped in a layer of dough) as well as flavored iced teas, and
popsicles that, like the shaved snow, have more of an ice cream taste,
according to Zhang.
The atmosphere at Snowflakes Shavery is bright and welcoming, and
includes several tables -- it’s a nice setting to leisurely sit with a
generous serving of shaved snow, bubble tea, or any of the other
offerings.
“There’s nothing like it around here,” said Zhang, of his business.
“Customers come in once and we see them come back again, so we are
getting a lot of repeat customers. We are glad to be here in Sharon!”
Snowflakes Shavery is located at 370 South Main St. at the Sharon
Heights Shopping Plaza in Sharon. Tel. (781) 806-0817. Facebook fan
page: https://www.facebook.com/Snowflakes-Shavery-558343094339989/posts_to_page/.
Instagram page: snowflakes_shavery.
Snowflakes Shavery storefront in Sharon.
Still hungry? Visit our Dining Out in New England section for more great food destinations!
Share
this
New
England travel article with your friends...
Interested in your local business
becoming part of our New England community?
VisitingNewEngland business partnerships started on Jan. 30, 2017, and
differ than feature articles previously posted on VisitingNewEngland.
Businesses pay a small, one-time fee to have pages like this appear,
and first must be accepted by VisitingNewEngland.com editor and
publisher, Eric Hurwitz, as a business he approves as part of "real New
England travel" to keep the integrity of the site. Businesses that sign
up for business partnerships receive priority by receiving more social
media exposure and link placement on VisitingNewEngland.com. Contact Eric
if interested in forming a business partnership.
Books by
VisitingNewEngland.com Publisher Eric Hurwitz
Massachusetts
Town Greens -- Discover New England's first travel attractions:
town commons.
The
Best Diners in New England --
If you love
classic diners, New England has them! In my book, I write in detail on
50 top local diners.
If you
enjoyed
this article, please share through any of the social media buttons
below --
thanks!
Stay
connected with VisitingNewEngland at 
Facebook
Twitter 
Pinterest
Google+
FREE
SUBSCRIPTION
Sign up for our
free VisitingNewEngland.com E-NEW ENGLAND TRAVEL NEWSLETTER
Featuring our
latest New England travel insider's news updates and stories, discounts
and coupons!
