It looks like Burnaby has officially joined the new wave of Chinese tea culture.
D² Tea Lab has just soft opened in Burnaby’s Royal Oak area as of November 1.
They took over the former Rice Cake Master unit, on Imperial and Royal Oak.
The new tea shop is creating buzz for its focus on premium tea ratios rather than fruit-based drinks, a shift that’s been sweeping through Asia’s bubble tea scene.
The concept behind D² Tea Lab is simple but scientific.
As their motto goes, “3 parts milk, 7 parts tea — the golden ratio.”
The brand describes itself as a “tea laboratory born in Burnaby,” where every cup follows the same crafted formula for balance and perfection.
Their team spent a year experimenting before landing on what they call the ideal combination of smooth milk and bold tea flavour.
This move toward stronger tea profiles reflects the growing influence of Chinese brands like HeyTea and Chagee, which popularized authentic, high-quality tea drinks over sugary fruit concoctions.
While Metro Vancouver has long been saturated with fruit teas, newer arrivals such as Chayan, Chahalo, and now D² Tea Lab are leading a local shift toward more refined, tea-centric offerings.
The menu features a variety of tea lattes, snowy tea lattes, and fruit teas, all emphasizing tea as the star.
Highlights include options like the Peach Oolong Tea Latte, Osmanthus Oolong, and Snowy Jasmine Green Tea Latte.
Their drinks are built around the signature “snowy” whip cream top, giving a silky contrast to the rich tea below.
We stopped by anonymously during their soft opening, where the store was offering a promotion, 10% off if you followed them on Chinese social media.
We tried their signature Snowy Peach Oolong Tea Latte, which stood out for its strong oolong base paired with a refreshing peach note.
For now, D² Tea Lab remains in soft opening and has yet to announce its official grand opening date.
D² Tea Lab now joins other recently opened Burnaby food spots like Mary Brown’s Kingsway, XISHI, and Il Cappello.
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Address: 6868 Royal Oak Ave, Burnaby, BC V5J 0G9