BruCha (Photo by Hannah Hernandez)

Brucha to Open Soon, Offering Tea, Gelato & More in Midtown Tucson


August 23, 2024
a woman sitting at a table with food
By Hannah Hernandez
By Hannah Hernandez

Speedway Boulevard — a street filled with multiple places to get a cold one (or hot one) — is about to get a new addition.

Brucha is set to open in the very near future inside the 1,800-square-foot drive-thru building at 3435 E Speedway Blvd.

This building used to house NobiliTea, which was open for less than a year, and the space was specifically built for a tea shop. So, in other words, Brucha is inheriting a space that was literally built for what they’re serving.

BruCha (Photo by Hannah Hernandez)

However, Brucha describes itself as a high-end cafe/boba tea concept that serves batch-brewed tea and tea-pressos — they’re using espresso machines fine-tuned to brew tea at precise temperatures and pressures.

“You’ve probably noticed that we’ve got some fancy machines,” the Brucha team shared. “We’ve worked with Italian and Taiwanese espresso machine manufacturers on an exclusively designed platform that enables us to brew tea at precise temperatures and pressures — controlling these at every ‘wash.’ Those of you who are familiar with tea may know about the art of Gongfu tea. Tea tastes different at each steep and our machines allow us to dictate how much of each steep goes into your drink.”

BruCha (Photo by Hannah Hernandez)

“This may be the first time many will see a machine like this in Tucson. We admit we are not the first. There are stores in the U.S. that use espresso machines to brew their tea. However, where ours differ, is in their ability to minutely manage elements of the brew and extraction process. Our proprietary extraction design allows us to manipulate the extraction process tediously to control each fraction of the brew.”

Additionally, the team is making their own boba from scratch. Inside the cafe, you can even watch them make it right in front of you (behind some glass) while you order.

BruCha (Photo by Hannah Hernandez)

“We roll them by hand,” Brucha shared. “They’re not just cooked fresh daily, they’re kneaded, rolled, cut, and formed every two hours, and you can watch us make it! We love the taste and texture that comes from freshly made boba. It’s different than you may be used to, a little more soft, a little more chewy, but pure and fresh in every sense.”

They’re offering more than just tea, too, at Brucha!

Aside from tea, you’ll find different coffee drinks, waffle bites, and multiple flavors of gelato — tea gelato, fruit gelato, etc.

The cafe is also hiring. They’re currently seeking experienced baristas and food service workers, and ask that you send a resume via direct message on Instagram or by email: arizonabrucha@gmail.com.

Brucha is located at 3435 E Speedway Blvd. For more information, follow BruCha on Instagram.

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One of Tucson’s distinguished media creators, Hannah Hernandez, also known as Death Free Foodie, navigates the realms of digital imagery, video editing, and photography. The trajectory of Hannah’s life changed in 2017 when she adopted a vegan lifestyle, which invited...

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