To say that there are plenty of bubble tea shops in Singapore is an understatement; it almost seems as if every other day, a brand new stall offering tea beverages surfaces. Here to acquit you of your drink dilemma is this list of great bubble tea spots worthy of multiple visits, whether you’re craving for a decadent brown sugar boba milk or a creamy cheese tea macchiato.
Best boba options
A staple in the bubble tea scene, The Alley can be easily recognised by its deer antler motifs that represent the brand’s Deerioca tapioca boba pearls. Each round-bottom cup of Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk is lined with a generous bed of tender bobas, slicked with a layer of caramelly brown sugar syrup. Natural sugar canes are boiled in-house to serve each order and thus intentionally dialing the sweetness down a couple notches.
Hollin
Thanks to a wide selection of handmade pearls boasting various flavours, Hollin has been recognised as an artisan of boba by many. So try their rotating menu of bubble options including sesame, strawberry, coffee, lychee and matcha by consuming them in popular tea beverages such as the Earl Grey Tea Latte, Strawberry Green Tea and Oolong Milk Tea for maximum enjoyment.
Chaffic
Chaffic, founded in Perth, Australia, has expanded its roots to Singapore with its very first overseas store at Westgate. Known for Australia’s first Tofu Milk Tea, it will have over 40 different varieties of tea blends, like Strawberry Yoghurt, Coconut Mango, and Dreamy Lychee.
Crazy, OTT bubble teas
The Whale Tea
Uber popular Chinese tea brand The Whale Tea is best known for their insane, overly-decadent teas and a wide and interesting range of drink selections. There’s the Volcanic Collagen Series which carries the Volcanic Sapphire Whale, as well as the Whale Crystal Series comprising the Blue Whale, Beluga and Orca—all as pretty as they are adorably-named. Plus, you can even get creamy soft serves like their signature Golden Cocktail Coca Ice Cream and Electric Sea Salt Ice Cream. Feel free to order both the drinks and soft serves, then get creative with how you want to consume ‘em.
Fresh milk choice
Playmade
Another popular tea salon from Taiwan, Playmade offers a wide range of tea lattes, milk teas and honey blends to satisfy those with a penchant for bubble tea. Although not exactly a brand signature, the Burnt Caramel Milk Tea has become a hit among locals, while the Watermelon Milk Tea with Pink Cactus Pearls is an unconventional bubble tea staple at Playmade outlets.
Most refreshing fruit teas
Chun Fun How
Besides being held in gorgeous cups adorned with floral designs, Chun Fun How’s beverages are also worth the hype thanks to its Winter Melon Series. The Winter Melon Lemonade with Pearls remains a popular choice since it features only the highest quality winter melon sugar from Taiwan, while still boasting health benefits. Also try the Sweet Potato Black Tea Latte with Pearls, that carries plenty of fibre, vitamins and minerals for your gut health.
Partea
Boasting very fragrant and fresh (albeit pricey) fruit tea options is Partea. We highly recommend the Jasmine Fruit Tea (which comes with generous servings of premium fruit like passionfruit and mango slices) from their Rainbow Tea series, the Sun Moon Lake Tea w/Milk off their Fresh Milk menu, and perhaps even their most premium selection, the Rose Pu’er Fruit Tea.
amps tea
The newest kid on the block already has 14 outlets islandwide – and counting. Its Signature Tea Series include Orange Four Season Frappe, a citrus blend of zesty orange with Four Seasons Green Tea; and Signature Fruit Tea, an invigorating concoction of freshly brewed tea and vibrant fruits.
Really creamy cheese teas
LiHo
2017 marked a dramatic turn of events when Gong Cha shuttered and was replaced with LiHo. Fans of the longstanding tea brand took to social media to fire off angry protests—and understandably so; Gong Cha had been a go-to for most locals for almost 10 years prior to its closure. However, this was before the announcement of the brand new cheese teas that were to be on LiHo’s sparkling new menu. Having said to have Gouda cheese in the mix, the cheesy, foamy beverages holds slightly savoury notes and a divisive opinion among the public.
R&B Tea
Founders Rex and Bruce are crowned as the pioneers of brown sugar cheese milk teas in Singapore; a taste that’s admittedly not for all but if you’re one for rich, heavy cream in bubble teas, R&B Tea’s Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cheese Brulee would probably be your cup of boba. On top of the regular brown sugar milk concoction that’s so widely favoured, a supple layer of cream cheese is added on top before being torched to give a fragrant “brulee” factor.
All-time favourites
Gong Cha
In early 2019, Gong Cha made a victorious return to our shores, much to the delight (and relief) of Gong Cha-frequenters. An overwhelming number of supporters crowded outlets on its re-opening day and until today, the established tea store remains a crowd favourite. The classic Pearl Milk Tea is still a bestseller.
You can attribute your milk tea obsession to these guys; Koi once led the revolution of milk teas in Singapore with its classic Milk Tea. Over the years, the Matcha Latte began gaining traction for its seemingly perfect blend of foamy goodness and surprisingly solid matcha flavour.
Happy Cup
After nearly two decades away, OG bubble tea brand Happy Cup has now returned to dish out boba beverages once again at Tras Street’s 100AM Mall. Using its formidable Teapressto machine, the brand coaxes the finest flavours right out of specially curated tea leaves with the perfect temperature in just 60 seconds. Meanwhile, its chewy pearls are made from tapioca sourced from Thailand in order to deliver the best boba experience. So savour any of their teas with either a cream top, fresh milk or evaporated milk, and don’t forget to add the Boba Pearls to perfect your dream tea concoction.
Great tea leaves
Chagee
The ridiculously long queues at Plaza Singapura, Orchardgateway and Raffles City Shopping Centre must mean something. At the time of writing, these are the only three outlets but expect many more to come. The Chinese bubble tea brand is known for introducing Chinese tea with a modern twist. Its Signature Jasmine Green Milk Tea is the iconic bestseller brewed using original Jasmine tea leaves in an intricate multi-stage process to bring out its natural flavours.
Chicha San Chen
While boba and brown sugar syrup receive all the praise in recent years, a key player that often gets overlooked is the tea leaves utilised in the drinks. Taiwanese Chicha San Chen definitely gets this part right with its Cassia Black Tea with Mousse and Green Tea with Honey, which were awarded with the Highest International Authority iTQi certification, which is apparently equivalent to a Michelin three-star accolade.
Original published date: Oct 11, 2022