We veered away from the typical milk tea and discovered what other drinks you can go for on a bubble tea outing
Looks like bubble tea is here to stay. With the perpetual popularity of brands like TeaLive and Gong Cha and the arrival of well-known names like The Alley or KOI Thé on our shores, bubble tea looks like it’ll have a long future among KLites. So we went slightly off the usual track to find out what are the other options available aside from the sweet milk tea.
This premium bubble tea brand from Taiwan prides itself on its quality freshly brewed artisan tea and signature golden bubbles (they are made with tapioca and golden brown sugar which give them their gold sheen). The Peach Green Tea with the must-have bubbles is an interesting choice – the prominent sweet peach flavour was balanced nicely with the typical bitterness of green tea; plus the chewy bubbles are a fun addition to this usually laidback drink.
Cojiitii takes pride in sourcing high quality ingredients from around the world, and constantly creating new drinks with those ingredients. We strayed away from the usual and went for their Cojii Cocoa Cheese – a dark chocolate drink with topped with a layer of cheese foam. The cheese foam gives a mildly salty taste to the drink, which balances out nicely with the rich cocoa. The salty-sweet combination may not be for everyone, but it’s a great choice if you’re looking for something different.
Tiger Sugar’s signature ‘tiger stripes’ bubble tea had boba buffs eagerly anticipating its arrival in KL earlier this year. The menu isn’t extensive, so as adventurous as we wanted to be, it was the Brown Sugar Boba + Pearl with Cream Mousse. It has two sizes of boba, milk, Tiger brown sugar (made in-house) and a thick cream mousse that adds a bit of savouriness; you’re supposed to shake it 15 times for full effect. It didn’t totally rock our world, but maybe because we didn’t shake it 15 times…
Cha Wan Jia is known for its multi-coloured bubbles like its Dragon Fruit, Rainbow and Sakura pearls in various drinks like matcha latte, milk tea, fresh brewed tea and more. But go a bit off track and try the latest addition to their menu – Golden Pudding Creamy Yam. The multi-layered creation is supposed to be mixed well, which results in a creamy drink reminiscent of bubur cha-cha, but in a tall cup and complete with jelly-like pudding for extra texture.
The majestic deer with its imposing antlers emblazoned across the cups and serviettes is a familiar logo to boba tea fans. Taiwanese brand The Alley promises handmade sugar cane syrup, fresh in-house made Deerioca pearls (a fun play on the words ‘deer’ and ‘tapioca’) and quality brewed tea. The newest addition to the Original Brew Tea Series is the Grape Oolong Tea. The grape juice and oolong tea go together pleasingly well, and the bouncy Deerioca pearls are a fun additional element of this refreshing drink.
For a health(ier) alternative to the sweet bubble milk tea, check out Soylab’s pearl soymilk options. The Bean Looking For Him is a great combination of black soybean milk (no, the drink isn’t black; it’s made with the milk from the black soybean) and homemade brown sugar syrup, topped with freshly made pearls. It’s a deliciously fun drink on any day, thanks to the chewy pearls and pleasant sweetness thanks to the brown sugar syrup.
For a more adult (read: boozy take on) bubble tea, head over to Coley and order the Whisky & Bubble Tea. The cocktail is made with Jameson Irish Whiskey, crème de cacao, palm sugar and milk tea. Of course, it can’t be called ‘bubble tea’ without bubbles, with bouncy pearls providing a hint of added sweetness to the cocktail. It tastes so much like a typical bubble tea, you might even forget you’re having a spiked version.
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