You have probably heard of Bubble Tea or Pearl Tea and if not, welcome to Taiwan!
It is a cold milk tea drink with some gelatinous tapioca balls that also have flavor (boba). Served in a Starbucks type glass, it is very normal that there are long lines in the establishments that serve it. The typical flavor is black pearl milk tea.
Two chains claim to be the inventors of this Taiwanese drink that is beginning to be known around the world. In Asia it is easy to find places or small corners of bubble tea in all major cities. And in the West it has already begun to arrive. In places like New York or London it is also easy to find it.
Although the invention is from the 80s, you will see that all the premises are modern. There are independent stores but most of them are chain stores.
As we said, there are two chains that claim to have invented it. The one with the most media fame is Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan . The other is Chun Shui Tang in Taichung , the third largest city in Taiwan. The latter is actually a restaurant with tables and all kinds of food.
But now the most popular ones are others. In particular there are three chains that are in fashion:
- Tiger Sugar: probably the one with the longest ques. One of the best.
- Xin Fu Tang: wins the award for having the best corner in the heart of the Ximending neighborhood, the most commercial area in all of Taipei, but instead it has the weakest in flavor for us. In any case, it is very spectacular to see how they prepare the brown sugar bubble tea with the torch.
- Kebuke: our favorite, with locals all over Taipei. It's just flawless.
In general, in all places it is nice. When you ask for it, they will ask you what level of sugar and ice you want. In most chains 50% sugar and 70% ice is usually optimal (ice is the second level, a little less than the maximum, and sugar in half, because normally the balls are already very sweet). Although in very traditional places like Chun Shui Tang in Taichung, the balls are not very sweet, and you will need 70% sugar.
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