Bubble tea in Singapore: The new, the popular and the different

Bubble tea in Singapore: The new, the popular and the different

The bubble tea hype in Singapore has gotten bigger recently and it seems like it’s here to stay. We scoured the island to curate a list of old favourites as well as some new, must-try bubble tea brands that do a classic milk tea best. We’re talking about a milky treat, that is velvety smooth to taste, has that fragrant tea aroma, and of course, tapioca pearls (aka boba) that are soft and chewy.

Say goodbye to your diet because you’re going to want a cuppa or three after reading this.

Tiger Sugar

Tiger Sugar may be the new kid on the block but it's poised to pounce and claw its way up to the top of your must drink bubble tea list (tiger puns fully intended). If you haven’t tried this sugary goodness in a cup, you need to get one stat.

The Taiwanese bubble tea brand is famous for its Brown Sugar Fresh Milk which is made with fresh milk cream, fragrant black tea, drizzles of brown sugar syrup (creating what looks like tiger stripes – clever huh?), and a generous helping of housemade brown sugar boba pearls. Besides being downright delicious, Tiger Sugar is also highly Instagram-worthy.

Price: $5.30 for the Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cream Mousse

Address: 13 Stamford Rd, #B2-32 Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178905

Winnie’s

Another newcomer to the bubble tea scene in Singapore is Winnie’s and it's located at Galaxis – a godsend for office workers in the one-north area who need their lunchtime bubble tea fix. Amongst the must-tries are the Lychee & Rose Nectar, English Afternoon Milk Tea, and Organic Fuji Apple Green Tea. Oh, and did we mention that they make their boba pearls by hand? That’s why they have just the right amount of chew and are oh-so-satisfying.

Price: $3.10 for the Black Sugar Oolong Milk Tea

Address: Galaxis, 1 Fusionopolis Place, #01-34, Singapore 138522

Yeah! Taiwanese Modern Street Food @ Timbre+

Another gem in the one-north area is Yeah! Taiwanese Modern Street Food which offers an extensive range of bubble teas to complement their street food staples. High on our list are their Signature Boba Milk Tea, Okinawa Brown Sugar Boba Milk and Matcha Milk.

Price: $3.50 for the Signature Boba Milk Tea

Address: Timbre+, JTC Launchpad, 73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, Singapore 139957

Photo: Instagram/@mdjasrie

LiHo Tea

Homegrown brand LiHo will always be remembered as the brand that introduced us to foam-topped cheese tea. An unlikely pairing, but the sweet-savoury teas like the Cheese Guan Yin and Cheese Jing Syuan (a tea with a floral profile) Tea quickly gained a following and soon other brands jumped on the cheesy bandwagon. If you’re not that adventurous, stick with the Classic Milk Tea with boba pearls – LiHo makes a mean cup.

Price: $3.80 for the Classic Milk Tea + Pearl

Address: multiple branches including Wisma Atria, 435 Orchard Road, #B1-03, Singapore 238877

Each-A-Cup

Each-a-Cup is perfect for the health conscious who wish to treat themselves occasionally. Don’t believe us? Just look at some of the categories on their menu: Mind Booster, Energy Burst, Weight Lite, and Forever Young. Among these options are favourites like the delicious Green Apple Green Tea, the refreshing Honey Kanten with Ai-yu Jelly, and the thirst-quenching Honey Lemon with Ai-yu Jelly, all made with fresh juices and quality juice concentrates, via a unique Tea-Presso technique.

Each-a-Cup believes that everyone deserves a cup of bubble tea. And we agree wholeheartedly too.

Price: $3.30 for the Classic Milk Tea with Golden Bubble

Address: Multiple outlets including ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #B4-69, Singapore 238801

Answer Tea

Perfect for millennials (or anyone for the matter) trying to figure out their lives, Answer Tea offers delightfully colourful beverages and also the answer to life, the universe, and everything in between (the answer is 42 by the way. Treat yourself to a bubble tea if you can get the reference.). All you have to do is order a drink from the Macchiato Series, write your question on the cup holder of your drink, and you’ll get the answer written in edible ink, on top of your drink’s foam. Just don’t expect help for your trigonometry homework…

Definitely get the Lemon Butterfly Milk Tea with Black Pearl and the delightfully tropical Kiwi Boba Tea.

Price: $4.90 for the Lemon Butterfly Milk Tea

Address: Dhoby Ghaut MRT, 60 Orchard Road, #B2-06, Singapore 238889

The Local Box

Prefer something more grown up? Switch up your regular tipple for one of The Local Box’s alcoholic bubble tea blends. If you’re afraid that the spiked drinks might be too strong, fear not because options like the Nutella Bailey’s, Taro Tequila, Green Tea Heineken, Honey Gin & Tonic, and Pineapple Thyme Rum are mixed to sweet perfection. Virgin options are also available.

Price: $11 for Nutella Baileys Milk Tea 

Address: 8 Enggor Street, #01-05, Singapore 079718

True Boss

This Taiwanese import is the first bubble tea brand that specialises in using fruit vinegar in their drinks. The fruit vinegars supposedly have a high concentration of stomach-friendly enzymes that will help move things along quickly. Their best-seller is the Peach Vinegar Tea with Mango and Kiwi slices, a refreshing beverage that is perfect for the sweltering Singaporean climate.

Price: $4.40 for the Brown Sugar Bubble Milk 

Address: Northpoint City, 1 Northpoint Drive, #B2-134, Singapore 768019

dal.komm Coffee

Avid fans of K-dramas Descendants of the Sun and Goblin will recognise the name of this cafe and are most likely fans of their amazing concoctions. While dal.komm’s menu celebrates coffee and fruit blends, the Royal Milk Tea is a must-try for bubble tea lovers. This drink doesn’t come with boba pearls, but if you’re a tea lover you’ll enjoy its deep, rich black tea flavour.

Price: $7.50 for the Royal Milk Tea 

Address: Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard, #02-278, Singapore 039594 and The Centrepoint, 176 Orchard Road, #01-01/06 and #01-102/103, Singapore 238843

SOD Cafe

SOD Cafe indulges its customers with bubble tea blends that feature organic ingredients such as beans, nuts, and brown rice (read: super healthy and good for you). Their Double Froth and Ice Cream Milk Tea Series will leave you licking lips and wanting more. It’s safe to say that they’re a cafe that offers more than just coffee and wi-fi.

Price: $4.50 for SOD Milk Tea with a choice of black pearls, white pearls or aloe vera

Address: Ci Yuan Community Centre, 51 Hougang Avenue 9, #01-03, Singapore 538776

Teafolia

If you’re looking for really gorgeous bubble teas, Teafolia might just satisfy your craving. While they don’t exactly do fancy presentations, their concoctions come chock full of colourful fresh fruit slices that just make the whole package aesthetically pleasing.

Our favourite is Teafolia’s Signature Fruit Tea drink, which is a blend of Premium Four Seasons tea with fresh pineapple and assorted fresh fruits. Stirring it and allowing it to sit for two to three minutes before drinking brings out all the fresh fruity flavours.

Price: $5.50 for Taro Therapy Stirring Milk

Address: Multiple outlets including 20 Tampines Central 1, #01-29/30, Singapore 529538

KOI

KOI Thé Singapore is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in Singapore's bubble tea scene. Their Golden Bubble Milk Tea is a classic favourite, with customers going crazy over its chewy golden bubbles. Other crowd pleasers include the Matcha Macchiato, Black Tea Macchiato, and Matcha Latte which also created quite a frenzy when they were launched.

Price: $3.50 for the Golden Bubble Milk Tea

Address: Multiple outlets including Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Road, #01-39, Singapore 059413

ShareTea

ShareTea is a tried and trusted favourite of Singaporeans. The Pearl Black Milk Tea and QQ Happy Family milk teas are the stars here, but the brand, which constantly innovates its menu, is also known for its seasonal drinks such as Brown Sugar Pearl Sea Salt Macchiato.

Price: $3.70 for the Taro White Pearls Milk Tea

Address: Multiple outlets including Parkway Parade, 80 Marine Parade Road, #B1-21, Singapore 449269

Kurotaki Chabann

If you are one of those people who likes to sit down and sip your bubble tea at a cafe, Kurotaki Chabann's Rangoon Road outlet is your spot. The bestsellers are the Grapefruit Tea and the Brown Sugar Jelly Milk Tea, which is made with Japanese red tea and konjac-like brown sugar jellies. If you prefer a higher dose of caffeine, they also have coffee drinks on their menu.

Price: $3.50 for the Brown Sugar Jelly Milk Tea

Address: The CherryLoft, #01-02, 180 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218442

Special mention: Chā Bar BKK – The one we want to see in Singapore next

Dubbed the healthy milk tea bar, Bangkok's Chā Bar's drinks are made with high quality and natural ingredients and come with deliciously springy rice berry bobas and butterfly pearls. The menu is diverse and includes drinks such as Classic Cha + Boba, Thai Milk Cha, Green Cha Latte and the super delicious Hot Thai Tea Ball. Hope we don't have to wait too long for it to enter our shores.

This story first appeared on City Nomads.