And that’s the {Milk} tea…
Milk tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980’s, and since then has rapidly expanded world wide. The basic version of tea with milk is served hot or iced, and definitely includes bubbles (little chewy black balls of tapioca). Now, as I walk the streets of Taipei, I come across a boba tea shop, what feels like every couple of feet. With so much variety, its difficult to know which places will be the best!
This week, I am diving right in to Taipei’s milk teas: Where to go, what to get, and how much it costs.
Chun Shi Tang
This is where it all started! The first milk tea was founded by Mr Liu Han-Chieh who thought it could be a good idea to serve milk tea cold at the restaurant where he worked, after visiting Japan and experiencing cold coffee. With several of these restaurants now located throughout the Taiwan, the original still stands in the Taichung district. There are a couple things that make this place unique, apart from being the original. For starters, it’s more of a restaurant style establishment. Although the milk tea is what they are popular for, they have lunch, dinner, and desert items and well. You can also come in and sit down, instead of walking up and ordering to go, like most other milk tea shops. As far as the process of their tea making, they are famous for the fact that they shake their milk and tea together before they pour it over their boba. This makes the combination taste a bit creamier and a small layer of froth sits on top. I ordered the original black tea with milk combo in a small size. I personally loved the taste. Not as sweet as many other milk tea shops, and the boba was a bit smaller, but I felt like I could taste the authenticity. I thought that it felt higher quality than the typical boba shop.
Location: No 66, Section 1, Zhongxiao West Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100
Price NT $85 ($2.73 USD) for a small original milk tea
Tiger Sugar
A popular style of boba is a brown sugar milk with black tea and tapioca balls, famously sold at Tiger Sugar, a chain that can be located all throughout Taipei. I stumbled upon one as I walked home from work in the Zhongshan district. As I ordered I was a bit skeptical, but found the english translated menu and the cashiers quick suggestion to be very helpful. I knew it was famous but I am not typically a fan of chain restaurants. I was exhausted from being out all day and just wanted a little pick me up. Not to be dramatic, but this was actually the most delicious thing I ever tasted. Something about the brown sugar completely changed the flavor from a typical milk tea, to so much more. When I picked the drink up, the boba in the bottom was warm, but the milk tea was cold. I swirled it around to mix the two together and when I took that first sip, I felt a perfect combination of sweetness of the milk and bitterness of the tea. The warm boba and cool milk was both refreshing and soothing. I told myself that I would wait until I got back to my room and finish it for dessert, but by the time I got there I had already managed to suck down about half of it.
Location: №6–2, Lane 140, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, 10491 (But many can be found throughout Taipei!)
Price: NT $120 ($3.85 USD) for the original brown sugar boba milk with cream mousse
Xin Fu Tang
Another bubble tea place that I stumbled upon. A few days after having the impressive brown sugar milk tea from Tiger Sugar, I was fixing for my next one already. When I found Xin Fu Tang I learned that they are also a chain located throughout Taiwan, and worldwide! They started in 2018 and already have over 40 stores. I debated for a while whether I should try something I hadn’t had before or stick to what I knew, but inevitably I choose the brown sugar milk tea again because I wanted to be able to do a comparison, and it was their most popular menu item. The price was significantly less than Tiger Sugar, but it was also a smaller sized cup, a win for someone working on portion control. Xin Fu Tang’s brown sugar milk tea was also much less sweet in comparison to Tiger Sugar. That can be good or bad depending on the severity of your sweet tooth. For me, the contents tasted much more milky, and a little foamy toward the end, but the boba was very flavorful and where the sweetness mostly lied. Overall I still think this was a delicious spot, and just the right size!
Location: №185, Section 3, Tingzhou Road, Zhongzheng District Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100
Price: Nt $55 ($1.77 USD) for brown sugar pearl tea
Fong Puu Tea Co.
Last but certainly not least, Fong Puu Tea Co. I had the privilage to be introduced to this tea shop by my co worker, who’s mom and dad own and run this beautiful establishment. The history of this place in unmatched by any other that I have encountered, and the way I was welcomed and loved on was as wonderful as the tea itself. As you can see by the sign, this tea shop has not only been around, but it has been in the same family for over 100 years! This is no where near your average boba shop. Although you can order boba at the walk up window, you can also sit down for a traditional tea tasting experience, purchase local tea, tea pots, and homemade pineapple cake (which is so cute because it is made in the shape of Taiwan!) When I first arrived, the family was finishing up a tea tour so I decided to take a look around the shop. Lining the walls were pictures and autographs of influential people throughout the world as well as old family photos. After the shop cleared I was encouraged to sit and was given a full tea tasting ceremony as well as a large, delicious boba drink that one of the owners let me help make by shaking the milk and tea together. I could tell the quality was better from the first sip, in comparison to the other places I had gone. I could also see the pride and joy that this family takes in what they do so well. I definitely recommend this shop if you are looking for an authentic tea tasting experience, and good quality milk tea. Although they do not speak English, they are the kindest family and they are also fluent in Japanese. If the language barrier and not knowing what to order is enough to stop you, just type “oolong milk tea” into google translate and have fun with it!
Location: №86號, Section 1, Hankou St, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, 100
Price: Ranges from NT $20–50 depending on what you get and what size
