Taking the world by storm in the last year or two, this milk tea meets dessert drink is a must try for any sweet tooth visiting Taiwan. Taipei is full of roadside drink shops, each offering their own unique spin on the popular beverage. To prevent you from entering a sugar-based coma from sampling every shop you come across, here are some of the most beloved bubble tea shops in Taipei, favorited and highly approved of by Taiwanese locals.
Tiger Sugar (老虎堂)
Despite their recent opening in 2017, this shop has quickly gained a loyal following, now one of the favorites on the island. Tiger Sugar are well regarded for their brown sugar bubble tea, so much so that there were long queues even in the Taipei branch's first week of opening. A popular addition to bubble tea variations in the city, the brown sugar version gives an additional injection of flavor in both the drink and the delicious tapioca balls. Tiger Sugar's brown sugar flavor is so iconic that they've even released Tiger Sugar flavored popcorn, ice pops and other snacks for when the drink alone just won't cut it.
KEBUKE (可不可)
Meaning can or cannot in Chinese, we always decide on a resounding 'definitely can' when debating on whether to indulge on this shop's delightful bubble tea. KEBUKE uses high quality black tea in their drinks, usually brewed fairly strong so that the flavor shines through the sugar and milk.
Chun Shui Tang (春水堂)
Founded all the way back in 1983, Chun Shui Tang claims to have invented this delicious beverage. Unlike some of the newcomers that introduce strong flavors like brown sugar and honey, Chen Shui Tang keeps it simple and sticks to the original style of bubble tea. For the serious bubble tea enthusiasts their original pearl milk tea is a must try for those wanting a taste of how the beverage first started. As most of their shops are cafes with a sit in area, it's a great place to take a moment to relax and order some desserts to go with your tea too.
TP Tea (茶湯會)
Although TP is owned by Chun Shui Tang, their bubble tea is still distinctively different and worth trying. In fact their whole menu of teas are highly recommended especially the tieguanyin, a popular kind of oolong tea, which you can also turn into a bubble milk tea version.
TRUEDAN (珍煮丹)
Another shop that's loved for their brown sugar concoctions, TRUEDAN is another newcomer that has taken Taiwan's drink shop scene by storm. Their most popular brown sugar version version doesn't actually include tea, using just milk, sugar and tapioca pearls. However their focus is on good quality milk, sourced from local farms, that makes it easy forget about the need for tea. If you aren't a huge fan of strong black tea flavors, it's highly recommended to try their 'brown sugar bubble with milk'.
Conclusion
The perfect way to quell the appetite between meals, grabbing a bubble tea while wandering the streets of Taipei is a must. If you'll only have time to try one or two bubble tea shops while in the capital, we'd recommend trying Tiger Sugar first and then Chun Shui Tang for the classic representation.