DestinationsAsia4 Best Brands of Taiwan Bubble Tea Make Your Love with the Country More Fervent
4 Best Brands of Taiwan Bubble Tea Make Your Love with the Country More Fervent

4 Best Brands of Taiwan Bubble Tea Make Your Love with the Country More Fervent

As far as you know, Taiwan gains popularity as the land of tasty food. Notably, it is the origin of bubble tea which is tremendously famous around the world. Therefore, I wondered why I didn’t challenge myself in finding the yummiest bubble tea when visiting Taiwan. Well, I made it. And here is the top 4 brands that own amazing tastes of this drink, in my opinion.

Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) – The Creator of Bubble Tea

The classic Chun Shui Tang bubble tea
The classic Chun Shui Tang bubble tea.

The history of bubble tea is attached to the name Chun Shui Tang. Indeed, this brand is the one bringing this drink out of the island, making milk tea become a specialty when people talk about Taiwan. The founder of Chun Shui Tang is Liu Han Chieh. He is a tea artisan who invented a new way of drinking tea by combining caramel-covered tapioca balls with milk tea. This amazing drink was launched in 1983, and soon became the story of a town. Until now, Chun Shui Tang is still well-known as one of the must-visit destinations for milktea-holic. There are more than 10 stores in the rest of Taiwan. Thus, it is quite easy to have a try wherever you are.

Chun Shui Tang Bubble Tea

Chun Shui Tang menu is various with categories such as milk tea, fruit tea, you name it. However, the king of tea is the original pearl milk tea. Indeed, this drink is the best seller at Chun Shui Tang, which is described as the one that has a mixture all in a cup. It is a creamy taste from milk, bitterness from dried tea leaves, and sweetness from melted sugar. Last but not least, boba balls will surprise you when you chew them and drink tea at the same time. The price of this drink is about TWD 85, pretty reasonable for everyone who wants to have a new experience with this fabulous Taiwan Bubble tea brand.

The very first store of Chun Shui Tang, the creator of Taiwan milk tea
The very first store of Chun Shui Tang.

Chun Shui Tang Store

Not only Chun Shui Tang got the tasty signature milk tea, but it also has a notable concept in decorating its stores. All of their stores and decoration things are designed in wood, which makes me feel very cozy when getting in there. In my view, Chun Shui Tang is definitely an ideal place for people who are looking for authentic milk tea in Taiwan. However, this amazing brand has a minus point. It will take a little bit of time to get a drink, so maybe you need to get a line and wait for your turn.

Address: The original store’s at No. 30, Siwei Street, West District, Taichung City.
Or you can find a store in Taipei at 1B1, No. 9, Songshou Rd., Xinyi Dist, Shinkong Mitsukoshi A9, Taipei
Opening Hours:
11 am – 9:30 pm (Sun – Thurs), 11 am – 10 pm (Fri – Sat)

Tenren (天仁茗茶) – Mr. Simple in the Milk Tea Market

I’ve known this brand for a long time before visiting Taiwan. It is an international brand with a bunch of outlets out of Taiwan. For example, Vietnam, Singapore, etc. To the best of my knowledge, Tenren (天仁茗茶) in Chinese means an immortal and gorgeous gift from nature’s mother. Thus, it is also a philosophy Tenren has pursued for years. As same as Chun Sui Tang, you can easily find and grab a cup at Tenren stores throughout Taiwan. Regarding the style of making tea, Tenren can be seen as a leader in making tea from natural and local ingredients. Moreover, this style is displayed in a minimal way from how it expresses the name to the setup store.

Buy a cup of Tenren Taiwan bubble tea at its express shop
Buying a cup of Tenren at its express shop.

Tenren Best Drinks

A signature, the 913 King’s oolong milk tea is a must-try one at Tenren. It is made from high-quality oolong tea leaves in the highlands of Taiwan. So, when you drink it, bitterness taste is the one you can feel clearly. To me, I like this tea because it brings to me the feeling of being refreshed after an action-packed day. Presumably, the 913 King’s oolong milk tea should be recognized as an authentic milk tea for those who want to recharge their battery after a long day.

Another drink you also should try is taro milk tea. It seems that taro is the iconic veggie in Taiwanese culture where people always try to put this simple ingredient into any kind of drink or food. And fortunately, milk tea and taro are a great combination! While sipping creamy milk tea, you can chew cubes of buttery taro, it’s a wonderful, bizarre experience you’ve ever had.

Address: No. 570, Sec. 5, Zhongshan N. Rd., Shilin Dist, Taipei, Taiwan.
Of course, you can easily find other stores by using Google Maps.

Xing Fu Tang (幸福堂) – Enjoy Taiwan Tea in a Different Way

Xing Fu Tang store at Ximending night market, Taipei
People line up in front of the Xing Fu Tang store at Ximending night market.

I got to know this brand while searching for things to do on my 5-day-4-night Taiwan trip. At that moment, this Taiwan bubble tea brand got my attention by its unique, unlike the way of making milk tea.

For people who don’t know, Xing Fu Tang (幸福堂) means a happy house. So I guess, perhaps their tea can bring their guest happiness. Speaking about the unique way of making milk tea, unlike other brands, Xing Fu Tang turns itself to be a front runner in enjoying this scrumptious drink in a different way. That is, drinking milk tea with no tea. Therefore, it introduces the world to what is called brown sugar boba milk.

Xing Fu Tang barista makes the ‘Hermes’ of Taiwan milk tea.

The Signature Xing Fu Tang Brown Sugar Boba Milk

The process of making Brown Sugar Boba Milk is also an interesting point we could see in any store. First, tapioca balls will be freshly made by hand before being put into a Chinese pan with melted brown sugar. The mixture then will be cooked on low heat until it becomes dense. When you buy a drink, the vendor will put boba into a cup and take turns to make “tiger stripes” formed on the inside. Then, they pour plain milk and sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on the top. Lastly, to get the drink look more attractive and smoky, the vendor burns the sugar layer until it goes caramel color.

The barista is making 'tiger stripes' on the milk tea cup
The barista is making ‘tiger stripes on the milk tea cup.
Xing Fu Tang's Gold Foil Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea
Xing Fu Tang’s Gold Foil Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea.

The price for a cup of brown sugar boba milk is quite expensive, TWD 55, but definitely worth a try. Additionally, Xing Fu Tang has a premium version of this drink, called Gold Foil Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea with a super-thin gold layer put on top of the drink. Personally, this drink may bring you a fancy experience though.

Address: The one I came to us at the Ximending night market. I believe it’s not hard for you to figure out.
Or you can go to No. 101, Hanzhong St., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City

Unbranded Milk Tea – An Irresistible Drink in any Night Markets

Unbranded Taiwan milk tea at a night market

A friend of mine gave me this answer after his recent trip to Taiwan. It sounds like a funny prank but it’s the truth. My friend said that this incredible drink penetrates residential lives so deeply that it is everywhere, not only in luxury stores but also in public places and night markets is an example. These homemade milk teas are easy to get in any corner of the market with a variety of flavors like traditional milk tea, fruity tea, or black melting sugar milk. Hence, if you wonder which drink you wanna take as a finish after a big meal at the night markets, Taiwan milk tea could be an ideal choice. However, before taking a sip of it, you might spend a short time queueing in a crowd. Well, it’s a custom in enjoying street food at the night market, isn’t it?

Address: Anywhere you can find a cup of Taiwanese milk tea in the country, you can always take it a try.

Final Say

I may say that Taiwanese bubble tea plays a special role in Taiwanese cuisine, it shows up anywhere. Of course, there would be no best bubble tea in Taipei. It just depends on your favorite flavor. You can choose a big, bold image of a brand, or an ordinary, cheap drink everybody can afford. Anyway, milk tea will definitely satisfy everyone’s thirst. So, keep calm and enjoy your happy milk tea!


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READ MORE ABOUT TAIWAN

I hope this post about Taiwan bubble tea makes you impressed with the country. If you want to know more about Taiwan, here are posts that I believe you will love reading too:

Having itchy feet at a very young age is a motivation for me to escape from a hustle and bustle life, go to more lands to learn more new things, meet more strangers and share these wonderful experiences with more people who have the same hobby.

24 Comments

  • Jessica Collazo

    I’m desperate to try this Tea. I’ve never tried it before.

  • the joyous living

    i’ve tried bubble tea and choked on the bubbles LOL. guess it was not for me. but i have a friend that would love these. tiger stripes are pretty cool looking though.

    • Khoi Nguyen

      Yeah it’s like an addiction of the South East Asian teenage

  • stephenrht

    Never had bubble tea but this post makes me so tempted

  • Sarah Emery

    I love Taiwan and everything about it. I’ll be on the lookout for these bubble tea brands, the next time I’m there.

    • Khoi Nguyen

      Have you been to Taiwan and enjoy things in the country? Bubble tea is one of the best you must try

  • Emman Damian

    I haven’t tried all of these brands! I hope I can try it when I go back in Taiwan soon.

    • Khoi Nguyen

      Please tell me about your experience and thought after trying those milk teas!

  • Ronnie E.

    Wow what a long line to buy bubble tea! My sister has also told me that it’s delicious. I’d love to try it myself when I’m there someday.

  • Lavern Moore

    Bubble tea seems to be increasing in popularity and I am excited to try it after reading your review.

  • Rosey Marie

    Wow, now that’s a line. I saw a line like that for coffee at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, in the USA.

    • Khoi Nguyen

      How is that Cafe Du Monde? Sounded like something that must be tried

  • littlemisadvencha

    I am not really a fan of Milktea but these are great for those who are milktea lovers. Im gonna share this post to my boyfriend! 🙂

    • Khoi Nguyen

      And tell him that Taiwan has a lot of great milk tea he will love 🙂

  • Myrah Duque

    Sounds delicious! Bubble tea is very popular these days in many cities. I don’t think it’s available around where I live though.

    • Khoi Nguyen

      Where do you live Myrah? Perhaps you can find a recipe online to make your own a DIY Milk Tea 🙂

  • katrina Kroeplin

    these sound amazing! i love trying new things. i would def try this in a sec!

  • amber

    I had no idea and I love bubble tea. Great post.

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