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Everything You Need to Know About Bubble Tea in London
With Bubble Tea Day taking place on Wednesday 30th April, now’s the time to immerse in all things boba. What started out as a humble snack drink in Taiwan is now one of the most loved and consumed items around the world, all day, every day. In Chinatown London a slew of specialists now caters to that demand, mixing up flavours and chewy pearls to satiate locals and visitors of varying tastes. Whether you’re into taro or matcha, here’s a complete guide to the bubble tea and where to find it in Chinatown.
What is Bubble Tea?
Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea or boba milk tea) is a Taiwanese recipe made by blending tea with milk, fruit, and fruit juices, then adding tapioca pearls and shaking vigorously to form a bubbly foam on top.
The boba is made from tapioca starch, derived from the cassava root – a vegetable is similar to that of a sweet potato or yam, but with a tougher, more fibrous texture. Brown sugar and water are added before the ingredients are rolled together into small balls. These are boiled in water until they turn dark, chewy, and glossy.
Where did Bubble tea originate?
Bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the US in the 1990s, but the drink also spread to other countries where there is a large East Asian population.
Milk tea was already well-known in Taiwan, as tea drinking was a robust practice in East Asia. Both shaved ice and tapioca balls were considered common desserts at the time and eventually the three were combined in one, making what we know as bubble tea today.
How is Bubble tea served?
Typically, the tapioca pearls will sit at the bottom of the cup, followed by a layer of shaved ice, and milk tea is then poured in to fill to the top. However, choices have expanded beyond tapioca balls to include elements like grass jelly, almond jelly, egg pudding, and red beans.
The mixture is best enjoyed with through an oversized straw in order to slurp up both liquid and the chewy elements at the same time. Popular flavours include classic milk tea, brown sugar milk tea, milk foam green tea and fruit tea with jelly.
Where to enjoy Bubble tea in Chinatown?
Candy Cafe
3 Macclesfield St, London W1D 6AU
Just as its name indicates, Candy Café is a sweet spot hidden on Macclesfield Street. Once through a narrow red door, and up some stairs to the first floor you’ll be transported to a sugar-worshipping emporium which presents cheery, summer-ready Asian desserts and bubble tea in over 30 varieties.
Chatime
4 Gerrard St, London W1D 5AP
One of the world’s biggest tea blend dispensaries, Chatime has over one thousand stores across the Far East, USA and UK and has sold over 100 million drinks to date. A must-try is their creamy Mousse – iced tea topped with a generous splodge of white, lightly whipped mousse. Indulgently sweet and satisfying.
Cuppacha
23 Newport Ct, London WC2H 7JS
Cuppacha was the first bubble tea shop to open in Chinatown London. Visitor favourites include the signature Pearl Milk Tea, brewed on-site using the finest Taiwanese tea leaves, and the neon glowing ‘Ombre’ tea series, which comes in 10 rainbow-coloured variations.
Happy Lemon
24A Newport Ct, London WC2H 7JS
Quirky teas are Happy Lemon’s thing, serving up plenty of customisable and wonderful blends, from a healthy Red Bean with Matcha Latte Smoothie to a zingy Fresh Lemon Honey Green Tea.
Bubblewrap
24 Wardour St, London W1D 6QJ
Take your bubble bonanza to the max with a mega helping at Bubblewrap. The social media sensations are not only responsible for viral egg-shaped waffles with lashings of toppings, but they also sell boba milkshakes layered with generous helpings of tapioca and creamy treats.
KOVA
20A Newport Ct, London WC2H 7JS
Kova is a leading Japanese fusion patisserie. Expect to find fresh fruit teas, including their famous ‘cheezo tea’ (a layer of salted cream cheese foam on top of a fruit tea), as well as mille crepes, roll cake, and other sweet treats.
Meet Fresh
Shaftesbury Ave, West End, London W1D 5EE
As the name suggests, Meet Fresh pride themselves on their Taiwanese desserts made fresh in store daily. Choose from a selection of milk teas including Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Jin Xuan Tea or fruit teas made with sweet mango and passionfruit. And if you’re a coffee lover, opt for the boba latte!
Taiyakiya
20 Newport Ct, London WC2H 7JS
Taiyakiya is a Japanese dessert shop offering seriously Instagrammable Japanese sweet treats as well as a variety of milk and fruit teas. Go for classic boba or switch it up with red bean, fruit jelly or taro balls.
Tsujiri
Newport Ct, London WC2H 7JS
Mad about matcha? Tsujiri is a tea house with a pedigree but thoroughly modern outlook. Sip on delicious matcha and Houjicha bubble teas, served with sweet and chewy boba.
