Bubble tea, Taiwan’s signature beverage, is so popular in Hong Kong that you are guaranteed to find a shop on almost every street. Done right, the milky tea and chewy pearls are a match made in heaven. Here’s where you can find the best milk tea in town.
TP Tea
It’s an unspoken rule that, whenever you spot a TP Tea store, you simply have to stop at it. TP has been in the business for more than 30 years, and it definitely shows in the quality of their drinks. You won’t find any watered-down tea here; the strong flavours are pretty hard to beat. A standard milk tea with pearls costs HK$22.
Find it: Various locations around Hong Kong
Koi Thé
People are usually drawn to Koi Thé for the golden pearls it uses in its tea, but it’s the tea itself and other interesting brews that keep customers coming back for more. Make sure to ask for slightly reduced sugar; you’ll need an extreme sweet tooth to drink anything sweeter than 70 per cent. Drinks come in three sizes, with the smallest option just right for those who can never finish a regular bubble tea. A regular sized tea costs HK$17, while the largest size is HK$29.
Find it: Shop 2, G/F, Hung Tat Building, 55 Dundas Street, Mong Kok, and Shop A, G/F, 49 Bute Street, Mong Kok
How to eat your way to a cool HK summer
TeaDays
Relatively new to the 852, TeaDays has already established a name for itself among the city’s tea drinkers. The tea is strong and concentrated, and the soft, chewy pearls have a deep caramel flavour. Located in Mong Kok’s lively shopping district, TeaDays is the ideal pit stop for a quick energy boost. Keep your order simple with a standard black milk tea with pearls, priced at HK$19.
Find it: Shop 22, G/F, Ho King Commercial Centre, 2–16 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok
CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice
CoCo has expanded rapidly from its origins in Taiwan, with more than 2,000 stores worldwide. Hong Kong is lucky enough to be home to seven of these shops, so you’ll never have to search too far to satisfy your bubble tea craving when it hits. Order the milk tea with pearls for HK$20, or try something fruit-infused like mango green tea for HK$15.
Find it: Various locations around Hong Kong
7 ways to cool off and beat the heat in the crazy hot weather in Hong Kong
丸茶手作
As great as the milk tea is here, the real stars of the show are the pearls. The boba at 丸茶手作 come in imaginative flavours like sweet potato, osmanthus, and black sesame. Combined with one of the many choices of tea available, you have yourself a cup of instant magic. A regular cup of iced milk tea is HK$16, and pearls can be added for HK$6.
Find it: Shop 1B, G/F, 12 Victory Avenue, Ho Man Tin and Shop 60A, G/F, Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Bonus: HEERETEA
Although this chain isn’t particularly known for bubble tea, its signature cheese cap drinks warrant a mention on this list. Thick (and we mean thick!), creamy, and slightly salty, the cheese cap is the tea accompaniment you never knew you needed. Order the Tea–King for HK$35; we assure you, it’s worth the splurge.
Find it: Various locations around Hong Kong