No two people are alike in their exact bubble tea preferences. Some like it hot, while others want to chill out. Some people crave the classic chew of a tapioca pearl, while others swap the slippery sensation of grass jelly. You’ll find camps that need it sweet and other camps that forgo the sweetener altogether. Because bubble tea is highly, highly customizable, its permutations rank somewhere in the thousands (if not more).
Therefore, crafting the perfect bubble tea is an iterative process – honed over several cups, sips, slurps, and chews. And what a delicious iterative process it is! The more you enjoy bubble tea, the better you can zero in on what you like – which may morph over time or incorporate new flavors.
Below, find a few insider secrets for creating your perfect bubble tea experience so you can embark on your very own flavor journey.
Start with the Best Bubble Tea Shop
Great bubble tea requires quality ingredients, patience, and time-honored practices. If you want to start on the right foot, it’s imperative to choose a quality bubble tea shop.
If you live in Toronto, for instance, search for the best Toronto bubble tea shop in the city. In all likelihood, your search will lead you toward a Chatime location – the biggest and best global bubble tea brand, known as much for its quality as for its innovative menu items.
Covering Your Bases: Sample Unexpected Bases to Find Your Ideal Match
If you’re a bubble tea newcomer, consider starting at the origins of bubble tea – a classic milk tea with tapioca pearls. Once you’re hooked (warning: you will be hooked), you can start sampling innovative signature flavors and outside-the-box bases.
For instance, Chatime mentioned above, has several bases to choose from: decadent chocolatey offerings, nutty matcha drinks, various tropical fruit tea bases, and much more. Consider their list of best-sellers as a handy launching-off point for your bubble tea journey:
- Pearl Milk Tea
- Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea
- Brown Sugar Pearl Crema Oat Milk
- Mango Green Tea with Pearls
- Matcha Red Bean Smoothie, and more!
Tweak the Sweetness to Your Perfect Level
Here’s an insider secret for your next bubble tea order: fiddle around with sweetness. At the best bubble tea shops, you can get granular with how much sweetener you add, opting for full-sweet, half-sweet, 30% sweet, 80% sweet, etc.
You can also switch up your sweetener from sugar to honey for a richer, more complex bubble tea.
Capitalize on Your Milk Options
The classic is, obviously, straight-up lactose-free milk. But that classic add-in might not be your perfect milk option. Experiment with subbing oat milk, or consider removing the milk entirely for a streamlined tea-and-toppings boba.
Hot or Cold? Balance Your Drink with the Weather
Bubble tea is as much about the holistic experience as the individual flavors. That said, try balancing your beverage’s temperature with the weather outside for a study in contrasts. If the Toronto summer is blaring hot, consider extra ice. If the spring season hovers around a gentle, balmy temperature, knock the ice back a bit by choosing “less ice” for your order. And in the winter, experiment with hot versions of your favorite bubble teas.
Topping It Off: Choose the Maximum Number of Toppings to Sample Your Options
At most bubble tea shops, you get a maximum of three toppings to add to your masterpiece. Pro-tip for those iterating toward their perfect bubble tea: order the maximum!
As the old saying goes, “You won’t know until you try.” If you want to land on your perfect topping, you might as well taste-test as many as possible: slippery grass jelly, thrilling popping boba, chewy QQ, luxurious pudding, airy crema and many more.
Sip. Savour. Share. Repeat.
The last way to create your perfect bubble tea experience is to savor it – your way. If you like your bubble tea as a social experience, grab some friends and head to the closest boba shop. If you prefer to savor in silence, order to-go and take your bubble tea for a stroll through a nearby park. And if you want to pair your bubble tea with a indulge-watch session of your favorite show, order bubble tea for delivery while you slip into your pajamas. Have it your way.
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