After a long long time I finally had the energy (and commitment, not to say a rare spot of sanity) to churn out a post that's not what someone living in the doldrums will come up with.

Then again, its been a week since -------- Alright let's not get started again. Maybe the next post (Stop groaning at that thought ^^)

Many will not fail to recall the massive bubble tea craze in the beginning of the millennium, the bubble which ballooned to such size before the SARS virus single-handedly burst it and left many shop-owners badly burnt. There were SIX establishments selling this beverage along the street outside my house at the peak of the boom. None of them survived to see me past the O's.

Then again, like a Skeleton King in DOTA, the whole fad resurrected once more. Trendier, more technologically advanced and placing more emphasis on service than their predecessors, bubble tea franchisees have been busy crossing swords all over shopping malls and suburban centers in the past year or so, winning customers over from the eponymous bland Sweet Talk 甜言蜜语 franchises that monopolised the market after the bubble tea crash of 2003.

Sweet Talk, KOI, Gong Cha or.. That new shop at nex - Drink Tea? Funny name, but true.

Here're just my two cents adding to the already vast amount of literature already present in the blogosphere.



The grand-daddy of bubble tea franchises. This behemoth is so well-entrenched in Singapore that you will be dead-pressed not to find them at any suburban shopping mall or just simply.. A cluster of flats.

It still offers the cheapest fix around though, with a bucket-load of ice in each cup as an added compliment. Great for people with a very sweet tooth though.



This photo was taken way back in 2009 when Jewel and Sharon were working at omg *gasps* a Sweet Talk outlet, of all places. Not the best place for a holiday job I'd say. Anyways, this menu is standardised across all outlets, along with the artificial flavourings, ice, and palm trees. Its ok if you do not know what a palm tree is. Not many people do. So, seriously, its alright.



Eskimo is currently found at three places, though only one of which is well-known. It seems on hindsight a rather short-sighted decision to open one at Esplanade Xchange though - They would've been better off at nex or something. Its gotten so dire over at the Esplanade outlet that even the vouchers they sponsored for HC's Open House this year are only valid there.

Then again, the Raffles Place outlet is the darling of many-a-temp staff working at the various office towers there. Long queues snaking all along the road are a common sight come lunch time. The Mini Bubble Milk Tea is classic IMO - My first introduction to 'boutique' bubble tea outlets.

You can visit their site here to find out more.

Verdict - Great size for a good price ($3.50 tops?). Needs to work more on branding and getting more outlets in more prominent places in and out of town. Nice if you happen to find yourself at Esplanade Xchange (not that a lot of people know where the hell it is in the first place).



First up, the 'Gong' in Gong Cha, as Samuel reminded us over on New Year's Day, is pronounced as 'Gong4' and not 'Gong3'.

Back to the point - Their 3P Bubble Tea is heavenly indeed! And they are canny enough to have franchises sprouting out all over town, from City Square Mall (Who goes there..), The Central and Raffles City to Vivo.. At least their latest outlet at Bedok Point marks their first foray into suburban housing estates.

Verdict - Portion size is the smallest for the same price. Less bang for buck it seems from the onset. Yet the pearls and jellies pack a punch (what else do they throw inside!) and make it rather worthwhile after all. Seems like the cup sizes are larger in Hong Kong. No idea why they shrunk it.



I finally had my first cup of milk tea from Drink Tea today one month after nex's soft launch. There were not many in the queue at 3pm yet evidently it has won over many students who study in the vicinity with its wide range of products along with its unique Roselle pearls which are pink in colour. The price for a large cup of tea starts from $3.50 though, which can be considered steep outside of town.

Verdict - This chain allows patrons to choose the ice level as well as the usual sugar level. There seems to be no extra charges choosing the 'No Ice' option so that's pretty nice. Do try their bubble teas if you're a sucker for pink pearls (pun not intended whatsoever). Potential for more franchises after they correct their horrendous 'Chinglish' in their promotional banners.


Loving their KOI as much as each other..

And finally.. What would a discussion about bubble tea outlets be without mentioning KOI Cafe? The absurdly long queues have made headlines and attracted even more curious onlookers to try out their beverages. A great marketing tactic indeed.

We tried the one over at Clementi the day after Aaron's 19th, and yes, we arrived early before the outlet's opening hour and yet got stuck behind four others who were there even before us.

Verdict - Great choice price, quality and quantity-wise, though unfortunately many others think the same way too. So be prepared to wait under the hot sun for up to an hour on really bad days. The milk tea itself is not very different from Gong Cha's or Eskimos'; and the pearls lose out slightly to Drink Tea's - So its up to the individual to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if its worth queuing for.


Of course there are plenty of smaller outlets popping out nowadays, yet these are the biggest and most prominent ones out there dominating the forums and discussion boards in endless debates about the best bubble tea in Singapore.

In conclusion, franchises such as KOI and Gong Cha have spearheaded a mini-revolution in the industry with the adoption of sugar levels, queue counters, catchy names and rejuvenated an increasingly jaded market niche. It is now once more a case study to highlight monopolistic competition in Economics lectures. Now whether this bubble bursts a la its predecessor remains to be seen though. From the looks of it, this bunch of plucky upstarts definitely have the tools and pizazz to make their presence permanent. Also.. There something known as social media nowadays which was non-existent ten years ago.. And we all know how capable these are in building up brand awareness and loyalty..

Looks like Taiwanese bubble tea's going to be here for the long haul. Not that we're complaining too much about it, maybe except the queues.

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