My Gap Year in Bubble Tea

Hello, Reader!

Every time I tell someone that I’m a self-proclaimed bubble tea connoisseur, they laugh. But I’m totally serious. Every city I go to, I make sure to check out whether there’s a new boba place for me to discover. Not only that, but my addiction means that I had to invest in reusable straws specifically for bubble tea and I’m still on a search for reusable cups… I still haven’t found one with a big enough opening in the lid for a boba straw. But I digress, I’m not here to convince you how qualified I am to review bubble tea places; I’m here to take you on a tour of my gap year in bubble teas.

1. London

Of course, we begin at home. Spending the first few months in London meant that I had plenty of time to explore new bubble tea places… which I didn’t do. Nope, I mostly stuck to my favourites.

- Chaboba

Undefeated for years. No matter how many boba places I tried… I always came back. It still has one of the creamiest Taro Milk teas I’ve had. 

- MooBoo

There’s just too much choice. I always ended up with very tasty bubble tea but the amount of time I spent choosing it was disproportionate.

- BobaJam

Now rebranded to Aye Aye, BobaJam was exciting for its desserts although their bubble tea wasn’t amazing. However, I haven’t been there since they’ve changed to Aye Aye so I’m open to trying it again.

- Dirty Panda

The one to bring bubble tea to Uxbridge and brighten up my library sessions. Is it my favourite? No. Do I appreciate it being there? Absolutely. Similar to BobaJam however, I heard they rebranded and seem to have a new supplier… so I can’t knock it until I try it.

- Bubbleology

A lot of people swear by Bubbleology, but I’m just not that into it. I’ve been a few times to several different branches and it’s just overpriced for what it is. The only reason I would willingly decide to go to Bubbleology is to try bubble tea cocktails at their Soho branch. Otherwise… I’d rather save my pennies.

- Biju

Similar to Bubbleology in terms of price, but here you can actually see what you’re paying for. The bubble tea is brewed fresh, they use organic milk and fruit nectar instead of syrups or powders. I recommend if you’re in the mood for a fancy bubble tea, but might be a bit out of budget for a humble student with a bubble tea addiction like me.

2. Bristol

Bristol’s bubble tea scene is actually quite impressive. Although there isn’t an abundance of choice like in London, the places available provide a good range of choice.

- CUPP

Very fancy. Think Biju but even fancier. Loose-leaf teas mean you’ll actually have leaves in your tea. Highly recommend if you just love tea.

- Big Bao

A pretty good basic bubble tea. They have a good range of flavours and I’d definitely get boba there again, but they’re more about the food which I haven’t actually tried so I can’t make a judgement.

3. Warsaw 

There are a few bubble tea places in Warsaw, and I’m pretty sure they’re all on the same street. I’m not going to write about Bubbleology again, but I think there’s a branch there that I’ve tried. 

- Bubble Tea 7

I’ve been there a few times and wasn’t disappointed once. Great range of flavours and bubbles and quick service. Feels very homely.

4. Madrid

Of course, spending a few months there I had to find a good bubble tea place to make me feel at home. And I really did. 

- Wowble

Not much to write home about. I only got a boba from there once during the three months I lived there and I just didn’t think it was worth going back.

- ZenZoo

The first bubble tea place that rivalled Chaboba for me. I kept coming back and for a good reason. Their bubble teas were funky and refreshing and never disappointed. I miss it.

5. Athens

The only bubble tea place I could find in Athens. They do have a lot of really nice cocktail bars though if you fancy some variety. 

- Bubbletale

Probably the strangest bubble tea place I’ve been to. It’s circus-themed and the bubble teas are very wacky. I actually tried one of the yoghurt bubble teas and it was just… strange. 

6. Rome

Looking at the map, Rome had quite a few bubble tea places that I didn’t get a chance to try. Two days there wasn’t enough.

- Wok & Tea

This Chinese restaurant was the closest place selling bubble tea that was on the route of the tourist trip my partner took us on. The bubble tea was very concentrated, which was lovely given that after drinking half of it I filled up the cup with water and it still tasted like lemonade. (Before I proceeded to spill it all over my shirt but we don’t talk about that)

7. Naples

I believe this was the only bubble tea place in Naples but was it special.

- Qiyu Bar

I’ve never had anything like it. This little place was hidden in plain sight, tucked away on the main street near the Naples station. We had to translate the menu from Italian and struggled to order our teas. In the end, I’m not sure what I ordered but my cup was full of goodies I’ve never tried before. Tiny sago balls, grass jelly and pudding. Very worth it.

8. Kyiv 

Fun fact: my first bubble tea ever as a child was in Kyiv. Unfortunately, the place it was from seems to have shut down so we had to settle for the only place there that we could still find.

- The Fresh Tea Shop

It didn’t disappoint. I went twice, the first time getting an iced coffee with bubbles and the second it was something fruity with raspberry bubbles. Very tasty.

9. London

I came back to London equipped with a bubble tea bucket list, determined to try new places. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in London for very long so I haven’t managed to try many, but the ones I did try, I loved.

- Happy Lemon

My first time trying a Tiger Tea; tapioca pearls cooked in brown sugar which makes tiger-like stripes on the cup when poured in before the milk. It was amazing and converted me to brown sugar pearls. I absolutely fell in love.

- YiFang

I was expecting it to be quite fancy but unfortunately, I didn’t get to try the ‘Mudflip’ but I had a black tea with tapioca pearls, I think? And it was really tasty. The bubbles were unusually small but I liked it and it was overall really good. I definitely will go back.

10. Nottingham

I think the length of the list for Nottingham proves the severity of my addiction given that I’ve only been here since the end of September. But there are just so many to try I can’t help it.

- Hing Kee

The first bubble tea place I tried when I moved was this small family-owned business. What drew me in was its proximity to my accommodation but what made me stay was the homely atmosphere and the friendly owner. After only a few bubble teas, we were on a first-name basis and his efforts to make his shop environmentally friendly through a straw recycling scheme and selling reusable straws makes his bubble tea shop my absolute favourite.

- Marucha

Our campus bubble tea place. Quite fancy and expensive given that it’s on a university campus, but I have to admit, it’s very tasty. Also, cardboard straws instead of plastic? Yes, please.

- T4

I’ve only been there once and it was quite nice but I think I need to collect more data to draw a conclusion. So far so good!

- ZAAP

Okay, this isn’t specifically a bubble tea place but it is a Thai street food restaurant and one of the drink options is a bubble tea. And that Thai milk tea I had there once was actually very very good.

- Chatime

I’ve only been there once but I can see myself returning because I ordered a milk tea with brown sugar pearls and it was heavenly. I can never return to normal tapioca pearls now.

- Lily’s Umami

A very hidden gem. I ended up there a little bit by accident after missing my tram home. Instead of waiting out 15 mins at the tram stop I decided to go and try a new bubble tea place 2 minutes away. The tea was brewed fresh and it even appeared like the bubbles were made fresh just for us. Very tasty tea and I would most likely go back.

Here we have made it to the end of my gap year in bubble teas… and beyond. This has been long coming so although it might not be directly related to the rest of my blog; consider it a life update (and a cry for help.)

Love,

Agnes xo