Tag: LiHO

10 New Bubble Tea Options In Singapore That Are Not Gong Cha Or Koi

If there’s anything that 2018 gave us, it was a slew of new bubble tea brands – not that we’re complaining.

Over the years, we’ve seen bubble tea stores come and go – from the good ol’ days of Sweet Talk to big name chains like Gong Cha, Koi and LiHo conquering the BBT game. But in recent months, many new bubble tea kiosks have been springing up, giving those long standing favourites a run for their money.

If you’re looking for to switch up your go to order, here are 10 new bubble tea brands you should totally hunt down in 2019.

1. Ten Ren Tea

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Ten Ren Tea was established in 1953 and is THE leading tea retailer in Taiwan. That’s not all, they have over 2000 outlets in Australia, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, and North America.

The 800-square feet store at ChinaTown Point offers bubble tea, traditional tea drinks, as well as tea leaves, snacks and tea ware.

Ten Ren Tea puts a spin on our traditional teas with our love for bubble, sourcing quality tea leaves from the mountains of Taiwan. A must-try here is its signature 913 King’s Oolong Tea Latte ($3.50 for medium, $4.90 for large). Another popular pick is the Taro Green Tea Latte ($4.70 for medium, $6.50 for large).

Ten Ren Tea
Address: Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Rd, #01-07, Singapore 059413
Opening Hours: Daily: 10am – 10pm
Contact no.: 6593 4333
Website

2. TP Tea

Bless the bubble tea gods as TP Tea is considered Singapore’s first 24hrs Taiwanese Bubble Tea shop – which means they’re open to satisfy your 3am cravings. They’re also Halal-certified which provides a peace-of-mind to Muslim customers.

The bestseller at TP Tea includes the Tie Guan Yin Tea Latte ($4.60) which uses premium tea leaves from Taiwan and Pearl Black Tea Latte with Red Bean ($5.30). The star on the menu is also the Pearl Milk Tea Soft Serve Ice Cream ($3.60) which comes topped with sweet, chewy QQ Pearls made fresh every 3 hours.

TP Tea Changi Airport
Address: Level 2 (Departure Hall) Changi Airport Terminal, 260 Airport Boulevard, Singapore 819643
Opening Hours: 24 hours, daily
Website

TP Tea Suntec City
Address: Suntec City, #01-312, 3 Temasek Boulevard Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm, daily
Website

3. Hollin

Gone are the days of basic black pearls. Hollin, which in Hokkien means “Good to drink”, specialises in freshly made pearls.

Other than the Honey White Pearl which is a fixed flavour, you can expect daily rotating pearl flavours with the likes of Cocoa, Matcha and Coconut. So if you happen to be craving for a particular flavour, you have to head down on the day itself or you’ll end up waiting for another week for your bubble tea fix. Pearls are priced at an additional $0.70 for both Medium and Large cups.

A must-try is their signature Matcha Latte ($4.20) which has a subtle bitterness from the matcha powder. You can also get the Hollin Black Tea Latte ($3.20 medium, $4.20 large) has a strong floral flavour from the roasted tea leaves.

Hollin
Address: Blk 190 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, #01-538, Singapore 310190
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm, daily
Contact No.: 6252 2456
Website

4. HEYTEA

Touted as the OG creator of cheese teas, the highly-raved Chinese tea connoisseur finally made its way to Singapore back in November.

We recommend getting the King Fone ($5.50) which uses premium Oolong tea leaves that have been smoked to bring out the strong fragrance of the tea. The saltiness from the cheese foam gives the brew a savoury kick with every sip.

HEYTEA will be opening their second outlet at Clarke Quay and adding alcoholic bubble tea creations to the menu.

HEYTEA
Address: 2 Orchard Turn, #B4-29, Singapore 238801
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm, daily
Website

5. Answer Tea

Have a question you don’t have an answer to? Answer Tea may be able to help you out. Simply write your questions on the cup holder and order a drink from their Macchiato Series (from $4.30) and you’ll get your answer printed on the surface of your macchiato froth with edible ink.

If you need a drink for the ‘gram, we highly recommend the Lemon Butterfly Milk Tea with Black Pearl (from $4.20) which has a gorgeous blue hue derived from butterfly pea flowers.

Answer Tea
Address: Dhoby Ghaut MRT, B2, Singapore 238826
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm, daily
Contact No.: 9117 1277
Website

6. MuYoo

As if we don’t have enough options already, here’s another newcomer to the cheese tea scene: MuYoo. Launched by a Singaporean duo, the brand claims to have a healthier version of cheese tea compared to everyone else.

Its signature “Cheese Cloud,” is whipped up with a mixture of “naturally derived milk powder” from New Zealand, cheese powder from Holland, and sea salt from Bolivia. This is what makes their cheese tea different, since the other brands usually use creamer, which is full of trans fat and artificial flavouring.

You can get that “Cheese Cloud” as an add-on to standard cold-brewed teas like Roasted Oolong ($3.50-$3.90) and Lapsang Souchong ($3.90-$4.50).

MuYoo
Address: 252 North Bridge Road #B1-67 Raffles City Shopping Centre Singapore 179103 (City Hall MRT)
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm, daily
Website

MuYoo+
Address: Bedok Mall, 311 New Upper Changi Road, #01-94 (Bedok MRT)
Opening Hours: 9am – 11pm, daily

7. Tiger Sugar

Those who have had a sip of this drink have claimed that the hype is very real, dubbing it as the most popular milk tea in Taipei.

Since its opening late last year, Tiger Sugar has been getting all the hype from hard core milk tea lovers in Taipei. They got their name from the ‘tiger stripes’ it forms when the caramalised syrup mixes with the thick milk tea mixture.

Many have praised their Brown Sugar Fresh Milk for its undiluted taste, a mistake often made by most bubble tea stores who scrimp on flavour affecting the overall taste and experience of milk tea addicts.

Tiger Sugar – Capitol Singapore
Address: Capitol Singapore #B2-32, 13 Stamford Road, Singapore 178905
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm, daily

Tiger Sugar – Chinatown Point
Address: 133 New Bridge Road #B1-42 Singapore 059413
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm, daily

8. Bobii Frutii

Brought over from Taiwan by local actor, Nat Ho, Bobii Frutii puts a spin on bubble tea with colourful drinks and quirky drink names.

Known for its colourful pearls, Bobbii Frutii have since attracted crowds to both their outlets at Clementi Mall and Suntec City due to its distinct coloured and “Instagram-worthy” layers. Each drink is made using milk, tea, colourful pearls with no artificial flavouring, man-made essences, preservatives and creamer.

The menu features a total of 37 drinks divided into 5 categories – Tea Au Lait, Ice Blended, Matcha, Fruit Tea and Cheese Tea (exclusive to Singapore). The pearls come in 3 different flavours – Original, Butterfly Pea and Brown Sugar and are made made in Taiwan and air flown to Singapore to ensure freshness and consistency.

Get the signature Mermaid’s Tears, which a blend of Butterfly Pea extract, Mango Juice with honey, yogurt and butterfly bobii.

Bobii Frutii The Clementi Mall
Address: 3155 Commonwealth Avenue West, The Clementi Mall, #04-K4, Singapore 129588
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm daily

Bobii Frutii Suntec City
Address: 3 Temasek Blvd, #02-376, Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm daily
Website

9. Bober Tea

A new contender to the ever-expanding bubble tea scene is Bober Tea. Situated right outside Bishan MRT, Bober Tea serves unique concoctions using premium ingredients. What makes them stand out amongst the other bubble tea joints is their strict philosophy of serving beverages that take on the pure authentic flavours of the ingredients used as well as their emphasis on keeping their drinks as healthy as possible.

Bober Tea seems to be very popular for their Brown Sugar Boba Milk Cap Fresh Milk, the drink that has been in trend as of late. If you’re a huge match fan, then you’ll love the Uji Matcha Latte – made using pure matcha powder and fresh milk.

Other creative blends from by Bober Tea includes the Hokkaido Milk Cap Green Tea, Matcha Strawberry Latte and Black Glutinous Rice Milk Tea.

Bober Tea
Address: 200 Bishan Road, #01-01, Singapore 579827
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm daily
Website

10. R&B Tea

R&B Tea provides the perfect blend for those with a sweet tooth.

The Brown Sugar Boba Milk is a must try for everyone as the pearls are soaked in brown sugar and slow cooked for a full 3 hours. And if that isn’t enough sugar for you, get the Brown Sugar Boba Milk With Cheese Brulee which is only available at their Marina Bay Sands outlet.

R&B Tea
Address: Find your nearest outlet here
Website

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[REVIEW] We Spent $5.90 On LiHo’s New Salted Egg Bubble Tea So You Don’t Have To

Will the salted egg yolk trend ever die out?

The short answer is: No, it won’t.

Just when we thought we’ve had enough of the Salted Egg trend, LiHo decided to surprise us with their latest creation during the CMYK Flea Market.

Introducing their latest bubble tea – Salted Egg Lava Brown Sugar Pearl Fresh Milk ($4.90/$5.90)

https://www.facebook.com/lihosg/photos/a.141429665902858/1913082468737560/?type=3&theater

We have salted egg crab, salted egg potato chips and heck even salted egg lava cake. Do we REALLY need salted egg in our bubble tea as well?

So the team headed out on this fine sunny afternoon to see if this drink was worth a try.

Let It Flow, Let It Flow

If you were there at the CMYK Flea Market over the past weekend, you might’ve seen long snaking queues in front of LiHo for their latest Salted Egg Bubble Tea.

It was initially advertised as a one-time thing at the CMYK Flea Market. However, we’re guessing the response on the day changed their mind as the drink is now available in three of their outlets: Bugis+, Vivo City and Suntec City.

First Thoughts

Upon reaching their outlet at Bugis+, I noticed that there was a queue forming at LiHo at 3pm on a Thursday.

As I watched them prepare my drink, I was impressed by the generous amount of salted egg that they poured into the drink. And in that moment, I knew this drink was going to be a complete sugar overload.

When the lady behind the counter handed over my drink, I couldn’t help but notice the slight judgement in her face as though she was secretly telling me, “You’re going to regret this.”

Of course, she smiled at me wearily and told me to “Enjoy!” – whatever that means.

First Sip

Now I was expecting a velvety, smooth drink but I was wrong.

Oh boy, I was so wrong.

Firstly, it was completely tough to drink it because the salted egg was thick, the pearls were clumped together and I could barely taste the milk. Instead of it all mixing together nicely, I was tasting three different elements instead.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t terrible. The taste of the salted egg was great – reminds me of a freshly steamed liu sha bao. However the texture of the drink threw me off.

After getting the entire office to try this drink, no one liked it.

In fact, everyone was completely confused by the taste and texture. Some preferred if the drink was thicker and creamier whereas some just felt that Salted Egg and Bubble Tea should never be combined.

The drink was pretty jelak for us after 3 sips because it was just too sweet for our liking.

Honestly, if this drink came in a dessert form, we would’ve been all for it. Pour the salted egg sauce all over a pudding and we’ll gladly eat it.

If you were to ask us if we’d ever buy it again, sadly, it’s a no from us.

We love you salted egg, but perhaps you should just stay out of our bubble teas from now onwards.

If you do love salted egg, try it out and let us know what you think!

LiHo Bugis+
Address: 201 Victoria St, #03-29/30 Singapore 188067
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm daily

LiHo Suntec City
Address: 3 Temasek Boulevard, #03-379 Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm daily

LiHo Vivo City
Address: #01-111, Vivo City, 1 Harbourfront Walk, 098585
Opening Hours: 10.30am – 10.30pm daily

Also Read From Korean Sandwiches To Steaks, Here Are 10 New Eateries In Century Square Worth Checking Out

(Header Image Source: LiHo Singapore Facebook, Discover SG)

Goodbye Gong Cha, LiHo Is Taking Over – We Tried Their New Cheese Bubble Tea To See If They’re Worth It

Bubble tea lovers, and specifically Gong Cha lovers, we’ve got some very bad news for you.

Gong Cha will be shuttering all its stores, and in its place will be a new home-grown bubble tea brand–LiHo.

Change is already underway, with 30 Gong Cha outlets already converted into LiHo shops. By 5 June 2017, all 80 Gong Cha outlets island-wide will be replaced. #RIPGongCha

Long story short, this drastic change comes because of a change in ownership of Gong Cha’s parent company, leading to new franchising terms that are no longer favourable to its Singapore franchisee, RTG Holdings.

LiHo – Singapore’s Newest Bubble Tea Spot 

Brought to you by the same RTG Holdings, LiHo is Singapore’s answer to Gong Cha with a very cheesy twist!

For those of you who don’t speak Hokkien, LiHo translates into ‘How are you?’.

Not only is the phrase quintessentially Singaporean, it distances the brand from its predecessor. Aside from the name change, here are some things we’ll be saying goodbye to and some new things we can get excited about.

New Flavours 

The biggest pull at LiHo is their new line of Cheese flavoured drinks. Yes, CHEESE flavoured.

While some of you might recoil in disgust at the mere thought of having cheese added to your bubble tea, the cheese flavour will only be in the froth of the tea! From Cheese Black Tea to Cheese ‘n’ Choc Smoothie, you won’t find these unique flavours at any other bubble tea shop.

We managed to try a few of their cheese bubble teas and were honestly quite underwhelmed by the experience.

There was no discernible cheese flavour, and even when we tasted the foam directly, the cheese flavour was very, very subtle. Some of our colleagues did note that the cheese froth tastes similar to the salty froth you find in some of Gong Cha’s teas, so that’s good news!

While there are novel additions to LiHo’s menu, Gong Cha lovers will be pleased to know that there are old favourites that taste exactly the same!

Keen to try something different? The Cheese Guan Yin Ji is a good bet. Traditional Chinese tea with milk, this tea is a refreshing addition to the menu.

Looking  for something that’s both sweet and refreshing? LiHo has a range of Lemon & Vitagen beverages. The crowd-pleaser, Fresh Lemon Juice Honey, is tagged at $2.90 for a medium-sized cup and the array of Vitagen beverages go for $3.60 – $4.50.

New Packaging 

Another change we were pretty psyched about was their new packaging. LiHo has given the old bubble tea cup–complete with its plastic sheet cover–an upgrade. Firm, reusable plastic containers with plastic lids are what your LiHo bubble teas will come in. Not only is it a sleeker option, the lid lets you choose between sipping from the cup or drinking from a straw!

LiHo’s plastic cups are re-usable so we foresee our kitchens filling up with empty LiHo cups!

Price Points 

The classic milk teas at LiHo will set you back between $2.80 – $3.50 for a medium sized cup and $3.80 – $4.50 for a large cup. Cheese smoothie drinks come in a standard large and will set you back a jaw-dropping $6.90!

While the serving is generous, the price tag is pretty steep for bubble tea. That said, most of the large-sized drinks will cost you under $5. (Phew!)

Price-wise, add-ons like custard pudding and Nata de Coco are comparable to other bubble tea spots, with only the cheese froth setting you back $2.

Out With Old And In With The New 

In all, the new LiHo has a more ‘atas’ vibe, with its sleeker, higher quality cups and lids. They definitely have the novelty factor with their cheese flavoured drinks. Their drink selection is also significantly smaller, at 2/3 the size of Gong Cha’s. The price point is also higher, which is a big deterrent for us long-time lovers of Gong Cha.

With Gong Cha stores still open from now till 5 June, you’ll want to make sure you get as much Gong Cha in before they disappear across the country!

Want to try LiHo for yourself? Head to their outlets at Bedok Mall, Bugis+, Bukit Merah Central and Tiong Bahru. While we were lucky enough to avoid long queues when we headed down, we can’t guarantee the wait time will stay short once word gets out!

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