8 crazy boba dishes across Asia that have gone viral

Chatto

From the southern Malaysian state of Johor, Chatto takes inspiration from the Japanese tea bar concept and incorporates imported teas from the Japanese prefecture of Shizuoka, Taiwan and China. Chatto claims to design their beverages with less sugar so that the final product is not cloyingly sweet, allowing the flavour of the tea to shine through.

Must-try drinks include Charcoal Pearl Oolong Tea and Matcha Pearl Latte.

Yumcha Tea Bar

If you’ve caught White Rabbit confectionery fever, you will have heard of this Malaysian-born tea establishment and its White Rabbit Milk Cha creation with blue-tinged pearls (butterfly-pea flower is the natural dye of choice).

For a competitive edge, the brand incorporates home-grown ingredients and local flavours such as durian and gula melaka (palm sugar), and uses natural sugar instead of the standard glucose solution. The matcha pearls are made from scratch in the central kitchen.

Don’t leave without sampling the Golden Cha with Golden Boba. Durian lovers, do try the Musang King Potong Milk Cha.

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The Hunter

A new addition to the list of bubble tea brands, The Hunter is arguably the most brazen of them all.

Launched in May, this newcomer has been turning heads with its logo, which has been said to be a blatant war-declaring move: an illustration of a man aiming a hunting rifle at a deer, a tiger and a dragon. For the uninitiated, the three animals are the mascots of The Alley, Tiger Sugar and JLD Dragon Milk Tea, respectively.

The Hunter has also taken jabs at other popular bubble tea brands by cleverly weaving their names into its own menu. For instance, one of its beverages is named after Taiwanese singer Jay Chou’s hit song Promised Happiness (說好的幸福呢), which is seen to be a jibe at rival Xin Fu Tang.

One thing’s for sure: we’re definitely going to enjoy watching this war go down while sipping bubble milk tea.

Chawanjia

Calling itself “a pioneer of the pearl milk tea in Taiwan”, this Taiwanese brand takes pride in the top-quality ingredients and tea preparation processes – it’s said that the alpine tea leaf used is charcoal-roasted for eight hours to bring out a mild malty scent. Apparently, it took 30 years of craftsmanship for the brand to achieve the kind of pearls it now sells.

The pearls are made with traditional Taiwanese techniques, are soaked in fresh fruit juice, and come in different flavours. Choose from mango, dragon fruit, tang yuan-like rainbow pearls and cherry blossom-inspired sakura pearls.

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Royaltea

Originating from China, Royaltea is the first bubble milk tea brand to start the cheese tea fad in Malaysia. It introduced a combination of Taiwanese black tea and creamy European cheese – a unique and moreish sweet-savoury pairing. Order the Royal Cheese Oolong Tea with pearls or sample their Durian Milk series, a variety of drink bases topped with bright yellow durian-flavoured foam.

Möge Tee

Also from China, Möge Tee sets itself apart with the promise of zero trans fat in its drinks so you can enjoy every sip guilt-free. Bestsellers include their cheese-fruit concoctions – Cheese Watermelon Tea, anyone? – but Möge Tee’s most popular creation has got to be their pillow-soft, made-to-order soufflé.

So, if Hainan chicken didn’t come from Hainan, where is it from?

Chun Yang Tea

An entrant from Taipei, bubble tea aficionados would know about this brand that is well-loved by the locals and counts celebrities like musician Jay Chou, actor-model Godfrey Gao and TV host Dee Hsu as loyal fans. In Malaysia, the brand opened its first store in Kuching, Sarawak in September 2018 and then unveiled its newest branch in Damansara’s 1 Utama Shopping Centre earlier this year.

Of note is the fact that artificial milk powder is not used, in a bid to preserve the natural taste of the tea. Signature drinks include Oolong Tea with Honey Lemon and Cheese Macchiato Black Tea.

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