beyond Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Bubble tea has seen some ups and downs in Singapore. The takeaway bubble tea shop first appeared circa 2001 and then, pardon the pun, the bubble burst a few years later when there was a surplus of chain stores, mom-and-pops ones, even hawker stalls. But now, the trend is back with a vengeance, the latest craze centred around brown sugar pearl milk. The beverage — a blend of fresh milk, brown sugar syrup and pearls — was created in Taiwan, the birth place of bubble tea, where customers queue for up to a crazy three hours just to buy brown sugar milk from Taiwanese bubble tea chain Tiger Sugar. The brand recently launched its first outlet in Singapore at Capitol Piazza to much fanfare and hour-long queues, with a second outlet opening this Saturday (December 8) at Chinatown Point. And suddenly, we see brown sugar pearl milk everywhere. What’s its appeal? As it’s made from purely fresh milk with rich brown sugar boiled to a caramelised finish and no tea, this drink doesn’t contain any caffeine. It’s also very pretty — the brown sugar syrup trickles in to form trippy patterns in the milk. Drinking it is also a fun experience: some brands like Tiger Sugar recommend that you shake the drink precisely 15 times to blend its ingredients before sipping it, while others like Chinese bubble tea chain MuYoo encourages you to taste their warm pearls and cold milk individually to experience the contrast in flavours before mixing it all up. Brown sugar milk is also creamier and packs a higher sugar content than the average bubble tea, ’cos the brands offering the drink do not allow you to customise a lower sugar level, unlike your usual bubble tea order. Considering that the Ministry of Health is recently considering a total ban or taxation on high-sugar drinks (Singapore has the highest prevalence of diabetes among developed nations), we wonder if the bubble tea craze here may soon see a clamp down. But if you're planning to sparingly drink only one cup of brown sugar pearl milk in the interest of health, we've made the choice easier. We tasted 12 brands from all over Singapore that offer the beverage — and ranked them from meh to yum so you can make that one cup count. Caveat: due to the logistical challenge of gathering 12 different drinks in one place, some of them were delivered to us, some tapow-ed and brought back to our office, others freshly prepared and slurped up onsite at the shops. Without further ado, here are the results, ranked from our least fave to favourite (scroll to the bottom for #1). 1/12 Koi Thé 12. Brown Sugar Milk, $4.70 Koi is usually our reliable go-to for a good cup of bubble tea, but oddly enough, they miss the mark when it comes to their version of this faddish drink. The brown sugar syrup had a disconcertingly artificial taste, and when mixed with the diluted milk, reminds us of… chendol with melted ice and gula melaka syrup coagulated into a soggy pool. The sugar overpowers the milk’s natural clean, creamy taste, and we couldn't manage more than a few sips. Instead of the usual black tapioca pearls, Koi uses golden pearls (tapioca mixed with golden brown sugar) that is firmer-textured than regular pearls. So if you’re used to pearls with a softer bite, this will not be the brown sugar pearl milk for you. 49 outlets including #B2-37C Ngee Ann City, 391 Orchard Rd, S238872. Tel: 6815-5488. Open daily 10am-10pm. 2/12 Eat 3 Bowls 11. Brown Sugar Pearls with Fresh Milk, $3.80 This cute classroom-themed cafe specialises in Taiwanese food. Specifically, lu rou fan (braised pork rice) and Taiwanese-style mee sua. Incidentally, it also serves its version of brown sugar pearl milk made with Magnolia full cream milk. We find the drink rather bland; there is barely any whiff of brown sugar syrup and the tapioca pearls are overcooked. But perhaps that is because the drink was delivered to us. To be fair, the cafe doesn’t specialise in selling bubble tea, so we can hardly expect the same kind of standard that we get from specialised chains. #01-61, 462 Crawford Lane, S190462. Tel: 9154-8191. Open daily except Mon, 10am-9pm. 3/12 True Boss 10. Brown Sugar Bubble Milk, $4.40 This new Taiwanese import at Yishun’s Northpoint City mall mainly offers fruit vinegar tea, but it also has a number of milk-based picks, like this Brown Sugar Bubble Milk. The milk tastes watered down, and the flavour of brown sugar is too mild. The pearls in this are also harder and more sugary compared to the other bubble tea brands'. #B2-134 Northpoint City, 1 Northpoint Dr, S768019. Open daily 11am-10pm. 4/12 Kungfu Tea 9. Pearl Milk with Brown Sugar, $3.30 The bubble tea brand from Taipei features pearls cooked with caramelised brown sugar, which perk up the otherwise unmemorable blah-tasting milk with a weak hint of brown sugar. #01-02A 51@Ang Mo Kio, 51 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, S5699922. Tel: 6747-6003. Open daily 11am-10pm. 5/12 Winnie's 8. Black Sugar Fresh Milk, $5.50 Also hailing from Taiwan, this rather obscure bubble tea brand opened its first outlet in October this year at Fusionopolis. Unlike the brown sugar that other bubble tea shops use, Winnie’s adds Taiwanese black sugar in its milk drink. Black sugar, made by boiling cane sugar till it becomes a thick dark syrup, has a more intense flavour compared to brown sugar, which is why we could detect a more intense, fragrant caramel note in this drink. The Meiji full cream milk used here comes with a dollop of bouncy house-made honey pearls, which are sadly too cloying for our liking. #01-34 Galaxis,1 Fusionopolis Place, S138522. Tel: 8128-8802. Open daily except Sun. Mon-Fri 11am-8pm; Sat 11am-2.30pm. 6/12 LiHo 7. Brown Sugar Pearl Fresh Milk, $3.60 Local bubble tea outfit LiHo follows the same recipe as its bubble tea counterparts for its brown sugar pearl milk. That is, fresh milk + brown sugar syrup + brown sugar pearls. We tried this freshly prepared, and it is not bad, from the caramel-spiked Farmhouse brand full cream milk to the al dente pearls. But it is also not mind-blowing. In case you forget they are the folks who first introduced cheese foam tea in Singapore, they also have a Salted Egg Lava version of the brown sugar pearl fresh milk, as well as an Avocado one. We gamely tried the salted egg drink. While the savoury salted egg yolk has a to-die-for sandy, viscous texture, it really has no business being in a milky drink. Back to custard buns you go, salted egg lava. Meanwhile, the avocado flavour reminds us of the famous avocado milk you could get from Alexandra Village Food Centre, only richer and with pearls. We couldn’t get used to this odd pairing, though. Over 60 outlets, including #B1-03 Wisma Atria, 435 Orchard Rd, S238877. Open daily 10am-10pm. 7/12 Kurotaki Chabann 6. Brown Sugar Milk with Pearl, $3.90 This under-the-radar Chinese bubble tea chain has over 1,700 outlets worldwide, and two in Singapore. It’s known for its tea that’s infused with Taiwanese brown sugar, though their milk version is also pretty yummy. The ratio of fresh milk to fragrant caramelised brown sugar is quite perfect, and not too sweet, plus the bouncy pearls are good to chew on. Kurotaki Chabann, two outlets include #B1-49 Citylink Mall, 1 Raffles Link, S039393. Tel: 8823-8800. Open daily 10am–10pm. 8/12 SuperTea 5. Brown Sugar Boba Milk, $4.90 SuperTea is the sister brand of Chinese bubble tea chain R&B Tea, also on this list. We were told by the company’s PR rep that the brown sugar pearl milk from the sister brands are the same, except R&B Tea’s version comes with an optional layer of cheese brûlée foam. Our takeaway brown sugar milk still tastes pretty fresh and creamy even after making the hour-long trek back to the 8 DAYS office, with a thick layer of brown sugar syrup still attractively perched atop the chilled Meiji full cream milk. Rich and fragrant with delightfully bouncy and caramelly pearls . 9 Raffles Blvd, Millenia Walk #01-75, S039596. Open daily 10am–9pm. 9/12 MuYoo 4. Dirty Drink, $3.90 We guess this drink is so named ’cos it’s a ‘dirty’ version of milk with the brown sugar syrup drizzled on it, and it’s also a more sinful drink compared to MuYoo’s signature light fruit-infused teas. Even after sitting around for a while, our fresh Farmhouse milk remains rather rich and moreish with a decadent dose of melted brown sugar and slightly warm brown sugar pearls (which MuYoo's staff said were served that way for a softer bite). We enjoy savouring the warm-cold contrast of the ingredients before we mix everything up to slurp. The Chinese brand’s attractive packaging with a cute, squat cup and colourful carrier also scores points with us. Three outlets including #B1-67 Raffles City, 252 North Bridge Rd S179103. Open daily 10am-10pm. 10/12 Bobii Frutii (8 DAYS Pick!) 3. Childhood Memory, $4.80 Hailing from Taiwan (where else?) with local actor Nat Ho as a Singapore franchise co-owner, Bobii Frutii’s selection of bubble teas involves fancy names like this Childhood Memory. Though we think only kids now will remember guzzling on brown sugar milk with brown sugar pearls as, er, kids. That said, we have good memories of sipping on this. The caramelised sugar syrup packs a lovely smoky-sweet flavour and is not overly saccharine, while the fresh Meiji milk is full-bodied. The icing on the cake (or cup, ha ha)? The faintly sweet house-made brown sugar pearls are served slightly warm and boast the right amount of chewiness. Two outlets including #02-376 Suntec City, 3 Temasek Blvd, S038983. Open daily 11am-10pm. 11/12 R&B Tea (8 DAYS Pick!) 2. Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cheese Brûlée, $5.80 We have found the secret to fabulous brown sugar pearl milk: cheese foam. While Chinese chain R&B Tea’s rendition is already very good on its own (fresh Meiji full-cream milk laced with dark, swirling globs of caramelised brown sugar and softly chewy pearls). Stir in a layer of cheese foam (available only at its Marina Bay Sands, Oasis Terraces and Toa Payoh outlets), which the staff sears with a blowtorch upon order, and the drink becomes even creamier, with a smoky finish. Complex, delicious and worth the steeper price tag. Six outlets, including #B2-50 Rasapura Masters food court, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave, S018956. Open daily Mon-Sat 10am-9pm; Sun 9am-9pm. 12/12 Tiger Sugar (8 DAYS Pick!) 1. Brown Sugar Boba + Pearl with Cream Mousse, $5.30 The ‘winner’ among all the brands we've tried. Tiger Sugar created the brown sugar pearl milk drink in Taiwan, and drew hysterical crowds when it arrived in Singapore recently last month. And we think there's substance behind the hype. Brown sugar, Meiji’s 4.3 Deluxe milk (a more premium offering from the dairy brand) and a mix of gigantic chewy tapioca pearls (called boba here) plus tinier, softer pearls mingle to form this beautifully striking drink with brown stripes like a tiger’s coat (hence, Tiger Sugar). Before you down your cup, you’re advised to shake it a total of 15 times. Why 15? “We did research and found it’s the ideal number of times to shake to blend the drink perfectly,” says Tiger Sugar MD, Trevor. For dairy lovers like us, this drink is just wonderful: indulgently creamy milk spiked with the sweet, earthy flavour of caramel syrup. The blend of big and small tapioca pearls adds fabulous texture. We also like that the mousse, made by whipping cream with an electric whisk, makes the drink extra luscious, yet not as jelak as we expected. Fun to slurp till the last drop. Our only grouse is the long queue at their shop, though we hope the crowd will be less insane once it opens its second outlet at Chinatown Point this Saturday (Dec 8). #B1-32 Capitol Piazza, 13 Stamford Rd, S178905. Open daily 11am-10pm. 1 I think about you. But I don't say it anymore -Marguerite Duras, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DynamiteZerg Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 All of them are diabetes in a cup 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamfer Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 I love milk but not going to try this. Too much sugar for an auntie liao.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beyond Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 21 minutes ago, chamfer said: I love milk but not going to try this. Too much sugar for an auntie liao.... ask for less sugar lah... I think about you. But I don't say it anymore -Marguerite Duras, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldMoon Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Way too much even if ask for less sugar.. the pearls are still sweet 19 minutes ago, beyond said: ask for less sugar lah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beyond Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 bth u all... lol... bo sic lobang complain... sic liao complain even more... whahhha!!! I think about you. But I don't say it anymore -Marguerite Duras, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators kokleong Posted December 12, 2018 Administrators Share Posted December 12, 2018 In for free bubble tea Proudly brought to you by Mugentech.net - Limitless Technology Portal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynical Ape Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 In conclusion: They all increase your blood sugar level. 1 Good content = Topics that genuinely encourages and stimulates interaction/banter. Bad content = Clickbaits, brag posts and social media news feed that nobody gives a flying fuck about + waste of server storage space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofero Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 11 hours ago, beyond said: ask for less sugar lah... I saw the article say one of them don't allow less sugar, cos it will affect the taste. Forgot which one Liao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beyond Posted December 13, 2018 Author Share Posted December 13, 2018 1 hour ago, Sofero said: I saw the article say one of them don't allow less sugar, cos it will affect the taste. Forgot which one Liao means got the other 11 to try mah..... lol..... I think about you. But I don't say it anymore -Marguerite Duras, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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