Bubble Tea to Try in Taiwan 2025
Wintering in one of Taiwan’s bubble tea hotspots, I have a perennial mission to try every new bubble tea chain. In my experience, the more suddenly popular a chain is, the more its quality can vary from store to store. Established chains won’t usually have this problem. For newer chains, check online ratings by storefront.
With that in mind, here’s a list of both institutions and upstarts that you need to try to call yourself a bubble tea connoiseur.
Institutions
50 Lan • 50嵐
50 Lan is everywhere, and they’re popular due to their high “CP值” (cost-performance ratio). Founded 1994, they can be sort of bland, but they’re reliable, easy to find, and cheap.
Try: Any fruit tea.
Cha Nung • 水巷茶弄
Founded 2003, Cha Nung has lots of rarer drink flavours and toppings. Ideal for people who like textures in their drinks.
Try: Aiyu gourd drink with collagen and basil seed, an excellent drink recommended to me by an auntie. (If you have trypophobia get the version without the basil seed.)
Ching Shin • 清心福全
Operating since 1987, they are best known for their jing cha, a type of oolong tea.
Try: Premium jing cha (oolong tea).
Chun Shui Tang • 春水堂
Originally founded 1983 and one of two chains claiming to be the first bubble tea store. They have a wide selection of drinks, Taiwanese street food, and other eats.
Try: Any of the seasonal drinks! Or the red bean milk tea.
CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice • 都可
Founded 1997 and one of my summer staples.
Try: Passionfruit lemon with coconut jelly and pearls.
Dayungs • 大苑子
Founded in 2001, they’re mostly focused on fruit juices though they have smoothies and teas as well.
Try: Guava lemon juice.
Tenren’s Tea • 天仁茗茶
Quality tea supplier since 1953. You can still buy loose leaf tea here, but why not grab some bubble tea as well?
Try: Any oolong tea. (Avoid their seasonal flavours; those can be hit-or-miss.)
Upstarts
A Nice Holiday • 一沐日
Once I was walking near Yongkang St when I smelled tea so aromatic I immediately backtracked to buy some.
Try: Tiewan milk tea.
Gui Ji • 龜記茗品
One of several new chains going for retro styling, Gui Ji is best known for fruit teas.
Try: Longan milk tea.
Hachiyo Tea • 八曜和茶
One of the new it chains — big recent expansion with huge line-ups at big street markets. Hachiyo’s menu focuses on healthy, grain-based drinks. Despite the branding and tie-ins, this chain is 100% Taiwanese.
Try: The signature Hachiyo tea.
Kebuke Tea • 可不可熟成紅茶
The chain that’s on everyone’s lips. Kebuke does a lot of branded collabs, but of course if you’re reading this you care about the drinks. Suprisingly their menu is less trend-chasing than a lot of chains’, with several unique offerings.
Try: Pomelo black tea with mixed berry jam.
Macu Tea • 麻古茶坊
Macu exploded in popularity in the last few years. They’re best known for their fruit offerings; their pure tea is okay.
Try: Any season-appropriate fruit smoothie.
Milksha • 迷客夏
Milksha are sort of established enough now that they’re no longer an upstart, and are now a favourite of aunties looking for a quick tea fix. I wouldn’t quite call them an institution yet though!
Try: Black tea latte with pearls.
Trizzo • 康青龍
A bit out of fashion nowadays, they have a good selection of teas and fruit teas to try.
Try: Earl grey fruit tea.
WooTEA • 五桐號
My eyes are always on what other people are drinking, and this is one brand that I’ve started to spot on the street.
Try: Wutong tea with almond jelly.
True Hipsters Only
Coffee Tea Or
For coffee drinkers who feel left out by bubble tea culture.
Try: Sorry, I’m a tea drinker, so I’m going with grapefruit oolong tea.
Like Tea Shop • 老賴茶棧
A traditional tea store that’s now found itself a bubble tea chain. Stores mostly found in Taichung, but there’s a few in Taipei. They also make their own soy milk and soy pudding.
Try: Black tea with soy milk.