Bubble tea, boba tea, pearl tea – whatever your preferred name for this delicious drink, it has taken Australia by storm. With its origins dating back to the 1980s in Taiwan, what was originally a simple milk tea with the addition of tapioca pearls (the ‘bubbles’ in bubble tea), has since morphed into a mind-boggling range of flavours, tea types, toppings, foams, mousses – even different dishes altogether, like bubble tea pizza and hotpot!
To help uncover the best bubble tea in Australia, we brought in three expert international taste-testers and bubble tea fans from TAFE South Australia to give us their unbiased review on some of the country’s most popular teas. As current hospitality students, our panel of judges was the perfect choice for determining quality and customer satisfaction.
The taste testers
- San – studying Certificate IV in Hospitality. Favourite bubble tea is Thai milk tea, a fan of sweetness and foam.
- Nini – studying Certificate IV in Hospitality. Her tea of choice is a unique toffee oolong milk tea.
- Yuka – studying Bachelor of Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management. Loves anything taro.
The methodology
Each bubble tea was ranked out of five (with five being the highest and best score) across five different categories. These were:
- Presentation
- Smell
- Flavour balance
- Quality of toppings/extras
- Level of refreshment
We chose to review the most popular or signature bubble tea orders from four of Australia’s best-known bubble tea chains, and one up-and-coming store in Adelaide. To avoid any brand bias, we conducted a blind taste test, with each bubble tea poured into a plain cup. For each drink, we chose the standard level of sugar with no ice to avoid flavour dilution.
The results
Gong cha Milk Foam Green Tea
Cost: $6.20
Taste tester reactions:
Not strictly a ‘bubble’ tea, as it was missing the quintessential tapioca pearls, this pretty tea, with its layer of thick foam, was a hit with our testers. Despite being a blind tasting, San was already able to recognise the smell, questioning whether this was “green or jasmine tea?”
Upon tasting, San exclaimed:
“I love it!”
Yuka seconded San, while Nini wasn’t so sure.
“The taste is alright… the aftertaste is a little bitter, but a nice bitter. It’s bittersweet!”
The foam was a universal favourite for our judges, and overall the tea’s freshness left everyone wanting more.
Presentation average: 4/5
Smell average: 3.5/5
Flavour balance average: 4.5/5
Quality of toppings/extras average: 4.5/5
Level of refreshment average: 4/5
Overall average score: 4.1/5
CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice 3 Guys Milk Tea
Cost: $7
Taste tester reactions:
This was the test’s most ‘extra’ tea, with not only pearls, but grass jelly and vanilla pudding.
“The black jelly is soft, the pudding is thick, but both are so good!” Nini expressed.
“This is what I expect when I hear ‘bubble tea,” shares Yuka.
While San, our self-confessed sugar lover, was a big fan of this tea, Nini and Yuka found CoCo’s 3 Guys a little too sweet. It was Yuka’s first time tasting a bubble tea with toppings, and she wasn’t too sure about the dessert-like additions to her drink, while Nini and San liked the freshness of the grass jelly and the richness of the pudding.
Presentation average: 4.5/5
Smell average: 4.5/5
Flavour balance average: 4/5
Quality of toppings/extras average: 4/5
Level of refreshment average: 3.5/5
Overall average score: 4.1/5
Hi Tea Taro Puple Rice Bobo Tea
Cost: $7
Taste tester reactions:
From the very beginning, Hi Tea’s popular drink option was easily the most divisive of all the teas tested. From the swirling purple and milky brown tea presentation, our judges were able to correctly identify this as taro-flavoured – something which Yuka loves, but Nini and San don’t.
Despite having a sweet-tooth, this tea was too sugary for even San, while Nini found the taro pearls and purple rice were “powdery” and unpleasant.
In the end, on one side, we had San’s concise review:
“I really don’t like it.”
Meanwhile, Yuka was on team taro.
“I really love taro… this has such an interesting flavour.”
Presentation average: 4/5
Smell average: 4/5
Flavour balance average: 3.5/5
Quality of toppings/extras average: 3/5
Level of refreshment average: 4/5
Overall average score: 3.7/5
Chatime Premium Pearl Milky Iced Tea
Cost: $6.15
Despite having 120 stores across Australia, bubble tea giant Chatime wasn’t impressing our taste testers. The tea and milk had seemingly separated, giving the drink unpleasant, murky swirls. San felt the flavour balance was completely off, leaving the drink “watery” but the tea “too strong”. Yuka likened the taste to that of shiso, a herb in the mint family that is commonly used in Japanese cooking.
Overall, the drink was simply average. The pearls were “standard” and met expectations, and the refreshment level was so-so. However, there is clearly still something behind this being the country’s most popular bubble tea chain…
“I want more… it’s addictive!” exclaims Yuka.
Presentation average: 2/5
Smell average: 4/5
Flavour balance average: 2/5
Quality of toppings/extras average: 3.5/5
Level of refreshment average: 3/5
Overall average score: 2.9/5
YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea YiFang Fruit Tea
Cost: $7.20
Taste tester reactions:
This was the only tea without a milk-base that was reviewed. Packed with fresh fruit, the drink was an instant hit with our judges, with presentation and smell scoring 5 out of 5 before the tea was even tasted.
When our expert taste testers were able to take a sip, it was huge smiles from everyone.
“I love the passionfruit. Both the taste and the smell aren’t too strong, and they’re balanced with the orange and the apple – it’s a great mixture,” shared San, giving the flavour balance a firm 5 out of 5.
“I could drink this every day, especially in the summertime,” was Yuka’s summary.
Presentation average: 5/5
Smell average: 5/5
Flavour balance average: 4.5/5
Quality of toppings/extras average: 4.5/5
Level of refreshment average: 5/5
Overall average score: 4.8/5
The winners!
After a sugary hour-long taste test, we were able to hand out the award for best bubble tea in Australia – YiFang’s Fruit Tea! Despite not having any of the traditional bubbles, this refreshing tea was the favourite choice for our judges. Packed with pineapple jam, fresh orange, apple and passionfruit and jade tea, this drink should be your go-to on a hot day.
Meanwhile, in joint second place was Gong cha’s best-selling Milk Foam Green Tea and CoCo’s topping-packed 3 Guys.
So… which tea will you try next?
TAFE South Australia is one of the largest vocation education and training providers in Australia. If you are looking for a qualification that aligns with industry needs, a higher education course, or a university pathway, check out a TAFE SA International Scholarship to start your next study journey today.
