I once joked to a friend that I will soon drink up to 50 different Brown Sugar Bubble Milk in Singapore. Looks like I am not too far from this ‘goal’ (especially when I didn’t include every cup I drank here).
There have been various reports of late stating how unhealthy Brown Sugar Milk with Pearls can be, containing high sugar content of up to 18.5 teaspoons of sugar. Gasp.
Still, it doesn’t seem to deter Singaporeans… just look at those queues outside the bubble tea shops.
Part of the appeal is the sensation of chewing on those boba pearls, the contrast of warm boba and cold milk, and that a cool drink like this in the hot Singapore weather is just quite shiok.
There is also the instagrammable and trend factor, in which friends and colleagues may say, “You mean you haven’t tried XXX brand?!” Well, don’t give in to peer pressure.
I generally find most of the drinks too sweet, so if the shops can reduce the sugar level, it will be great. For health reasons, I also try not to take more than a cup per week, or at least share the drink with a friend. (So don’t scream at me if I didn’t include your favourite brand here.)
Here are 30 Brown Sugar Milk / Milk Tea in Singapore, just for your reference. Remember, take in moderation.
Tiger Sugar
Capitol Singapore, 13 Stamford Road, Singapore 178905
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
(Also available at Chinatown Point, Orchard Paragon, Northpoint City)
Tiger Sugar has already garnered a large fanbase from Taiwan, Hong Kong, to Singapore.
This outlet at the basement of Capitol Singapore (previously known as Capitol Piazza) is Tiger Sugar first foray in South East Asia. It has opened other branches at Orchard Paragon, Chinatown Point and Northpoint City.
The Tiger Sugar name comes from the ‘tiger stripes’ formed when the dark brown sugar syrup interacts with the thick milk in the cup. However, the ‘tiger stripes’ will fully dissolve within a minute and consumers are urged to act fast if they want to take pictures.
Get the Brown Sugar Boba Milk ($5.30) or Brown Sugar Boba and Pearls with Cream Mousse ($5.30) which is a combination of bigger tapioca boba and smaller pearls.
I thought that the caramelised part, made up of 4 different types of Taiwanese brown sugar, was the most appealing with its distinct aroma. The boba pearls were slightly soft to the liking of some.
All-in-all, a tasty, refreshing cup. Plus, they use whiskey-grade ice. Tiger Sugar Singapore (Capitol Singapore)
HEYTEA Singapore
ION Orchard Mall, 2 Orchard Turn, #B4-29, Singapore 238801 (Orchard MRT)
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
(Also available at Clarke Quay)
HEYTEA Singapore 喜茶 at ION Orchard B4 – known for their cheese teas and fruit teas, has launched upgraded versions of Brown Sugar Bubble Milk Tea – Brûlée Bobo Tea & Oreo Bobo Tea.
The “brûlée” effect is achieved by first topping the cup with smooth cream foam, sprinkled over with brown sugar bits, then torched lightly for just a couple of seconds – all to get that thin crunch and sweet sugary fragrance.
For the base of the drink, you can choose between fresh milk or fresh milk tea. The level of sweetness of amount of pearls can also be adjusted to your liking.
Between the two, I personally preferred the Fresh Milk for the taste of pure creaminess and fuller mouth-feel. HEYTEA Bobo Milk Tea (ION Orchard)
The Alley Luxe
Orchard Cineleisure Level 2 Singapore 239695
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
The Alley Singapore – Jewel Changi Airport
78 Airport Boulevard Jewel Changi Airport #B2-273 Singapore 819666
Opening Hours: 24 hours
This Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($5.30) contains the signature Deerioca, delicate yet chewy tapioca meticulously brewed for more than 4 hours in The Alley’s all-natural brown sugar.
Made with Japanese grade fresh milk, this smooth and creamy beverage can be customised in terms of sweetness.
A visual stunner with its beautiful gradient effect, the draw to me are its pearls. Before stirring the portion up, you can actually take a quick suck to experience that warm sensation contrasted with the cold milk.
There was a certain caramelised sweetness, and each slightly sweet boba pearl is satisfying to the bite because of its QQ texture.
R&B 巡茶 Outlets
Marina Bay Sands, #B2-50 Canal Level (at Rasapura Masters) Singapore 018972
Marina Square @ Cookhouse, 6 Raffles Boulevard #04-101/102 Singapore 039594
Toa Payoh, 470 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 Singapore 310470
Singapore Polytechnic, Foodcourt 4 AeroHub (AE106) Singapore 139651
Oasis Terraces, 681 Punggol Drive #B1-03 Singapore 820681
R&B 巡茶, more commonly known as R&B Tea, serves up Brown Sugar Boba Milk with Cheese Brûlée (Marina Bay Sands pricing Regular $5.80, Large $6.50. Other outlets Regular $4.80).
A cup would include pearls cooked in brown sugar, poured in with chilled milk, topped with cream cheese then torched.
It is also coated with brown sugar glaze that looks like the stripes of a tiger. Thus, they gave this drink the name “老虎出巡” – which literally means “a tiger taking its journey”.
There is no ‘correct’ way to drink this, but a recommended method is to take a sip of the pearls first, to appreciate the softness and chewiness. Cooked for more than 3 hours with an in-house, recipe these are actually some of the best boba I had in recent times.
You would notice that the bottom of the cups is actually warm as you hold it, so there is some thrill in the contrast of hot and cold temperatures.
That is not all, there is a layer of smooth and savoury cheese cream on top, sprinkled with brown sugar bits then torched, for a layer of caramelized crust. Generally, I know quite a number of people who enjoys R&B Tea – a safe choice. R&B 巡茶 (Marina Bay Sands)
CHICHA San Chen 吃茶三千
313 Orchard Road, #03-41 313@Somerset, Singapore 238895
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Originating from Taichung, Taiwan, CHICHA San Chen 吃茶三千 was founded in 1998 with a mission to make quality freshly brewed teas accessible to discerning tea drinkers.
What is interesting is that they use a Teapresso machine that allows more than 1,000 custom settings and three-stage temperature control brewing technique to bring out the tea’s best flavour and natural scent. So do prepared to wait a little while for your drinks.
While their Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar Bubble ($5.00) is slightly on the sweet size, there was distinct caramelised taste, and bubbles were quite chewy and delicious too. A crowd favourite.
Milksha – Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard #02-375/376 Suntec City Mall Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Milksha’s Brown Sugar Milk ($4.60, additional $1.00 for honey pearls) has a different take here.
Firstly, the brown sugar is prepared from scratch, ie the brown sugar imported from Taiwan is mixed, heated and stirred thoroughly till it becomes the molten liquid form. No pre-mixes or syrups are used.
The boba or bubbles used are honey pearls, freshly cooked, then frozen before being air-flown directly to Singapore.
Instead of using dried pearls, Milksha invests in quick freeze technology to maintain the texture and taste consistency of each pearl.
Thus, you would find that the pearls have this honeyed-sweetness and are more chewy than usual. Also the brown sugar taste doesn’t overwhelm the whole cup. Milksha (Suntec City)
Yifang Fruit Tea
Orchard Gateway #B1-01, 277 Orchard Road Singapore 238858
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
This popular Taiwanese brand serves up two types of Brown Sugar drinks – Brown Sugar Pearl Latte ($5.30, $6.30), and Brown Sugar Pearl Black Tea Latte ($5.30, $6.30). Note that the sweetness and ice levels are fixed.
For the cup, you can experience ’gao gao’ (rich) brown sugar that doesn’t overkill on the sweetness level.
The way to take the perfect Instagram shot, is also to invert the drink over, and for the brown sugar to form patterns as it ‘waterfalls’ down.
Nayuki – Vivocity
Vivocity, #01-207 1 Harbourfront Walk, Singapore 098585 (Harbourfront MRT)
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
With over 180 stores across China and well-loved by celebrities, this flagship at Vivocity is Nayuki’s 1st overseas outlet.
Nayuki’s version of Fresh Milk Black Pearl 鲜奶黑珍珠 ($4.50) comes in a sleek bottle.
What you get is fresh milk topped with chewy tapioca pearls steeped in rich brown sugar. It is recommended to first take sips of the pearls to experience the aromatic caramelised brown sugar first before shaking.
There are pros and cons of this being stored in a bottle. While it is convenient for storage, people may have the perception that it is not as “fresh” as those made on the spot.
MuYoo+
Bedok Mall, 311 New Upper Changi Road, #01-94 (Bedok MRT)
Opening Hours: 9am – 11pm (Mon – Sun)
www.facebook.com/MuYooSG
Not every store serves the boba pearls warm, but MuYoo+ does.
There are three recommended ways to have this “Dirty Drink”. First, you suck up the brown sugar cooked pearls from the straw, and experience the warm, chewy sensation.
Then, you take a sip of the milk and enjoy the contrast of hot-boba and cold-milk.
After which, you mix it all up and relish the milk with the caramel-like sweetness.
The brown sugar drink here hits the right notes, but I personally wished that the cup was bigger so that there would be a higher drink to boba ratio. MuYoo+ (Bedok Mall)
TP-Tea
Suntec City #01-312, 3 Temasek Boulevard Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
(Also available at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Level 2)
TP-Tea is known to be the first Halal-certified bubble tea shop in Singapore.
Having the Halal-certification makes sure that the all ingredients are from Halal sources, from the tea, matcha, pearls to jellies; and that also includes the entire process of managing ingredients.
The Brown Sugar Milk Tea is available in Tie Guan Yin Latte and Pearl Milk Tea options, and you can also opt for soy milk for the latte.
The pearls are smaller than usual, making it quite fun to chew. While I thought it was slightly on the sweet side (cannot choose sugar level), there was an appealing smokiness in the brown sugar which made it different from the other usual brands.
Bober Tea
Bishan MRT, 200 Bishan Road #01-01 Singapore 579827
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
This bubble tea shop located just outside Bishan MRT station enjoys a steady crowd. Other than its best-selling Roasted Oolong Milk Tea ($3.50) and Black Sugar Konjac Milk Tea ($4.00), people also go for its Brown Sugar Boba Fresh Milk ($5.00).
The drink was quite tasty, using smooth Hokkaido Milk, Okinawa Black Sugar, complete with slightly warm pearls.
KOI Thé Singapore
48 Branches. Brown Sugar Series available at outlets such as Seletar Mall, Boon Lay MRT, Tampines MRT, Ang Mo Kio MRT, Takashimaya S.C
KOI’s Brown Sugar series, called “Okinawa-style” available only at limited outlets such as Ang Mo Kio MRT and Takashimaya basement.
Ordered via an electronic kiosk, you can choose your ice, sugar level, and bubble portion for the Brown Sugar Fresh Milk ($4.70).
KOI uses golden pearls instead of the usual tapioca pearls, which are translucent yellow, moderately smaller, soft yet with a bouncy bite.
Sugar levels are only available at 100% or 70%. Even though I chose the ‘lowest’ at 70%, I wished it was just a tad less sweet.
SuperTea
9 Raffles Boulevard, Millenia Walk #01-75, Singapore 039596
Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
SuperTea is slightly off the radar, possibly because it has only one store at Millenia Walk. Few also know it is sister company with R&B 巡茶.
The Brown Sugar Boba Milk features caramelised pearls simmered in brown sugar imported from Taiwan, added to chilled fresh milk.
The brown sugar at the bottom would be what you would describe as ”gao gao” thick, which has that obvious rich flavour which would send thrills.
Eat 3 Bowls 呷三碗 福利社
Blk 462 Crawford Lane #01-161 Singapore 190462
Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
The only non-bubble tea shop in this list.
While Eat 3 Bowls 呷三碗 is famed for its Lu Rou Fan and Taiwanese Mee Sua, another new find was the Brown Sugar Pearls with Fresh Milk ($3.80). A plus point is that the café has a Taiwanese classroom setting, so got-the-feels.
Enjoyed the chewy sweet pearls, and the cup was overall not too sweet. The drink was actually not bad, and not just there to accompany the food. Eat 3 Bowls (Crawford Lane)
Kurotaki Chabann 黑泷太郎
180 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218442
Opening Hours: 10am – 2:30pm, 3:30pm – 7:30pm, 8:30pm – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
(Another branch at Citylink Mall)
Founded in the south of China in 2014, the Kurotaki Chabann chain has several hundred branches in China itself, and offers a wide range of beverages. However, it is not as “hot” in Singapore, possibly due to its location (I had it after Bak Kut Teh) and lack of marketing and awareness.
It is famed for tea infused with Taiwanese brown sugar, made using “ancient sugar-making technology”.
The two signature drinks are the Brown Sugar Milk with Pearl ($3.90) and Brown Sugar Jelly Milk Tea ($3.50).
The brown sugar here did feel ‘legit’ – possibly the most fragrant and gao-gao of the lot, with a pleasant, caramelised lingering taste.
Xing Fu Tang Singapore
Century Square #01-22, 2 Tampines Central 5, Singapore 529509
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Xing Fu Tang’s first Singapore permanent outlet has opened at Tampines Century Square.
They are best known for its “stir-fried” Brown Sugar Boba Milk ($5.30) with the pearls done the “traditional way”.
What is special is that the boba pearls are steeped in brown sugar, “stir-fried” in front of you, and scooped quickly into the cup.
Xing Fu Tang’s Brown Sugar Boba Milk tasted creamier and richer than usual, even though it uses the same brand of milk as many other bubble tea shops in Singapore.
I reckon it is due to the proportion of whipped cream.
However, I could imagine some people finding this too heavy, ‘jelak’ and milky, especially if you finish a cup of your own after lunch. Xing Fu Tang Singapore 幸福堂 (Century Square)
Jenjudan Singapore 珍煮丹
1 CityLink Mall #B1-13 Singapore 039393
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
The menu’s signature is the include Brown Sugar Boba Milk ($5.20, $6.50), which features warm, soft brown sugar, and boba served with chilled fresh milk.
It was fun watching how a big scoop of the pearls were scooped up right before your eyes, stick and gooey and placed into the cup.
Compared to some other prominent brands I tried in Taipei, the “brown-sugarness” was considered more mellow, not as strong and full-flavoured. The boba though, had an agreeable, chewy bite.
Somehow, I remembered it tasted much better in Taiwan. Jenjudan Singapore 珍煮丹 (CityLink Mall)
True Boss 醋頭家 Singapore
Northpoint City B2-134, 1 Northpoint Drive, Singapore 768019 (Yishun MRT)
Opening Hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm
True Boss 醋頭家 is the first fruit vinegar specialty tea shop in Singapore, a brand which hails from Taiwan.
The popular chain store which originated from Tainan specialises in fruit vinegar, bubble tea, fruit smoothies and vinegar yogurt.
So for something non-vinegary, GET the Brown Sugar Bubble Milk ($4.40, $5.40) in which the brown sugar used is specially imported from Taiwan.
For that lovely deep caramelized flavour and smooth milk.
Hey Long Cha 黑龍茶
Changi City Point #01-K11, 5 Changi Business Park Central 1, Singapore 486038
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm
(Also available at Century Square)
Taiwan Oolong Tea franchise chain Hey Long Cha 黑龍茶has arrived in Singapore, said to offer tea that is “natural, pure, and healthy”.
Their Signature Bubble Milk Tea ($3.50, $4.80) contains boba pearls cooked in brown sugar, which will impart that distinct sweetness.
Compared to other tea brands I am more familiar with, I would rank this somewhere in the middle. It is actually not bad and under-rated, though I wished there was more “oomph” in the drink.
LiHo
Various branches in Singapore
LiHo continues to introduce weird flavours to stay ahead of the game.
Their two earlier creations include Brown Sugar Pearl Fresh Milk which combines warm brown sugar Pearls with cold fresh milk; while the Brown Sugar Pearls Fresh Milk Party features peanuts, Oreo cookies and cream cheese. CREAM CHEESE.
There was also the Salted Egg Lava Brown Sugar Pearl Fresh Milk, which I didn’t touch. (Calorie-watch, so was it worth it?)
The LiHo team also recommended stirring the drink a total of 8 times to enjoy the lightly flavoured brown sugar fresh milk by shaking it up 8 times. The marketing team deserves a big clap.
Little Po 小坡
67 Haji Lane, Singapore 189260
Opening Hours: 10am – 5.30pm (Mon – Fri), 10am – 6.30pm (Sat – Sun)
Little Po 小坡 is located in Haji Lane, right next to North Bridge Road. I decided to give their signature Lapsang Souchong Milk Tea ($4.90) with Brown Sugar Bubble ($0.60) a try.
Other toppings available include Crystal Jelly ($1.10), Brown Sugar Jelly ($1.20), Egg Pudding ($1.40) and Mashed Yam ($1.60).
The brown sugar bubbles were decent with a chewy texture and slight fragrance. Interesting but expensive.
Sweet Potato Factory by Don Don Donki
Changi Airport Terminal 3 #02-97
Tel: +65 6281 1711
Opening Hours: 24 hours
Sweet Potato Factory at Changi Airport Terminal 3 is a spin off concept store of Don Don Donki, the popular discount store that many Singaporeans love which specialising in Japan-made products and everything else Japanese.
It is also Don Don Donki’s first ever location in an international airport operating 24 hours.
Maybe you do not know that this Don Don Donki also serves up trending Brown Sugar Milk with Pearls ($3.90) or the Sweet Potato Milk ($4.90) using Hokkaido milk.
While the milk was indeed rich and smooth, the pearls were slightly on the hard side and could do with more of that brown sugar caramelised sweetness. Changi Airport Terminal 3 Food Guide
Bobii Frutii Singapore
Clementi Mall 3155 Commonwealth Ave W, Singapore 129588
Opening Hours: 11am – 9:45pm (Mon – Sun)
Bobii Frutti (with Nat Ho as one of the local co-owners), has a Brown Sugar specialty drink called “Childhood Memory” ($4.80). (I don’t recall having that much brown sugar as a child though).
While they are proud of their muah-chee like texture for their bobii, I found them way too soft without that pleasurable chew or bite.
The brown sugar here was more subdued, not as rich and strong as one would expect. Good for those who prefer a more mellow take. Bobii Frutii (The Clementi Mall)
Brown Sugar
218 Balestier Road #01-01, Value Hotel Balestier, Singapore 329684
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 9:00pm (Mon – Fri), 8:00am – 9:00pm (Sat – Sun)
The café is opened by the team behind Living Botanica – a fruit tea shop at Marina Bay Link Mall, but seems to have gone almost completely unnoticed.
As for the “star” of the place, the Brown Sugar Milk Tea ($3.50) was unfortunately way too sweet for me, and bubbles could have been softer.
It is tough striking a balance with all the caramelised sweetness and yet you still want to savour the delicate flavours of the milk and tea.
BCC Tea Studio
Fengshan Market, Blk 84, Bedok North Street 4, #01-29, Singapore 460048
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Sun – Thu), 10am – 11pm (Fri – Sat)
The best-selling Brown Sugar Boba with Fresh Milk ($3.50) available in one size, has a sense of familiarity in the first sip.
Unlike the usual brown sugar milk drinks trending in the market, this tasted so sweet, so familiar, so old-school… just like Sweet Talk?
The brown sugar syrup lacked a certain caramelised fragrance, whereas the chewiness of pearls evoked a sense of ‘old-school’ nostalgia. BCC Tea Studio (Bedok)
HeeTea Singapore
133 New Bridge Road #B1-46 Chinatown Point Singapore 059413
Opening Hours: 11:00am – 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
HeeTea is located at an inconspicuous corner at the basement of Chinatown, so people may just missed it.
The shop has also got on the bandwagon, and is currently offering Brown Sugar Bobo Milk Tea, Zang Zang Bobo Milk Tea, and Brown Sugar Bobo Fresh Milk Drink (Each $3.50 medium or $5.00 for large).
While the bobo pearls are considered chewy, it was also unfortunately too sweet without a distinct caramel flavour. The milk (not sure what’s the brand) tasted ‘thin’ and could have been fuller and creamier.
TaiGai @ NEX
NEX Serangoon, #B2-34, Singapore 556083 (Opposite BreadTalk)
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Instead of the usual black boba pearls, TaiGai offers translucent golden-yellow tapioca pearls with their milk tea. These pearls are somewhat smaller with a springier bite.
A special feature of the drink is the “Beary Cute” cup with the bear-ear lid. TaiGai 台盖 (NEX)
Tea Tree Café
Several branches including: Kovan Heartland Mall, ITE College Central @ Ang Mo Kio, Kallang Wave Mall, Suntec City Mall, Great World City, Singapore Technology of Institute Temasek Polytechnic, Fusionopolis Connexis 1
Tea Tree Café with 7 branches in Singapore, calls their drink Tiger Macchiato ($4.50). Interestingly, they used to serve up “Kokuto Fresh Milk” which is made with a type of Okinawan brown sugar.
However, I thought that this Tiger drink was way too sweet, and lacked in that aromatic brown sugar fragrance.
Tai Croissant
The Centrepoint #B1-K3
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm
Tai Croissant which offers Taiyaki with croissant-like crispy texture, has also served up Brown Sugar Milk drinks ($3.50).
Let’s just say that bubble drinks are not exactly their forte, and so the pearls turned out being rather hard (in contrast) without that obvious sweetness.
Their other drinks such as Iced Green Tea ($1.50), Iced Black Tea ($1.50), and Iced Green Tea Latte ($2.00) are considered quite inexpensive for a kiosk in town area.
The Alley SG (not to be confused with other bubble tea brand The Alley) is frequently found at pasar malam and street food festivals, serving up drinks from Brown Sugar Fresh Milk ($3.90, $4.90), Brown Sugar Coca Latte ($4.50, $5.50), Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée ($5.30, $6.30), to Brown Sugar Milk Tea ($3.90, $4.90).
The Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée is the most popular choice, in which you can enjoy bits of the sugar within the drink. Wished the pearls were softer.
Other Related Entries
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10 Must-Try Bubble Teas In Taipei
12 Refreshing Cold Brews In Singapore
10 Foamy Milk Tea & Macchiato Drinks In Singapore
10 Best Matcha Latte In Singapore
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