While there are many overseas bubble brands which descended upon Singapore, there are some home-grown ones which we should be proud of.
Artisanal bubble tea brand Bober Tea 御波坊, though a relatively new comer in the growing bubble tea industry in Singapore, has gained quite positive reputation and reviews.
Founded by entrepreneur friends Joseph Oh and Eugene Yap, the brand incorporates the flavours of Taiwan, China and Japan into creative beverages with beautiful packaging.
Bober Tea’s first outlet is conveniently located at Bishan MRT Station, and they have just opened at Bukit Panjang Plaza and an Express outlet at Boon Keng so that residents in the West and Northeast can have a go at their drinks.
They have also successfully secured overseas franchise to Manila, Philippines and California, USA, and so you will probably be hearing more about them.
Though they are loved for their Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée Milk with boba pearls, they have a plethora of other creative drinks.
Other must-try original creations are Brown Sugar Roasted Oolong Milk, Salted Caramel Milk Tea, Hokkaido Chizu Matcha to Black Sugar Konjac Jelly Milk Tea.
Good news for softserve lovers, Bober Tea has also introduced two softserve flavours exclusively available at the Bukit Panjang Plaza outlet.
Starting at $1.80, this makes an inexpensive dessert treat (especially for the hot weather).
Coming in two exciting milk and milk tea based flavours, you get to choose the Brown Sugar Milk or Charcoal Milk Tea in cone or a cup – cone for the more unadulterated taste, and cup for more elaborate toppings.
Brown Sugar Milk Soft Serve ($1.80 for cone, $3.70 for cup)
The creamy, swirled creation tastes just like the milk, drizzled with brown sugar for caramelised sweetness and boba pearls for textural effect.
Charcoal Milk Tea Soft Serve ($1.90 for cone, $3.90 for cup).
Between the two, I generally prefer this better as it is not as sweet with a pleasant earthy taste. Sprinkled with gold dust to add that luxe factor.
As for the drinks, affordably priced from $2.80 to $6.80, Bober Tea prides itself in using only premium grade ingredients like pure matcha powder, Okinawa Black Sugar, and Hokkaido milk. Here are 8 recommended Bober drinks to choose from on your next visit:
Brown Sugar Crème Brûlée Milk ($4.30, $5.60)
Part of the Brown Sugar series, this dessert-inspired drink provides options of the classic flavour Brown Sugar Boba Fresh Milk, to more fanciful ones added with Oreo, Matcha, to Roasted Oolong.
Love their QQ tapioca pearls?
These chewy bobas are freshly made at their outlets. That QQ-texture chewiness is a result of cooking at 65°C for optimal chewiness and soaking for two hours to absorb all the brown sugar goodness.
If you enjoy pearls with a texture just in between, theirs are both soft and chewy.
8 Days Magazine ranked Bober Tea’s Brown Sugar Boba Fresh Milk as Number 2 in the whole of Singapore, adoring its ”extra creaminess and gao-ness” and robust brown sugar flavour.
Brown Sugar Boba Matcha Latte ($5.50, $6.80)
This drink uses one of their prized ingredients – pure, premium matcha powder.
Combining the trend-setting popularity of the brown sugar flavour with Japanese-sourced green tea, this latte is a strong contender for the next best-selling drink at Bober Tea.
You get that lingering caramel flavour and earthy matcha both in a single cup. Sip slowly to appreciate the nuances.
Supreme Fruit Burst Green Tea ($5.20, $6.50)
For something cooling for the hot Singapore weather, the “Fruit Series” includes Supreme Mango Green Tea, Lemon Lime Green Tea with Plum, Ruby Grapefruit Yakult, Fresh Passionfruit Yakult, and Lemon Yakult.
For fruit lovers, the Supreme Fruit Burst Green Tea is indeed the ultimate drink.
Imagine combining sliced oranges, limes, watermelon, and strawberries, plus passionfruit bits swimming in a refreshing tea base. Visually stunning for its interplay of colours and shapes.
Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea ($3.50, $4.70)
Purists tend to order the most basic milk tea in the menu. But for a change, try Dong Ding Oolong Milk Tea, made with a premium light-coloured oolong tea from Taiwan.
Also spelled Tung Ting, Dong Ding (literally, “frozen summit”) is the name of the mountain where this tea is planted.
Taste its distinctive honey taste and aroma with roasted notes, and a unique lingering sweet aftertaste.
Choose from one of the 20 (!) of your fave toppings, such as brown sugar pearls, white jelly pearls, brown sugar jelly pearls, coconut jelly, black sugar konjac, aloe vera cubes, or passion fruit pop boba.
Matcha Strawberry Latte ($3.90, $4.90)
The Matcha Strawberry Latte is a good showcase of interplay of flavours, and when you add Hokkaido milk it earns that delightful creaminess.
Fragrant Taro Latte ($3.20, $4.30)
One of the Bober Specials, the Fragrant Taro Latte is a pretty lavender-hued beverage that is rich, creamy, and smells really good.
Goes perfect with the chewy QQ honey golden pearls.
Ruby Grapefruit Green Tea ($3.70, $4.90)
Another must-try Bober Special is the green-tea based drink with ruby grapefruit. For those who love the freshness of green tea along with the flavour of sweet and tarty grapefruit.
Good to know that there is also generous amount of grapefruit pulps in the drink, for those who love your antioxidants and fiber.
On a sweltering day, a small cup may not be enough.
Hokkaido Chizu Mango ($5.50, $6.70)
Finally, cheese lovers will enjoy this one, filled with a delicious whitish colour cream floating on top of your drink – choose from options of oolong, green tea, milk tea, matcha or mango.
That bubble tea cap is made with sweet and creamy Hokkaido milk freshly prepared. Slurp and feel that luscious, velvety texture on your lips.
Get the Hokkaido Chizu Mango to enjoy the mango’s sweet, tropical taste blending with the salty-creaminess of cheese cap.
Also check out Bober Tea’s newly introduced tall, slim, Insta-worth “Dabao” bottles that come in 6 psychedelic designs to match your sense of style, your outfit, or your mood.
Order them online, or pick them up from the outlet. Either way, you’ll experience your tea journey at Bober Tea one design at a time.
Bober Tea – Bukit Panjang Plaza
1 Jelebu Road, #01-23, Singapore 677743
Tel: +65 9816 1440
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/boberteasg
Bober Tea – Bishan
200 Bishan Road, #01-01, Singapore 579827 (Located at Bishan MRT Station Exit C next to 7-11)
Tel: +65 6262 0407
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
Bober Tea Express – Boon Keng
27 Bendemeer Road #01-665 Singapore 330027
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon – Sun)
* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Bober Tea.