As the shou-yao beverage kingdom, it is hard to leave without tasting some of its famous beverages. Shou-yao is when you mix all your drink’s ingredients in a shaker. It’s like having cocktails but without alcohol and with so much more flavor to choose from. There is a drink for everyone, from tea to organic juice, fresh-cooked bubbles to mini taro and yam balls. Here is a must-try list you definitely want to try out!
50 Lan
You can see 50 Lan almost everywhere in Taiwan. It is one of the most popular go-to shou-yao shops among Taiwanese. Not only they are cheaper in price but they also have great quality. It is famous for its classic signature bubble milk tea which is one of the most loved bubble milk tea in Taiwan if you’re going for a low price and good quality.
Try: Classic signature bubble milk tea NTD$40/NTD$50
Kebuke
Originated from Taichung, Taiwan. Most of their drinks are infused with black tea and topped with their signature white pearl Bai-yu, which is healthier than black boba because it contains less sugar and fat but less chewy.
(Credit:Kebuke facebook)
Try: Shou-Cheng black tea NTD$25/NTD$30/NTD$10 for adding Bai-yu (bubbles)
Hua Da
One of the oldest milk tea shops from Southern Taiwan which you can also get in Taipei. They are known for its cooling method where they store their tea in a cooler once it is made, so there is absolutely no ice in your drink that will water it down, every sip will be 100% the same flavor. They mix different drinks by using different proportions of their signature teas and fresh milk. All their drink’s sugar is non-adjustable because they use their black tea to sweeten the drinks. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you can try out their Yi-shou milk tea which is less sweet.
Try: Hua Da milk tea NTD$55/NTD$5 for bubbles
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Jen Ju Dan
Inspired by the tasty and nutrient-rich indigenous Taiwanese brown sugar. It started from Taipei’s most famous night market: Shilin Night Market. They perfected their brown sugar pearls over a year with perfect gumminess and well caramelized smoky brown sugar flavor and has expanded their branch all over the world. If it’s all over the world, then it is THAT good!
Try: Brown Sugar Pearl with Milk NTD$50
KQ Tea
If you are a tea lover, then this one’s for you! KQ Tea uses Alishan high mountain tea to make their drinks. And they are proud of it. There is a wide range of drinks you can choose from such as iced tea, tea latte, or fruit tea. If you want something you can chew on, they have mini taro and yam balls! How amazing is that? Usually, you only get these in bowls but now they’ve made a mini version of it and put it in their drinks for you to enjoy it on-the-go!
Try: Earl black iced tea NTD$45
Wanpo Tea Shop
Known for turning some of Taiwan’s most popular desserts into drinks, and they are SO good at it. They have so many options, reading through their menu is like taking a trip around Taiwan. Their number one drink is Red Bean Jelly Milk, It is inspired by a traditional Taiwanese dessert with a base of red bean soup and some yellow jelly on the side mixed in with some milk. You can taste the sweetness of the red bean soup and how it is boiled to that soft mushy texture, the yellow jelly has its own unique flavor and it is all combined with rich creamy milk. They also offer soy milk tea. Wanpo Tea Shop is the most Taiwanese flavored tea shop you could possibly ask for.
Try: Red Bean Jelly Milk NTD$65
DaYungs
This is one for our Juice lovers around the world. DaYungs makes fresh juice with fresh fruits in every drink they make! Taiwan’s hot weather can be overwhelming sometimes, and a big cup of fresh juice to wash away that heat is just what people need. They have various fruits for you to choose from, and the bonus is they have a lot of Taiwanese fruit too, which isn’t easy to find around the world. And it’s not just that simple, they also mix their juice with teas! Adding that kick of refreshing into your summer afternoon. Apart from their regular-sized cup, they also offer bottles for some of their drinks for those who just can’t get enough!
Try: Fresh Orange Green Tea NTD$40
Macu
One of the hottest tea shops in Taiwan recently. Offering fresh juice and tea, you can also get bubble milk tea and all the other usual ones. But what makes it stand out is their selection of cheese tea! Cheese and tea? It’s a combination you have never thought of but is unexpectedly good. During the strawberry season, you can get strawberry cheese tea, other times they have grape cheese tea all year round. So what is cheese tea? There is grape jelly at the bottom of the cup, then freshly made grape smoothie in the middle, and last, topped with a layer of special cream cheese. And it doesn’t end just here, there are two steps to drink this properly. First, you drink directly through the lid so you can taste the cheese and grape smoothie mixed together giving you a sweet and salty flavor, then you drink with a straw which allows you to get to the jelly in the bottom, mixing all three flavors together. It is not just a drink, it is ART.
Try: Grape cheese tea NTD$95
Milksha
Using fresh quality milk for all their drinks. People have gone insane for their Taro milk because it is said to be so rich and smooth. For milk tea lovers, this is the place to have a good cup of boba milk tea. They use white chewy bubbles.
Try: Taro Milk NTD$65
SOMA
What makes SOMA special is that every black milk tea has three different types of black tea, giving their beverages a more complex flavor like Mocktails. SOMA also boasts a much lower sugar rating than most other shops, with a few of their blends being served mandatorily unsweetened.
Try: Essentia NTD$90
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