Bubble tea is a relatively new arrival over here, but in its native Taiwan it’s as ubiquitous as coffee shops are on our high streets.
The tea-based drinks have starchy tapioca pearls (the bubbles), which are sucked up through a straw, and the drink itself can be hot or cold, fruity or milky. Biju’s owner Nick Phan tells us that all their teas are made freshly to order, unlike at other places where a big batch is brewed at the start of the day and then sits around, losing antioxidants and other nutrients. Fresh organic milk is favoured over milk powder (almond milk and soya milk are also available), as well as fresh juices.
A lifelong bubble tea drinker, Nick spent a year prepping Biju, including a two month stint working in Taiwan. It’s only been open a few weeks, but thanks to its prime location on Old Compton Street, he tells us it’s already attracted the attention of boxers, models, and drunken revellers in the evenings.
But onto the teas themselves. The menu has around 25 types of bubble tea, most of which are cold, but we try a lightly spiced hot chai bubble tea – this is currently the only place in London to offer it. For those with a sweet tooth there are iced drinks made with mango, passion fruit and pineapple, with no added sugar – the latter two with chewy, tasty passion fruit seeds and pineapple jelly. These are almost as creamy as milkshakes, but healthier. Fans of green tea might like the slightly more bitter-tasting iced matcha mousse tea and the honey green tea.
More offbeat choices are honeydew melon with egg custard, and coconut water with lychee pearls; another alternative to tapioca pearls are basil seeds, reported to have useful health benefits like controlling blood sugar. Teas start from £2.95.