DIY bubble tea kits
Image credit: @chaceingmao, Dessert Guru
Bubble tea shops are pausing operations temporarily till 1 June 2020 as part of the extended Circuit Breaker measures. And although you can still get bubble tea with food bundle purchases, actually landing a cup is almost like mission impossible as they’re now highly coveted .
From classic milk tea to brown sugar matcha, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to recreate your favourite liquid treats from the comfort of your home with these 7 DIY bubble tea kits. PSA: Most of these kits will keep you supplied for a few weeks – great to keep your sweet tooth satiated till the end of CB.
Check out other home activities during this circuit breaker period:
Image credit: LiHO Singapore
Popular homegrown bubble tea brand LiHO was one of the firsts to release DIY bubble tea kits to satisfy fans during this CB period. All served up with LiHO’s iconic Golden Pearls, there are options like Milk Tea with Golden Pearls for the original experience, Black Tea Oat Latte if you’re lactose intolerant, and the newly added Brown Sugar Golden Pearl Set if tea… isn’t your cup of tea.
Image credit: LiHO Singapore
If you miss that sinful explosion of caramel in your mouth, the brown sugar golden pearl set is for you. The recipe will bless you with the ability to recreate that insta-worthy caramel drizzle to milk, milo or anything else you want by simply mixing the included brown sugar with hot water.
As a proof of its popularity, these kits were sold out within minutes of their release. But, don’t worry, Shopee restocks them daily at 12PM, so be sure to set a reminder on your phone to snag a set!
Servings: Up to 20 large-sized cups
Price: $48 for Classic Milk Tea Set ($3.20 per serving) | Black Tea Oat Latte Set ($4.25 per serving) | $36 for Brown Sugar Golden Pearl Set
Order here.
Image credit: I Love Taimei
Originating from the land of bubble tea, I Love Taimei is a long-loved bubble tea chain in Singapore that has also released DIY bubble tea kits in two flavours – Matcha and Tie Guanyin.
The kit comes with premium tea leaves, dried milk and ready-made white pearls, making for a high-quality beverage you can whip up in minutes. Preparation is hassle free: brew the tea bags for 3-5 minutes before adding in the milk powder and pearls. You can choose to add ice to serve cold.
Each $3.90 kit will brew you one cup, but you can also opt for a 24-cup bundle to tide you through the extended CB.
Servings: 24
Price: $54.90 ($2.28 per serving) | $3.90 for one cup purchases
Order here.
Image credit: Xiang Piao Piao
While most of us may not have heard of this brand, you can trust Xiang Piao Piao Milk Tea to deliver high quality BBT at just $1.60 a cup, with freshly imported ingredients like milk from New Zealand and handpicked black tea from India. Although it doesn’t come with classic pearls, your DIY kit will come with nata de coco, a healthier option with just as much bite to it.
Comes in a total of 6 flavours including Strawberry, Dasheen, Wheat and Chocolate.
Image credit: @xiangpiaopiaomilktea.sg
Preparation is also the simplest on this list – like with instant noodles, just dump all the ingredients into hot water and you’re good to go. Hot or cold, the choice is yours!
Price: $1.60
Order here.
Image credit: Dessert Guru
Bubble tea lovers fall into two camps: the milk tea diehards and the fruity flavour lovers. If you belong to the latter then Dessert Guru’s Circuit Breaker bundle will be just the perk-me-up you’ll be gifting yourself and fam this CB.
Unlike other DIY kits that come with just a single flavour and topping, this next-level bundle comprises 4 frozen fresh fruit purees and 7 topping and jellies for you to experiment to no end. All ingredients are fresh and made daily so you can feel better about the 15-20 cups you’ll be making and consuming.
Servings: 15 – 20 cups
Price: $39.90 (~$2 per serving)
Purchase here.
Image credit: Tealive
We’ve covered bubble tea from Taiwan, China and Singapore, and now we continue our boba-fuelled trip to our next stop – Malaysia. Our friends to the North have shown some neighbourly love during these difficult times by serving up an SG-exclusive #MyBubbleTeaKit that includes 3 tea varieties and a pack of DIY brown sugar pearls,.
P.S. Your purchase also comes with a Tealive card holder for keeps!
Servings: 20 – 25 cups
Price: $79.90 ($3.20 per serving)
Order here.
Image credit: The Whale Tea SG
Most of us remember welcoming The Whale Tea onto our sunny shores just last October, and while the brand has only 3 branches here to date, their 500 stores across China are a surefire sign of its popularity. To help you get your boba fix, they’ve released The Whale Tea Starter Pack that will recreate 10 servings of their Brown Sugar Shizuoka Matcha and Brown Sugar Cocoa Milk.
If you’re a hardcore brown sugar fan, then 20-serve The Whale Tea Die Hard Pack is for you.
Image credit: The Whale Tea SG
For those who enjoy a lighter drink, try out their Milk Tea Survivor Kit that makes Earl Grey Milk Tea and Roasted Oolong Milk Tea with pearls. Choose between Set A’s DIY pearl option or Set B’s ready-made pearls if you’re lazy.
Servings: 20 (die-hard pack, survivor kit), 10 (starter pack)
Price: $78 for die-hard pack ($3.90 per serving) | $45 for starter pack ($4.50 per serving) | $68 for survivor kit set A ($3.40 per serving) | $78 for survivor kit set B ($3.90 per serving)
Order here.
Image credit: Gulp SG
For those of us who just want to enjoy our drink without too much backend work in the kitchen, Gulp’s BYO Bubble Tea Kit is the ideal foolproof bundle. Each kit comes with freshly brewed milk tea, boiled pearls, and sugar syrup. All that’s left for you to do is to pour them into a cup and your drink is done!
Available flavours include Classic Milk Tea, Oolong Milk Tea, and Honey Green Tea. If you want to try out a mix of flavours, its duo flavour kit lets you select two of the three flavours and will give you 4 servings in total.
If you’re the sort who needs a cup every few days, invest in their trio flavour kit which makes 12 servings, 4 of each of the 3 flavours.
Servings: 4 (solo and duo flavour kits) | 12 (trio flavour kits)
Price: $20 for solo flavour kits ($5 per serving) | $22 for duo flavour kits ($5.50 per serving) | $45 for trio flavour kits ($3.75 per serving)
Order here.
Though certain non-essential businesses have been allowed to resume operations this week, our beloved bubble tea shops are not one of them. But this doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy a DIY cup or two from our favourite stores until the CB lifts.
Grab your family members for a fun time experimenting with different brews together, and who knows, you might emerge from this stay home period as a professional tea-rista.
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