7 bubble tea bars in Malaysia where you can snap the perfect Instagram-worthy boba
Topped with yellow durian foam or filled with colourful, fruit juice-infused tapioca pearls, bubble tea is one of Malaysia’s trendiest beverages. Drink your fill of these teas that look as delicious as they taste
Taipei may be the bubble tea (or boba tea) capital of the world but Malaysia is close on its heels, and is home to some of the best versions of the trendy beverage.
Just head to one of the streets in commercial district SS15 in Subang Jaya, Klang Valley, and you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about: an entire row of bubble tea shops fighting it out side by side.
From bubble tea hotpot to waffles and cakes, Malaysia has an obsession with the little tapioca spheres in milk tea. Major home-grown and Taiwanese chains like Tealive, Chatime, Gong Cha, The Alley, Tiger Sugar, Xing Fu Tang, and Koi have dominated the scene, but if you’re on the lookout for something different, check out our round-up of these gorgeous and yummy drinks.
Chatto
From the southern Malaysian state of Johor, Chatto takes inspiration from the Japanese tea bar concept and incorporates imported teas from the Japanese prefecture of Shizuoka, Taiwan and China. Chatto claims to design their beverages with less sugar so that the final product is not cloyingly sweet, allowing the flavour of the tea to shine through.
Must-try drinks include Charcoal Pearl Oolong Tea and Matcha Pearl Latte.
Yumcha Tea Bar
If you’ve caught White Rabbit confectionery fever, you will have heard of this Malaysian-born tea establishment and its White Rabbit Milk Cha creation with blue-tinged pearls (butterfly-pea flower is the natural dye of choice).
For a competitive edge, the brand incorporates home-grown ingredients and local flavours such as durian and gula melaka (palm sugar), and uses natural sugar instead of the standard glucose solution. The matcha pearls are made from scratch in the central kitchen.