Bubble tea in Singapore just upped its game with the landing of Taiwanese chain TP Tea and its new store at Changi Airport’s Terminal 2, opening at 6pm today. The best part? It’s always there for you 24/7, which means you can get your milk tea fix before departure or after arrival flights at any unearthly time of the day. Or, y’know, you could make the trip out to the airport for pearls in case the craving hits at 3am.
Nestled at the Departure Hall next to Krispy Kreme and llaollao — the latter of which is also a 24-hour joint (we’re clearly not lacking in midnight options) — TP Tea comes to Singapore a well-known name, with over 260 stores in Taiwan since 2005 and several more across the region.
To attract tea purists and health enthusiasts, the brand says that it brews all its teas fresh (not from powdered mixes, concentrated liquids, and the like), and uses “traditional production methods” to make its pearls from tapioca without artificial preservatives. That also means those little chewy nubs have to be prepped and served within three hours.
Tie guan yin and premium green tea leaves are roasted in Taiwan and shipped to Singapore, along with cane sugar, which is apparently a better alternative to fructose. Oh, and the store is also attempting to get its halal cert which, if successful, could make it one of the first (or the first) bubble tea chain here to do so.
On the menu, you’ll find drinks (from $2.90) divided into original tea, milk tea, flavored tea, latte, and crema categories, with hot and cold options, as well as optional toppings like aloe ($0.90) and grass jelly ($0.90). Bestsellers include their tie guan yin tea latte ($4.60), pearl black tea latte with red bean ($5.30), honey lemon with aloe ($4.30), and even pearl milk tea soft serve ($3.60) — for the hardcore fans who want the classic drink in ice cream form.
Trends have come and gone since the bubble tea craze first hit us all those years ago, but damn if it’s seeing quite the revival with a constant influx of new brands making their way here.
FIND IT:
TP Tea is at #026-015-01 Changi Airport, Terminal 2, Departure Hall
Open 24 hours daily
MRT: Changi Airport
