Whether you call it bubble tea, boba, pearl tea, whatever, this is great news if you like the stuff, as I do.

There is a THAI based bubble tea franchise store on a higher restaurant floor but I really think Gong Cha is better.

Gong Cha is located on the ground floor across from the food court.

I tried the Taro Milk with "pearl jelly" the classic black ones. You have choice of a number of other thingies to add to your drink but the classic choice is the black pearls.

Unlike the blogger in the link, I thought their pearls ROCKED!

I think pearl appreciation is subjective. I liked their pearls much better than the Thai chains ones. They were also much smaller and many more of them, but the main difference was the MOUTH FEEL ... you could call it al dente.

The Taro Milk was OK, I will try a tea based one the next time.

They have a picture card system where you point at the percentage of SUGAR you'd like. The choices are 0 percent, 30 percent, then gradations up to 100 percent (scary). I chose 30 percent and it was still plenty sweet. I suspect I got 100 percent anyway, but not sure yet.

Anyway, staff competence issues factored in, I think we are lucky to have a Gong Cha outlet in Pattaya!

http://www.shootfirs...ml#.ULc99Gfhtic

BTW, if you haven't tried bubbles in a drink, you really should or perhaps you really shouldn't. I think most people would love it and yes, they are addictive. You suck those babies up through a wide straw. Don't choke on them ... y'all.

Thanks for the info JT.. What did one of these set you back?

Yorkshire tea-bags, imported by me from the UK. Splash of milk. No sugar. No bubbles.

Total cost about 4 Baht.

Yorkshire tea-bags, imported by me from the UK. Splash of milk. No sugar. No bubbles.

Total cost about 4 Baht.

Sounds lovely. You don't like bubbles?

Nice one !! I`ve always wondered why there`s plenty of them in f.exa Phnom Penh,but I`ve never seen one in Thailand.

Will try it on my next trip.

Sounds lovely. You don't like bubbles?

I'm allergic to them.

Thanks for the info JT.. What did one of these set you back?

I guess if I have to ask, I can't afford it.

My drink was 70 baht.

Bubbles in tea are like bubbles in a swiiming pool ................. will anyone admit it was them?

Tea, been around a while, shouldn't be messed with. We now have a society where anyone can run a coffee shop as coffee grounds and run into the ground seem to have become connected. But tea, the drink of the British, should not be meddled with by money grubbing chancers, here today and gone tomorrow.

I agree with anyone brave enough to call themselves Bertha. Tea is not rocket science. Hence, done traditionally its standard can be maintained and delivered by almost anyone. Anyone that is with a smattering of English, hence the Thais and the Chineses serve a tepid weak piss version.

And I too, along with dear Bertha, have the Yorkshire product by the bin load, at my wife's disposal enabling her to deliver my morning cuppa. Such is her expertise that she will enquire ' Are you ready for your morning cuppa?' Those of you with a linguistic bent will seize upon the usuage of the vernacular: cuppa. Yes, my better half has mastered the idiomatic 'cuppa' in her commanding mastery of the English language. Hence, a good cuppa, a steaming hot cuppa, a beautifully presented cuppa and another cuppa waiting in the pot.

Try to find a Thai not having been schooled in marital bliss or a period on native speaker shores who can possibly grasp the complexity, nuances, subtlety and divine delivery of the English cup of tea! Yet we are told it is of 'Taiwan.' The place from where all junk eminates, a world sweat shop, where plastic is king, drastic is bling, and they name their children after the sound of cutlery hitting concrete. Would you trust anyone called Ting Ping Ding?

We have on here a sacriligous burning of the noble leaf that produces an abortion of a drink complete with bubbles, dente, gunge, goo, splodge background muzak and vinyl seating.

Pearls are for swine. Tea is for ladies and gentlemen.

^^^^^^^

Bubbles (pearls) are optional at Gong Cha. Up to you.

@antpet: You do know that tea originated in Asia and didn't reach Europe until about the 16th Century, right?

In fact, per Wikipedia (if it's on the internet, it has to be true, right?): "Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, took the tea habit to Great Britain around 1660, but tea was not widely consumed in Britain until the 19th century."

The stuff the Brits drink could be thought of as a knock-off.

OK, I have an update on this ... and it is good news.

Since my first experience with the taro milk with pearls, I later tried a standard milk tea with pearls, 30 percent sugar. The standard milk tea comes with the milk and tea mixed. The milk tea is pretty good (I have a lot of experience with bubble tea so I feel my opinion is informed) but nothing really special. The bubbles were still great and this time the sugar was reduced as ordered.

OK, but finally I ordered what is REALLY special there! The Gong Cha tea with the cream on top, just as the linked blog in my OP raves about! Silly of me to resist so long. It is very exceptional. I'm not going to bother repeating the rave from the blog. I totally agree. They had green tea and I had oolong. The tea was so good, clearly skillfully brewed and very strong. The cream was so good. The bubbles were so good. You really MUST drink it a little differently. The instructions are in the blog. Experience the Cream first! Don't forget. There are instructions in Thai on the cup. I knew about this so I talked to the servers and one of them volunteered the advice. They are not bothering telling everyone it seems. But y'all reading this should know. Do NOT mix the cream up before attacking the cream first.

The Gong Cha special tea, super delicious and strong brewed tea, separated from the SPECIAL cream on top also is available in melon tea in addition to the green and the oolong. The cost of my Gong Cha SPECIAL oolong tea with bubbles was 65 baht. Worth every satang. The standard Gong Cha teas come without any bubble options. I will always go with bubbles (pearls) but this tea would still be great without additions.

The instructions from the blog:

1. Open the lid and drink, letting the tea pass through the foamy layer.

2. Insert the straw and enjoy the flavor of the tea.

3. Use the straw to stir and enjoy the combined flavor of the tea and milk.

When I saw this image, for some reason I thought of this thread:

OK, I have an update on this ... and it is good news.

Since my first experience with the taro milk with pearls, I later tried a standard milk tea with pearls, 30 percent sugar. The standard milk tea comes with the milk and tea mixed. The milk tea is pretty good (I have a lot of experience with bubble tea so I feel my opinion is informed) but nothing really special. The bubbles were still great and this time the sugar was reduced as ordered.

OK, but finally I ordered what is REALLY special there! The Gong Cha tea with the cream on top, just as the linked blog in my OP raves about! Silly of me to resist so long. It is very exceptional. I'm not going to bother repeating the rave from the blog. I totally agree. They had green tea and I had oolong. The tea was so good, clearly skillfully brewed and very strong. The cream was so good. The bubbles were so good. You really MUST drink it a little differently. The instructions are in the blog. Experience the Cream first! Don't forget. There are instructions in Thai on the cup. I knew about this so I talked to the servers and one of them volunteered the advice. They are not bothering telling everyone it seems. But y'all reading this should know. Do NOT mix the cream up before attacking the cream first.

The Gong Cha special tea, super delicious and strong brewed tea, separated from the SPECIAL cream on top also is available in melon tea in addition to the green and the oolong. The cost of my Gong Cha SPECIAL oolong tea with bubbles was 65 baht. Worth every satang. The standard Gong Cha teas come without any bubble options. I will always go with bubbles (pearls) but this tea would still be great without additions.

The instructions from the blog:

1. Open the lid and drink, letting the tea pass through the foamy layer.

2. Insert the straw and enjoy the flavor of the tea.

3. Use the straw to stir and enjoy the combined flavor of the tea and milk.

Thanks i will go and try soon

FYI the pearls (or boba) are not the bubbles.

Bubble tea was originally just a cold milk tea that was shaken until frothy pearls were added later as an option

Have a good Day

Bubble tea is also known as pearl milk tea, boba milk tea, boba tea, tapioca tea, boba nai cha, pearl tea, milk tea, bubble drink, zhen zhu nai cha, tapioca pearl drink, momi, momi milk tea, QQ, "the drink with the fat straw", or any combination above.

Same thing!

http://www.bubbletea.com/

What exactly is this thread about?