【2020 Intern Travel Diary】Half a Day Trip to A Tea-riffic day Full of Bubbles

A Tea-riffic day Full of Bubbles

~WORDS & PHOTOS：Taipei American School~
~Duolong Yang（楊道隆）and Ian Ho（何丞）~

Themed Itineraries : Bubble Tea, Exploration
Travel days : Half a Day

【 Introduction】

Chun Shui Tang -> Wang Tea -> 一茗糖 Sugar M 小巨蛋店 -> 老派金魚 “Goldfish” -> 魚池貳壹

【Stores】

Many people come to Taipei to experience the culture, others come to enjoy the food that people rave about on social media, but there is one thing everyone consistently seeks out - Bubble Tea. Bubble Tea has taken the world by storm, and Taiwan has the best to offer. Chain stores such as Coco, 50 Lan, or Ten Ren, are all some of Taiwan's more well-known brands, but this guide will not only bring some other chains, it will also introduce some of the local stores that deserve more attention for their delicious drinks. Since there isn't much to do

【 Chun Shui Tang 】

(Store Front of Chun Shui Tang)

Chun Shui Tang No. 9, Songshou Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM ~10:00 PM

When thinking of bubble tea, there is always one problem, who was the first to create this delicious drink. One store comes up quite often in this debate, Chun Shui Tang. Often referenced as the first to create this drink, Chun Shui Tang created a mixture of milk and tea, combined with delicious tapioca, to begin their famed drinks. This store is a must-visit for all your milk tea lovers. Not only do they have delicious drinks, but Chun Shui Tang also allows you to customize your order, for example, you don't want the drink to be super cold, they allow you to modify the amount of ice, more or less than the usual amount. Of course, they also allow you to change the amount of sugar as well.
Nearby Attractions: Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, Taipei 101

【 WangTea】

(StoreFront on WangTea)

WangTea B2, No. 12, Songgao Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM ~ 9:30 PM (on Friday and Saturday closes at 10:00 PM)

Formerly known as a store known to manufacture and wholesaler for tea, it has since been changed to a production store. Though their drinks may be slightly out of the norm, this store is one to try out while in Taiwan. The key feature of their drink is when you receive your drink, a tea egg will also be provided. While it may seem strange to have tea eggs, a traditional Chinese snack, the sweet and savory combination is certainly something to test. Unfortunately, due to location restrictions, this store is the closest and most convenient but does not provide the milk tea. It, however, sells lots of different styles of tea, and if you wish, it is certainly possible to make your milk tea using their tea flavors.

Nearby Attractions: Taiwan Design Museum, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park

【Sugar M 】

(Sugar M Store Front)

一茗糖 Sugar M 小巨蛋店, No. 2, Alley 8, Lane 133, Section 4, Nanjing East Road, Songshan District, Taipei City, 10581

Opening Hours: 11:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM

One thing these last couple of stores have in common is their twist of the bubble tea. Several different tapioca flavors, or perhaps Thai inspired drinks, what this store does is completely unexpected. While they make their famous brown sugar milk tea, in the end, instead of simply capping the top, they will instead torch the top of the drink, giving the brown sugar a caramelized feeling. This not only gives it a beautiful looking picture but a delicious drink as well. Not only are they known for theirJinxuan green tea, with green matcha cream poured over. When drinking, the matcha cream will mix with the green tea, giving it a sweet yet earthy taste. This store simply makes beautiful looking drinks, a must-try for the true milk tea enthusiasts.

Nearby Attractions: Taipei Stadium, Taipei Public Library

【老派金魚 GoldFish】

(Store Front)

老派金魚 Goldfish-真實茶飲 1F No.88, Kunming Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM ~ 11:00 PM

Though this store is easy to miss, their drink will be anything but. Their store may be hidden in the corners of the streets, but their signature Goldfish orientated design will be easy to recognize. They offer a plethora of options, and a few signatures drink to those who are unsure of what to get. Their signature drinks are marked on their menu with a cute signature cup sign, they include Taro Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea, Mango Based Smoothie with Milk, Plums Green Tea, and more. Not only are their drinks cheap as well, but their customer service is also in need of applause as well. This store is truly a place to visit.

Nearby Attractions: Taipei Cinema Park, Vie Shows Cinema

【魚池貳壹】

(Store Front)

魚池貳壹-西門店 108, Taipei City, Wanhua District, Section 2, Hankou St, No 18
Opening Hours 10:00 AM ~ 11:30 PM

This store is a successful local store, as they have two different stores in Taipei. They are guaranteed to bring the quality and quantity to your drink. This particular store specializes in their taro balls, similar to a small number of stores, they hand-make their own in the shop. But there is one key difference, they make a total of eight different flavors of taro balls. This allows you to have some more fun when deciding which taro ball to put with which drink has the best pairing. Though you may be tempted to just go for the normal flavors, trying out different flavors is what makes this store unique and worth the visit. Even if you decide not to tr/y their drink, the drinks itself are simply delicious, combined with the store letting you adjust the sweetness and ice content of the drink, their customer service is just as on point as their drinks.

Nearby Attractions: Taipei Cinema Park, Vie Shows Cinema

【Note】

While some are near each other, most are not too far away from MRT stations or bus stations, but most should be conveniently located.

【 Transportation】

◆ Chun Shui Tang -> Wang Tea Egg (3 Min)
◆From Chun Shui Tang, head to the other Mitsakoshi building, AB to be exact, head down to B2, and the store should be located toward the backside of the floor.

◆Wang Tea Egg -> 一茗糖 Sugar M 小巨蛋店 (20 Min)
◆From Wang Tea Egg, head toward Beitou station, take the Chengde mainline and head toward Nanjing Ningan Roads, head west on 南京東路四段 toward 寧安街, turn right onto 南京東路四段133巷, and finally turn left onto 南京東路四段133巷8弄, the store should be on the right.

◆一茗糖 Sugar M 小巨蛋店 -> 老派金魚 Goldfish (25 Min)
◆From Sugar M, head towards Taipei Arena Station, take the Green Line and head to Ximen Station, exit via Exit 6, Head north on 漢中街 toward 峨眉街6巷, turn left onto 峨眉街, Turn right onto 昆明街, the destination should be there.

◆老派金魚 Goldfish -> 魚池貳壹 (4 Min)
◆From that store, Head north on 昆明街 toward 昆明街74巷, then turn right onto 漢口街二段, 魚池貳壹 should right there on the right.