Looking for the best bubble tea in Taichung? You have come to the right city.
Taipei may have an endless number of trendy boba shops, but Taichung has something it cannot replicate: bubble tea history.
Taiwan’s now-famous combination of tea, milk and chewy tapioca pearls emerged during the 1980s, and Taichung plays a central role in that story. Chun Shui Tang says its original Siwei Street teahouse developed pearl milk tea in 1986 and officially introduced it in 1987. The exact history of bubble tea has competing claims, but Taichung remains one of the cities most closely associated with its birth.
And the city’s tea scene did not stop there.
Today, Taichung has everything from old-school market black tea and decades-old local brands to minimalist oolong specialists, fruit tea shops and sophisticated tea concepts that treat a cup of hand-shaken tea almost like specialty coffee.
So rather than giving you another list of international chains, we ranked 12 bubble tea shops in Taichung that actually give travelers a reason to seek them out.
Justaiwantour Tip: Already tried your way through Taiwan’s capital? See our guide to the Best Bubble Tea in Taipei next.
Table of Contents
💫 Quick Guide: 12 Best Bubble Tea Shops in Taichung
| Rank | Bubble Tea Shop | Best For | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chun Shui Tang Original Store 春水堂四維創始店 | Bubble tea history | West District |
| 2 | CHI CHA SAN CHEN 吃茶三千 | Premium Taiwanese tea | Nantun |
| 3 | Lao Lai Tea 老賴紅茶 | Old-school Taichung flavor | Central District |
| 4 | Jiho Teaworks 吉合製茶 | Modern tea experience | West District |
| 5 | Dejeng Oolong Tea Project 得正 | Oolong lovers | West District |
| 6 | Daming Tea 大茗本位製茶堂 | Creative Taiwanese tea | West District |
| 7 | Tea Shop 喫茶小舖 | Classic Taichung brand | North District |
| 8 | Wanpo Tea Shop 萬波島嶼紅茶 | Nostalgic Taiwanese flavors | Daya |
| 9 | Huadelai 華得來 | Seasonal fresh fruit tea | Qingshui |
| 10 | Zuo Tea 小佐お茶作 | Japanese-style tea drinks | West District |
| 11 | I Think Think 我想想 | Fresh fruit drinks | Dali |
| 12 | Tao Tao Tea 先喝道 | Fruit tea and elegant flavors | Xitun |
How We Ranked the Best Bubble Tea in Taichung
This isn’t simply a ranking of whichever brand has the most stores.
For travelers, we think a great Taichung boba stop should offer something memorable about the city itself.
Our ranking considers:
- connection to Taichung’s tea culture or local history
- distinctive tea or ingredients
- signature drinks you cannot experience everywhere
- atmosphere and visitor appeal
- location and how easily the shop fits into a Taichung itinerary
- whether the stop is worth choosing over a similar chain elsewhere in Taiwan
Some shops below specialize in traditional pearl milk tea, while others are better known for pure tea, fruit tea or Taiwanese toppings. Together, they show just how far Taichung’s hand-shaken tea culture has evolved.
Wanna visit Taichung City? Try our Taichung private day tour from Taipei!
1. Chun Shui Tang Original Store 春水堂四維創始店
Best for: First-time visitors and bubble tea history
What to order: Pearl Milk Tea 珍珠奶茶
Address: No. 30, Siwei Street, West District, Taichung
If you only visit one bubble tea shop in Taichung, make it this one.
Chun Shui Tang’s Siwei Street location is not simply another branch of a famous Taiwanese tea chain. It is the brand’s original Taichung store, and Chun Shui Tang identifies this location as the birthplace of its pearl milk tea.
According to the company, the drink was developed in 1986 and officially launched in 1987 at this original store. Taichung’s tourism authority also recognizes Chun Shui Tang’s role in pioneering cold shaken tea.
That history is why we rank it above newer shops that may have more elaborate drinks.
Order the classic Pearl Milk Tea (珍珠奶茶) first. The point here isn’t chasing the newest flavor. It is experiencing one of Taiwan’s most internationally recognized drinks in the place most closely connected with its creation.
Unlike a typical takeaway boba counter, Chun Shui Tang is also a sit-down teahouse, making it an easy place to take a proper break during a day of sightseeing.
Why it ranks #1: No other shop on this list combines Taichung history, Taiwanese tea culture and international bubble tea significance in the same way.
Good to know: There are many Chun Shui Tang branches around Taiwan, but for this article we specifically mean the Siwei Original Store.
Want to understand the complete story behind Taiwan’s most famous drink?
Bubble Tea in Taiwan – History & Culture
2. CHI CHA SAN CHEN 吃茶三千
Best for: Premium tea and design lovers
What to order: Bubble Milk Tea or Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte
Address: No. 607, Daying Street, Nantun District, Taichung
If Chun Shui Tang represents the history of Taichung bubble tea, CHI CHA SAN CHEN represents where Taiwanese tea culture is heading next.
Its Taichung Taiwan Concept Store occupies a multi-level space on Daying Street. The concept was designed around a more refined approach to hand-shaken tea, including tea tasting, different roast profiles and freshly extracted tea.
This is one of the strongest stops for international visitors because the experience goes beyond grabbing a plastic cup and leaving.
The current menu includes Bubble Milk Tea, Bubble Volcano, Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte, Honey Osmanthus Oolong Tea and other tea-forward creations.
For a first visit, choose between:
Bubble Milk Tea if you want the familiar boba experience, or Dong Ding Oolong Tea Latte if you want something that puts Taiwanese tea itself at the center.
The store also makes a strong visual impression, which explains why it appears frequently in travel and social-media videos.
Why it ranks #2: It gives travelers a distinctly modern Taiwanese tea experience rather than simply another sweet milk tea.
3. Lao Lai Tea 老賴紅茶 – Taichung Second Market
Best for: Traditional local flavor
What to order: Soy Milk Black Tea 豆香紅茶
Address: Taichung Second Market, Section 2, Sanmin Road, Central District
Not every essential Taichung tea drink needs tapioca pearls.
Lao Lai Tea is the old-school counterpoint to Taichung’s polished new-generation tea brands.
The brand traces its roots to Taichung’s Second Market and is best known for its traditional black tea and soy milk black tea. Its current menu still features Lao Lai Black Tea, Soy Black Tea, pearl drinks and milk tea variations.
The combination of strong Taiwanese-style black tea and soy milk is simple, nostalgic and very different from the creamy brown-sugar boba that many overseas visitors associate with Taiwan.
And that is exactly why you should try it.
Instead of making Lao Lai a destination by itself, combine it with breakfast or lunch at Taichung Second Market. Grab market snacks, then finish with an icy cup of tea.
One practical difference: traditional Lao Lai drinks may offer less customization than modern boba chains, so do not automatically expect endless sugar and ice options.
Why it ranks #3: It tastes like local Taichung rather than an international bubble tea trend.
4. Jiho Teaworks 吉合製茶
Best for: Trendy contemporary Taiwanese tea
What to try: An oolong-based drink or tea with fen-kueh jelly
Address: No. 67, Dahe Road, West District, Taichung
Want something newer than the established names?
Jiho Teaworks deserves a spot near the top of your Taichung bubble tea list.
The Dahe Road shop opened as the brand’s first Taichung location and quickly attracted attention for bringing a design-conscious, specialty-drink approach to Taiwanese tea. Current brand posts also show different best-sellers in Taipei and Taichung, which is exactly the sort of local variation we like to see.
Rather than coming here solely for standard pearl milk tea, explore its tea and topping combinations. Osmanthus, oolong and Taiwanese-style fen-kueh jelly make this a more interesting stop for travelers who have already tried classic boba.
The Dahe Road location is also in Taichung’s West District, making it much easier to combine with other cafés, restaurants and cultural attractions than some of the shops farther outside the center.
Why it ranks #4: New enough to feel current, but still built around recognizable Taiwanese tea flavors.
5. Dejeng Oolong Tea Project 得正
Best for: Serious oolong drinkers
What to order: Dark Roasted Oolong Milk Tea or Lemon Spring Oolong
Address: No. 266, Section 1, Meicun Road, West District, Taichung
Not everyone wants their bubble tea to taste like dessert.
If you care more about the tea than the sugar, put Dejeng Oolong Tea Project high on your list.
The brand focuses heavily on different expressions of oolong, including Spring Oolong, Light Oolong and Dark Roasted Oolong. Its current menu extends those tea bases into milk tea, pearl milk tea and fruit combinations.
For milk tea lovers, the Dark Roasted Oolong Milk Tea is an easy introduction because the roasted tea character stands up well against the milk.
If you prefer something refreshing, try a citrus-and-oolong combination such as Lemon Spring Oolong.
The Meicun location also sits in one of the most useful parts of Taichung for visitors exploring the West District.
Why it ranks #5: It gives you a clearer sense of Taiwan’s tea culture rather than hiding the tea underneath syrup and toppings.
6. Daming Tea 大茗本位製茶堂
Best for: Creative tea drinks
What to order: Avocado Cream Cap Ruby Black Tea 酪梨奶蓋紅玉
Address: No. 23, Lane 23, Mofan Street, West District, Taichung
Avocado and tea probably isn’t the combination you expected to encounter on a Taiwan trip.
That is part of the reason Daming Tea makes our top six.
The brand combines traditional tea-making ideas with a much more experimental hand-shaken-drink menu. Current featured drinks include Avocado Cream Cap Ruby Black Tea, apple tea, milk drinks with pearls and fen-kueh, and seasonal fruit creations.
The Avocado Cream Cap Ruby Black Tea is the obvious choice if you want something different from anything you are likely to have tried back home.
Underneath the creative toppings, Daming continues to emphasize tea quality and tea-making technique, so the concept doesn’t feel like novelty for novelty’s sake.
The Mofan Street shop is another useful West District stop, meaning you could realistically make a small DIY Taichung tea crawl from several entries on this list.
Why it ranks #6: One of the strongest combinations of traditional Taiwanese tea and modern flavor experimentation.
7. Tea Shop 喫茶小舖
Best for: A longtime Taichung tea brand
What to order: Osmanthus Oolong Milk Tea 桂花烏龍奶茶
Address: No. 474, Minquan Road, North District, Taichung
Some Taiwanese tea brands become internationally famous. Others remain especially loved in the city where they started.
Tea Shop (喫茶小舖) belongs in the second category.
The brand has more than two decades of history connected with Taichung, and its company remains based at the Minquan Road address.
Its menu is broad, but the osmanthus oolong line is particularly relevant to travelers looking for a recognizable Taiwanese flavor rather than another brown-sugar drink. The brand’s current menu includes Osmanthus Oolong alongside milk tea and fruit variations, and it continues to introduce seasonal drinks.
Our pick is Osmanthus Oolong Milk Tea.
It is floral without becoming perfume-like, while the oolong keeps enough tea character to prevent the drink from becoming overly heavy.
There is another interesting connection here: the company behind Tea Shop also developed CHI CHA SAN CHEN, making these two stops an interesting old-versus-new comparison in Taichung’s modern tea industry.
Why it ranks #7: A genuine piece of Taichung’s everyday hand-shaken tea culture.
8. Wanpo Tea Shop 萬波島嶼紅茶
Best for: Nostalgic Taiwanese flavors and toppings
What to order: Jin Xuan with pearls/toppings or Wanpo Milk Tea
Address: No. 140, Daya Road, Daya District, Taichung
Wanpo is now found far beyond Taichung, but its flavor identity still leans heavily into Taiwanese nostalgia.
Its menu currently includes Island Black Tea, Jin Xuan tea, Tieguanyin, Wanpo Milk Tea, Boba Milk Tea, aiyu drinks, fruit teas and traditional-style toppings.
For something more interesting than standard milk tea, look for Jin Xuan Zhen-Bo-Fen (金萱珍波粉), which combines Jin Xuan tea with different chewy textures.
This is the type of drink that shows why the Taiwanese term hand-shaken tea covers much more than just milk tea and black tapioca pearls.
During warmer months, Wanpo also introduces seasonal fruit drinks, making it worth checking the current menu before visiting.
Why it ranks #8: Strong Taiwanese identity and a wider range of textures and traditional flavors than many overseas boba chains.
9. Huadelai 華得來 – Qingshui Store
Best for: Fresh seasonal fruit tea
What to order: Mango Green Tea in season; Sesame Pearl Fresh Milk Tea otherwise
Address: No. 207, Zhongshan Road, Qingshui District, Taichung
This is where our ranking starts moving outside central Taichung.
And Huadelai is worth the detour if you are heading toward Taichung’s coastal side.
The Qingshui shop is particularly well known for drinks made with seasonal fruit. A 2026 menu review lists orange green tea, pineapple green tea and mango green tea among its seasonal specialties, alongside year-round options such as Sesame Pearl Fresh Milk Tea and jade lemon tea.
In summer, go directly for the Mango Green Tea if available.
Unlike heavily flavored fruit syrup drinks, Huadelai’s appeal is the generous use of actual seasonal fruit. Because availability follows the fruit season, there may be drinks on the menu that aren’t being served during your visit.
That’s part of the experience.
If you visit outside mango season, the Sesame Pearl Fresh Milk Tea is the more boba-like alternative.
Why it ranks #9: Very local, very seasonal and unlike the drinks most foreign travelers find at international chains.
Travel planning tip: Pair Qingshui with a Taichung coastal itinerary rather than making a special round trip from central Taichung solely for one drink.
10. Zuo Tea 小佐お茶作
Best for: Japanese-style aesthetics and chewy pearls
What to order: Yuuyake White Pearl Milk Tea 夕燒白玉奶茶
Address: No. 138-2, Section 1, Xiangshang Road, West District, Taichung
Zuo Tea has a noticeably different personality from the more traditional Taiwanese brands on this list.
The visual identity leans Japanese, while its drinks still use the familiar vocabulary of Taiwanese hand-shaken tea: freshly brewed tea, milk, fruit and chewy toppings.
The brand emphasizes fresh tea, freshly squeezed citrus and simple ingredients. Its signature Yuuyake (夕燒) pearls are cooked with brown sugar for a slightly caramelized flavor and chewy texture.
If you want a milk tea, order the Yuuyake White Pearl Milk Tea.
The Xiangshang shop is also conveniently positioned in the West District, close enough to other food and drink stops that it works well as part of a walking afternoon rather than a standalone excursion.
Why it ranks #10: One of the more photogenic ways to experience the creative crossover between Taiwanese boba culture and Japanese-inspired design.
11. I Think Think 我想想 – Dali Original Store
Best for: Fruit lovers
What to order: Fresh Grapefruit Green Tea
Address: No. 450, Chenggong Road, Dali District, Taichung
Technically, this may be the least traditional “boba” stop in our ranking.
But that’s also why it belongs here.
I Think Think is best known for fresh fruit drinks, particularly grapefruit and seasonal fruit combinations. The Dali location is identified as the original shop, while the menu continues to feature grapefruit drinks alongside tea, milk drinks and other seasonal creations.
Go for the Grapefruit Green Tea when available.
If you’ve spent several days drinking creamy milk teas, this is exactly the reset you need: fresh, tart and much lighter.
It is also a good reminder that Taiwan’s hand-shaken tea scene is not synonymous with “boba.” Locals move between pure tea, milk tea, fruit tea, herbal drinks and toppings depending on the weather and mood.
Why it ranks #11: A genuinely local fruit-tea alternative that broadens the article beyond the same repetitive pearl milk tea recommendations.
12. Tao Tao Tea 先喝道 – Chaofu Store
Best for: Fruit tea and accessible flavors
What to order: English Fruit Tea 英式水果茶
Address: No. 148, Chaofu Road, Xitun District, Taichung
Finishing our list is Tao Tao Tea, whose tea style combines elements of English tea culture with the convenience of Taiwanese hand-shaken drinks.
Its signature English Fruit Tea uses Ceylon highland black tea with tropical fruit flavors, including passion fruit, pineapple and orange. The brand currently lists it as its top recommended drink.
This is not where we would send a traveler looking specifically for old-school Taichung pearl milk tea.
But if you prefer fruit-forward drinks or are staying around Xitun, it is an easy and approachable option.
The Chaofu shop listed in our research remains on the brand’s current central Taiwan store directory.
Why it ranks #12: Pleasant, polished and accessible, but less uniquely “Taichung” than the shops ranked above it.
Which Taichung Bubble Tea Shop Should You Choose?
Still cannot decide? Here’s the short version.
If you only have time for one:
Chun Shui Tang Original Store
You came to one of the cities most closely associated with bubble tea’s origins. Start with the classic.
If you care most about tea quality:
CHI CHA SAN CHEN or Dejeng Oolong Tea Project
Both put considerably more attention on the tea base itself.
If you want something very local:
Lao Lai Tea
Pair its soy milk black tea with a visit to Second Market.
If you want somewhere trendy:
Jiho Teaworks
It feels more like the next generation of Taiwan’s tea scene.
If you want an unusual drink:
Daming Tea
Avocado cream cap is much more memorable than ordering your tenth standard brown-sugar milk tea.
If you love fruit tea:
Huadelai or I Think Think
These two are particularly useful in Taiwan’s hot and humid summer.
Wanna visit Taichung City? Try our Taichung private day tour from Taipei!
The Best DIY Bubble Tea Crawl in Central Taichung
One advantage of this list is that several of the best boba shops in Taichung are clustered around the West District.
You do not need to visit all 12.
For a realistic half-day tea crawl, try:
Stop 1: Chun Shui Tang Original Store
Start with the history and order a classic pearl milk tea.
Stop 2: Jiho Teaworks
Switch to a more contemporary tea-and-topping combination.
Stop 3: Daming Tea – Mofan Store
Try something experimental such as avocado cream cap tea.
Stop 4: Dejeng – Meicun Project
Finish with an oolong-focused drink, preferably lower in sugar.
Four full-size drinks would be a lot for one person, so this route works much better with friends who can share.
It also creates a surprisingly good mini-history of Taiwan’s tea scene: classic boba → modern tea design → experimental tea → oolong specialist.
Planning more than a tea crawl?
Taichung Travel Guide / Places to Go in Taichung
How to Order Bubble Tea in Taichung
Most Taiwanese hand-shaken tea shops let you customize two things:
Sugar level
Common choices include:
- full sugar
- 70% sugar
- half sugar
- 30% sugar
- no sugar
Ice level
Common choices include:
- regular ice
- less ice
- little ice
- no ice
If you usually drink American or European-style sweetened beverages, 30% to 50% sugar is a good starting point at many shops.
But not every traditional shop works this way. Some drinks have fixed sweetness because syrups, fruit or other ingredients are already sweetened.
And remember: lower sugar is not automatically better for every tea. Sometimes a little sweetness brings out the roasted, floral or fruity qualities of the drink.
Nervous about ordering in Chinese?
How to Order Bubble Tea in Taiwan
Is Taichung Really the Birthplace of Bubble Tea?
This question is more complicated than many travel articles make it sound.
Bubble tea originated in Taiwan during the 1980s, but the exact inventor has long been debated. Chun Shui Tang states that its team developed pearl milk tea at its original Taichung store, while other origin stories exist elsewhere in Taiwan.
So rather than saying the matter is completely undisputed, the safest conclusion is:
Taichung is one of the most important cities in the history of bubble tea, and Chun Shui Tang’s original store is one of the drink’s most historically significant places.
For a traveler interested in Taiwanese food culture, that alone makes Taichung worth drinking your way through.
FAQ: Best Bubble Tea in Taichung
What is the best bubble tea in Taichung?
For first-time visitors, we rank Chun Shui Tang Original Store as the best bubble tea experience in Taichung because of its connection with the history of pearl milk tea. For premium tea, CHI CHA SAN CHEN is our second choice.
Where is the original bubble tea shop in Taichung?
Chun Shui Tang identifies its Siwei Original Store at No. 30, Siwei Street in Taichung’s West District as the location where its pearl milk tea was developed.
Is boba the same as bubble tea?
Generally, yes. Overseas, particularly in North America, “boba” is commonly used for both tapioca pearls and the drink itself. In Taiwan, you are more likely to hear zhenz particularly in North America, “boba” is commonly used for both tapihu naicha (珍珠奶茶) for pearl milk tea.
How much is bubble tea in Taichung?
Prices vary dramatically according to the shop. Traditional drinks can cost only a few dozen Taiwan dollars, while premium concept stores can exceed NT$100 per drink.
What bubble tea should I try first in Taiwan?
Start with a classic pearl milk tea. After that, branch out into oolong milk tea, fruit tea, fresh milk with pearls, grass jelly, aiyu, fen-kueh and other Taiwanese toppings.
Which Taichung bubble tea shops are best for tea lovers?
Our top choices are CHI CHA SAN CHEN, Dejeng Oolong Tea Project, Jiho Teaworks and Tea Shop. They all give the tea itself a more important role than many dessert-style boba brands.
Which Taichung bubble tea shop is best for fruit tea?
For a very local experience, try Huadelai in Qingshui during fruit season or I Think Think in Dali for fresh grapefruit-based drinks.
@taiwan.times Boba lovers, this is your sign to visit Taichung 🧋 #chunshuitang #taichung #taiwan #food #milktea ♬ Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
🧋Final Thoughts: Taichung Is More Than the Birthplace of Boba
Searching for the best bubble tea in Taichung can easily turn into an entire food itinerary.
You can drink a classic pearl Taichung milk tea in a historic teahouse, sip soy milk black tea inside an old market, compare different roast levels of oolong, try avocado cream cap, hunt down seasonal mango tea and finish with fresh grapefruit tea.
That range is exactly what makes Taichung interesting.
For a first visit, our three priorities would be:
Chun Shui Tang for the history,
CHI CHA SAN CHEN for modern Taiwanese tea, and
Lao Lai Tea for something that feels unmistakably local.
Then start exploring.
Because once you get beyond the famous cup of pearl milk tea, you realize that boba is only one small part of Taiwan’s much bigger tea culture.
Wanna visit Taichung City? Try our Taichung private day tour from Taipei!