It’s time to ditch the straw for a spoon.

Grabbing a fancy ice-cold bubble tea from the local boba store is one of the most satisfying ways to indulge yourself while staying hydrated, but as temperatures begin to slide downwards in Japan, companies are beginning to add new spins to existing drinks.

So imagine our surprise when we visited a Mister Donut shop to taste their new line of cold bubble teas (496 yen, US$4.60), only to find out that they offered hot versions as well. Warm boba sliding down our throats did sound a little strange, but we figured the only way to find out was to try it ourselves.

▼ Presented with smooth royal milk tea and creamy matcha milk,
our choice was pretty obvious.

▼ Tada! Both flavors for double the excitement.

While cold bubble teas were served in transparent vessels, the hot versions came in insulated paper cups much like takeout coffee.

▼ Which meant that no straws were provided at all.

Good thing we were given long spoons to scoop up the precious tapioca pearls then! Rather than the traditional approach of sucking everything through a straw, the whole process felt more like eating dessert than drinking a beverage.

▼ The royal milk tea was still very delicious nonetheless.

▼ But what impressed us most was the hot matcha bubble tea.

Shining brightly in the morning sun like polished jewels, the green orbs resembled muscat grapes that released explosions of bittersweet green tea flavors with each satisfying bite.

To our surprise, bubbles from both drinks were some of the best we have ever eaten, most likely influenced by heat from the drinks. Not hard and rubbery, they were springy and chewy.

▼ And as such beverages tend to go, boba pearls ended up accumulating at the bottom.

▼ It would have been nice to have a straw right now to slurp up everything in one go…

▼ …but all we had was a spoon.
Scooping them up one at a time was fun in its own way though.

The Mister Donut hot boba teas turned out to be mighty impressive, definitely way better than Mr. Sato’s crazy fish roe bubble tea for sure. And if you have to pick just one from the two, we highly recommend the matcha milk tea with its emerald pearls packed full of green tea flavor.

Images: ©SoraNews24
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