Bubble tea, also known as tapioca, boba tea, and pearl tea, is one of the most popular drinks of our time. Originating in Taiwan, bubble tea is made up of tea, milk, and tapioca starch. It is usually packaged in a plastic cup, sealed with a plastic lid, and sipped out of a wide straw allowing the large tapioca balls to go through. 

Tapioca has consistently evolved in different ways and different countries, due to people adding twists and flavours to the famous drink. 

Now the real question is, what is the best tapioca store in Osaka? In this series, I will be exploring, tasting, and rating different tapioca stores around Osaka. The five criteria I will be rating the drink on are the service, price, presentation, tapioca, and milk tea.

Starting with one of the first tapioca stores I visited in Osaka, CoCo Tapioca has two locations in the Osaka prefecture. Originating in Taiwan, CoCo now has over 4500 locations around the world.

Service 4/5

Firstly, CoCo allows you to receive a point card which allows you to get free tapioca toppings when you reach 5 stamps, and a free drink when you reach 10 stamps. With two other siblings, I always end up buying more than one at a time, so in the long run, the point card has benefits and saves you money. 

Secondly, the service provided by the staff is very welcoming and stress-free. Especially with the language barrier between English and Japanese, all of the staff I have come across have tried their best to assist me when buying tapioca. 

Price 4/5 

The second criterion is the price of the tapioca. As mentioned before, I usually buy more than one cup of bubble tea, so the price is very important. With a price of 470 yen for a tapioca milk tea, you can add in extras such as cheese foam and pudding. 400 yen - 500 yen is the average price for tapioca, so 470 yen for the basic drink gives you your money's worth. 

Presentation 4/5

All CoCo drinks are presented in a basic plastic or paper cup, sealed with a plastic seal with the logo on it, and their signature orange straw. The presentation of the drink and store highly affects whether or not you will want to enter the store or revisit. In one of my favourite K-Dramas Itaewon class, one of the main characters explained how people don’t go to restaurants to only eat, they go there for an opportunity to take photos to post on their social media and to be in a place where they can socialise and relax. In response to this, I believe that CoCo consistently and successfully portrays their signature orange style and theme. Furthermore the equipment, uniform, and menus make the company seem professional. 

CoCo Tapioca also has a wide menu that ranges from milk tea, tea and fruit juice to yogurt drinks. 

Tapioca 3/5 

Tapioca is one of the two things that make up the tapioca drink, which is why this is one of the most important criteria. According to hungryhuy.com, perfect tapioca has to be hard enough to bite, but without any flour bombs in the middle. It should be soft enough chew, but hard enough to not melt in your mouth. However, everyone has their preferences for their tapioca. When you order a cold bubble tea with ice, the tapioca tends to harden, which forms a hard centre. This is why I recommend buying the hot milk tea, which keeps the tapioca soft and warm. Personally, tapioca from CoCo is not one of my favourites, but remember everyone has their preferences!!

Milk tea 2.5/5 

From watching my drinks being made multiple times, I have seen that the Milk tea at CoCo tapioca is made from powder mixed with water. This leaves a powdery aftertaste, which does not feel good. However, this is only towards the milk tea. 

So, if you are looking for cheap and standard bubble tea, then CoCo tapioca is the place to go!! Thank you for reading the first article in this series. Please let me know if you have any recommendations and/or questions.