ever since my (long-bygone) student days, there's one particular drink that's always been my go-to, whether to celebrate a special occasion or seek out sweet comfort when i'm down or just to keep me company as i work amongst the mountains of paper that have since become an unavoidable part of my studying and work life.
bubble tea from KOI Thé has always been the gold standard of bubble teas for me. they have a great variety of teas to choose from at a good value-for-money price point, a rewarding membership system, and outlets a stone's throw from literally anywhere in Singapore. plus, the drinks have just the right balance of flavour, and the pearls are one of the best i've enjoyed with their consistency and taste.
so i was really excited last weekend when i found out that KOI Thé was going to launch a new range of teas, a really unique concept that i don't think i've seen before from any bubble tea chain here in Singapore.
on 1 march 2021, the new Rum & Raisin Earl Grey (S$9.60, extra shot S$2), VSOP Ruby (S$14.90, extra shot S$3) and Baileys Earl Grey (S$8.10, extra shot S$1.50) were released as part of the KOI Signature alcohol series.
in connection with the launch, KOI Thé also held a promotion where the first fifty customers to purchase drinks from the new series would receive exclusive merchandise. it wasn't the only reason i decided to go down on monday but certainly a nice additional bonus, and that's how i found myself fifth in queue at one of the KOI Signature outlets at 10:50am, just ten minutes before opening.
for being one of the first twenty at that outlet, i received this limited edition signature KOI card and pin, though i would have been happy with the other gift of a tearista bear set too (available to the next thirty customers).
at the launch, i decided to go for the Baileys Earl Grey with pearls (and an extra shot teehee) - flavours were just slightly elevated above the standard milk tea, though the creaminess from the double shot of Baileys was certainly discernible. it was overall dangerously easy to drink though, since the taste of the whiskey was almost entirely masked by the rich milk tea. i also think my decision to add pearls had something to do with it, since chasing those sweet chewy treats around the cup increases the tendency to take larger pulls through the straw.
as a firm believer in "good things must share", i also brought a friend to try these yesterday and decided to pick up the Rum & Raisin Earl Grey for myself (again with pearls and an extra shot).
i had already decided that i liked the Baileys Earl Grey very much, but as it turns out, the Rum & Raisin Earl Grey was on a whole different level. right off the bat, the rum makes its presence known with a strong flavour that goes extremely well with the richness of the earl grey milk tea. there's a reason that rum and raisin is such a classic combination, and i was delighted to find that nestled in amongst the chewy pearls were rum-soaked raisins that delivered little punchy bursts of alcohol and sweetness.
all things considered, i like the concept and love the execution of both of these drinks, but there's just a couple of things here that worry me a little.
first up, it was an interesting strategic decision taken by KOI Thé as regards its customer base. even though they officially don't have a halal certification, i have several Muslim friends with whom i used to enjoy their bubble tea because drinks (milk, tea, sugar, tapioca pearls) were relatively uncontroversial on this front. however, with the new release of this alcohol series, these same friends have with much regret found themselves having to abstain from joining me for a cup of bubble tea from this brand, because given that the brand now would not qualify for a halal certificate, it's less clear on whether they can legitimately imbibe the tea from the non-alcoholic series.
secondly, i'm concerned about whether this would have a longer term impact as regards the view that we take towards alcohol, particularly from teenagers' perspective. i will say that as a whisky drinker, everyone starts somewhere and individual freedom of choice is of much value in society today, and i believe that there's a time and place for responsible enjoyment, whether neat or on the rocks or in bubble tea.
however, from my own experience of having first enjoyed bubble tea when i wasn't even of legal drinking age for alcohol, and of perceiving bubble tea as a fun childhood drink, one that we as students would walk out to enjoy before the afternoon lessons or co-curricular activities, i'm concerned about the impact resulting from this approach of introducing alcohol to eighteen-year-olds (and to some degree, the seemingly-innocuous advertising of alcohol as a 'flavour' to those below that age who stop by the KOI Signature outlets or are on the mailing list for the brand).
for now, the alcohol series is only available at Jewel Changi Airport, Star Vista, Tangs and Ion Signature outlets, though it probably remains to be seen whether KOI would push to roll out the alcohol series in non-Signature outlets, or if it opens more Signature outlets near school clusters or workplaces.
if the drinks in this series really do become a hit with customers, it may also be interesting to see if there are further-reaching changes. for example, while the ubiquitous clear plastic bubble tea cup has previously seldom given rise to suspicion, teachers (and even employers) may now have some reason for concern, with the availability of such alcoholic mixed drinks during the daytime and in a form that's not discernible to the casual observer.
one might argue that there's already the possibility of students or employees smuggling their kicks in opaque water bottles, but the commercialisation of readily-purchasable alcoholic bubble tea extends the probability of such situations to those who may be trying alcohol for the first time in this form, or who do not otherwise have ready access to liquor.
i guess only time will tell whether this series proves to be a success and whether it affects the current perspective of alcohol (especially among teenagers, who are a large subset of the bubble tea customer base). for my part, i'm glad that i was able to try both of these drinks and certainly they've given me some ideas for my own mixing at home, but for the price and location as well as being unable to join my Muslim bubble tea drinking buddies if i choose this brand, i foresee myself sticking to the non-alcoholic bubble teas for the time being.
slàinte, and drink responsibly!
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this review is of products that i had purchased at regular price with my own money. i wasn’t asked to review this as a condition of purchase and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with KOI Thé, and as always, all opinions remain my own.
all information correct at time of publishing.
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