A few weeks ago, I was invited to a media preview for a new boba shop opening on Nuuanu Avenue. What I didn’t know was that Tiger Sugar, hailing from Taichung, Taiwan, already had a cult-like following.
With the abundance of boba shops already on Oahu, what makes this one different?
Hint: It’s all in those tiger stripes. Ultra-rich brown sugar boba tea is all the rage in Taiwan, and the trend was partially popular thanks to Tiger Sugar. The milk-heavy boba beverage gets its signature look from swirls of sweet brown sugar syrup.
These “tiger stripes” are infused into all of the business’s drinks with unique, hand-poured syrups, according to Calvin Sun, CEO of Tiger Sugar USA.
“We use a proprietary eight-hour method for cooking the syrups and tapioca pearls,” he explains. “This results in the perfect marriage of tea, milk and syrup in every sip. Brown sugar translated into Taiwanese is ‘tiger sugar.’”
“When the brown sugar melts, it looks like tiger stripes,” adds Tony Shi, owner of the Hawaii Tiger Sugar store.
Founded by Simon Yang, Tiger Sugar is now a global phenomenon, with stores 150-plus stores across the world. Shi remembers traveling on a family vacation in 2019 to New York, where he experienced Tiger Sugar for the first time.
“We saw the line and thought, ‘Wow, we have to give this a try,’” he says. “It tasted unique. I don’t usually drink bubble tea, but I was surprised — I really liked this one. We said, ‘Everybody loves bubble tea in Hawaii; let’s see if we can bring Tiger Sugar here.’ We talked to the original owners in Taiwan about it.
“Honolulu’s store was supposed to open last year, but when the pandemic hit, we stopped talking about the process,” Shi adds. “After a while, the New York corporate office reached out to us and wanted us to continue.”
Shi said he considered various locations for the store — including spots by Diamond Head and Kapahulu — but decided the downtown Honolulu address was best because it had a parking lot and was highly visible from the street. If you have trouble finding it, keep your eyes peeled for the line that’s sure to snake down the sidewalk.
“Tiger Sugar is unique because of its quality requirements and production procedures for boba,” Sun says. “Besides the efforts behind the manufacturing process and cooking method for boba, Tiger Sugar insists that its boba must be manufactured by a Taiwanese partner to ensure its quality and taste.
“During the eight-hour method (for making boba), most of the time is spent cooking the boba and producing the proprietary brown sugar,” he explains. “We also provide a mini version of boba, which is called pearl. The rich taste that both boba and pearl present in our signature drink — brown sugar boba, pearl milk and cream mousse — is one of the reasons why fans are deeply fascinated with our brand.”
The backbone of Tiger Sugar focuses on the velvety, picturesque layers, which Sun says are the “soul of the brand.”
“From the beginning of the visual stacking to the rich layering presented by the taste and mouthfeel is what makes us different from other boba shops,” he says.
While the aforementioned No. 1 drink might be Tiger Sugar’s signature beverage, other bestsellers include the No. 2 — brown sugar boba milk with pearl, Tiger Jelly and cream mousse — and No. 5, which features brown sugar boba with housemade pudding and cream mousse.
“No. 2 is an extension of the signature drink,” Sun says. “Different from the full brown sugar sweetness brought by the signature drink, the Tiger Jelly made from coffee is added to it. Its aroma and bitterness bring a charming contrast to the brown sugar’s sweetness. Our cream mousse is made from a rich dairy cream that we make fresh prior to each drink.”
From Aug. 19, Tiger Sugar is running a limited-time promotion: When you buy four drinks, you can get a bag of black sugar popcorn for free. This offer is valid for two weeks or while supplies last, according to Shi.
“The taste of this brown sugar snack is so different from any other popcorn flavor,” he says. “We currently sell the snack for $2.99 per bag.”
In the future, customers can look forward to the addition of new beverages to Tiger Sugar’s menu, along with additional store openings across the state.
Tiger Sugar isn’t the only boba shop with trendy drinks. Slurp up these other beautiful beverages.
Tiger Sugar
1365 Nuuanu Ave.,Honolulu
808-376-0648
tigersugar.com
Instagram: @tigersugar.usa
Boba Bash
The Alley
The Alley (1450 Ala Moana Blvd.) is known for its Deerioca drink series — the Brown Sugar Deerioca Creme Brûlée (warm brown sugar, fresh whole milk, creme brûlée pudding and sea salt cream) is the most popular drink on the menu. Another customer favorite is the Ube Brown Sugar Deerioca series, which has taro bits and is topped off with a distinctive purple ube layer. Fun fact: The Alley’s name and logo pays homage to the Harry Potter universe. “The Alley” refers to Diagon Alley and the deer logo references Harry’s patronus. Call 808-278-9216.
Cowcow’s Tea
Cowcow’s Tea (320A Waialae Ave.) is the first business in Hawaii to serve the unique purple rice drink that’s currently trending in Asia. This shop is known for its drinkable yogurt, and it currently has 15 selections of drinkable probiotic yogurt. You’ll also find a variety of fresh-brewed teas, fruit teas, sparkling water, cheesy smoothies and milk teas at this Kaimuki store. Call 808-888-0708.
Hana Tea
Hana Tea (hanatea808.com) is known for starting the brown sugar milk tea trend in Hawaii. The shop is famous for its brown sugar milk tea and brûlée cheese foam.
Honey Genmai milk tea is also popular. The owners of Hana Tea wanted everyone who visits their shop to experience the aloha spirit with every beverage. That’s how the name “Hana” was born — “happiness along with nothing but aloha.” Find Hana Tea locations at Pearl City (1160 Kuala St. Unit 204) and Dillingham (1111 Dillingham Blvd. Unit E-2).
Rabbit Rabbit Tea
Rabbit Rabbit Tea (rabbitrabbitteahi.com; locations at Aiea Shopping Center and 2700 S. King St.) is well known for its cloud smoothies, classic milk teas, fresh fruit iced teas and Alice in Wonderland mojitos.
“We use top-tier tea brewing and boba machines to prepare our drinks and boba, ensuring that every batch has the same consistency,” says owner Alice Chan.
Popular drinks at Rabbit Rabbit Tea are brown sugar boba with fresh milk, Queen of Hearts mojito and Kyoto matcha latte.
