Akari Tsumugi’s bubble-tea notebook

A favorite drink became a small personal catalog of shops, textures and flavors.

Forty shops on her phone

When the conversation turned to bubble tea, Tsumugi reached for the notes on her phone. She had visited forty shops in Japan and recorded them in a checklist with her own ratings. Her ambition was to try all the bubble-tea shops in Tokyo.

The list made it possible to recall individual drinks instead of relying on a vague impression. Her enthusiasm came with an awareness of the trend: she wondered how many shops would remain after the boom and wanted to visit them while she could.

Flavor, size and softness

To compare shops, she tried to order the same kind of drink: brown-sugar bubble milk tea. She noticed differences in flavor intensity and distinctive tastes, then considered the pearls themselves. Their size and the way they had been cooked both influenced her judgment.

Her own preference was for large, soft pearls. She described a spectrum from very tender pearls to firmer, chewier ones, explaining how drink flavor and pearl texture worked together in her personal ratings. The details mattered as much as the shop’s name.

The favorites she remembered

Her 2019 favorites included Bull Pulu’s Hikarie branch, Raccoon Cafe in Ikebukuro and Xie Xie Pearl. She stressed that Bull Pulu’s taste varied by branch, praised Raccoon Cafe’s homemade caramel milk bubble tea and enjoyed Xie Xie Pearl’s strong flavor.

Choosing between her top three was difficult because she rated them similarly. The interview ended with another idea inspired by the same interest: she wanted to try managing a bubble-tea shop for a day. Her notebook, favorite orders and wish to take part all belonged to that enthusiasm.