MACU TEA 麻古茶坊

Location: No. 30號, Guoji 1st St, Sanxia District, New Taipei City, 237

Boba Taiwan Grading (BTG): 70.8/100

Number of Stores: 348 (Taiwan)

Price of the Boba Tea: 50 TWD

Order: Boba Milk Tea, Regular Sugar Levels, Regular Ice Levels

Overview: MACU TEA 麻古茶坊 is an average bubble tea chain founded in 2008 in Kaohsiung. Its pearls are translucent and very chewy, although on the harder end. Its tea is watery and sweet, although not altogether unpleasant. MACU TEA is a solid plan B.

Boba Taiwan Grading Overview:

Quality of the Boba Tea (QBT): 59.2/80

Quality of the Pearl: 29.5/40

• Chewiness: 7/10 - The pearl is very chewy, requiring around four to five chews to fully digest in the mouth.

• Hard/softness: 7/10 - The pearls are slightly too hard.

• Relative size: 2.2/2.5 - The pearl is slightly too small.

• Amount of Pearl (relative to Volume of Drink): 2.3/2.5 - There are slightly too many pearls in the drink (and too much ice)

• Lumpiness: 5/5 - There were no lumps of pearls that made a jam in the straw, which resulted in full points.

• Taste (or sweetness level): 4/5 - The pearl's aftertaste and taste are pleasant and barely detectable.

• Spherical quality and perfection (of pearl): 2/5 - The pearls are inconsistent throughout the drink and deformed, although very hard.

Quality of Tea: 29.7/40

• Sweetness: 6.7/10 - There is too much sugar in the drink, although mildly enjoyable.

• Milkiness: 6/10 - There is little milk detectable in the tea, overpowered by the sugar concentration.

• Concentration of tea: 6/10 - There is little tea detectable in the drink, overpowered by the sugary water.

• Aftertaste: 4/5 - The aftertaste of the tea is enjoyable and disappears quickly.

• Wateriness: 7/10 - There is too much water in the drink although not unenjoyable.

Quality of the Shop (QS): 11.6/20

• Delivery Speed: 2.7/5 - The delivery speed was slower than average, as the waitresses were not present at arrival.

• Quality of Store: 2.9/5 - The quality of the store was large and spacious, with sufficient lighting and pleasant music. The machinery used and the space, however, was slightly dirty and had occasional powder and drink stains.

• Quality of Service: 3/5 - The waiter was friendly and professional.

• Quality of Utensils: 3/5 - The utensils used were average. The bag used was classic and ordinary. The materials used for the cup were normal. The way the straw entered the cup was not entirely clean but did not encounter any obstacles either. The utensils were very, very average.

Note: The pearls used were white pearls instead of black pearls. No points will be added nor deducted but should be taken into consideration when visiting MACU (white/translucent pearls are known to be healthier than black pearls)