ICFT – I Come From Taiwan

I love bubble tea and I’m excited that a couple have opened up in Manchester. Chatime is a franchise that I was familiar with in Sydney but didn’t venture in much so I decided to give ICFT a try (Chatime had customers queuing out of the door!).
The place was busy with groups of youngsters but I managed to get served before them as they were deciding. I was nervous when ordering as I could select the amount of ice and sugar and was wondering if it would taste how I normally have it. There were regulars waiting and the staff chatted to them in their native language. I needn’t have worried as my coconut drink with tapioca pearls tasted great (better than Wong Wongs).
You get a loyalty card so I will definitely be back here again and convince them that they need to stock lychee jelly.

Bubble tea never tasted this good … well it kind of tastes the same wherever you go in the world (apart from how much sugar and ice you ask for) — but this is a good thing — as bubble tea rocks — big style!
Nestled in a back street in China Town, you need to go underground to a den of tastiness which would actually make you think you’s stepped into the Far-​East. We’re talking about Chinese news on the tv, everything in Mandarin/​Cantonese and basically loads of hustle and bustle going on from the regular patrons.
I got mine to go — choosing the honeydew melon flavour from the many many flavours and offer — went for half sugar and tapioca pearls (everything is customisable) — for £3.50 (regular size is £3) it was was well worth it due to the bubbly pleasure it brought me! Nice work ICFT

A new boba shop smack dab in the middle of Chinatown with loads of selection. A lot of the shops in town have a handful of milk tea flavours and the tapioca pearls, but ICFT has a full menu of tea flavours to choose from, as well as various jellies you can have with it! You can choose the level of sweetness you want (I chose half sugar, but if you’ve got a major sweet tooth the full sugar will hit your craving hard), and there are a couple choices in serving size depending on how much you’d like.
I’ve been focusing on the variation available here for a bit (because it is so, SO much more than what you find elsewhere) but the rest of the shop is great too. Cute interior, as you walk downstairs there are a few seats but moat people get their drinks to go. Decorations of Taiwanese flags and maps periodically dot the white walls, and staff is courteous and friendly. I got an almond milk tea with regular pearls, my mate got a taro with coffee jelly — tried both, and both were delicious. I’ll definitely be back and work my way through the menu.
They also provide a stamp card, so make sure you get one if you’re likely to become a regular! Buy 6 drinks and your 7^th is free.
It is a cash-​only business, but as the most expensive drink is only £3.50, it’s not likely to be an issue for most people.