When it comes to selecting equipment to start your own bubble tea business or improve an existing venture, Taipec can help. As the largest supplier of bubble tea tools and equipment in the UK, we are able to offer advice on tools and equipment tailored to the needs of your business. We pride ourselves on providing quality options for everything from stirring spoons to programmable fructose dispensers, all of which are easy to use, clean, and store.

For smaller businesses or for those just starting out, the basic equipment to make a range of drinks should suffice. This includes a fructose ladle and container, measuring jugs, measuring scoops and topping ladles, stirring spoons, shakers, syrup pumps, tea strainers and insulated tea dispensers. For all shops looking to engage in the takeaway market, a cup-sealing machine is a sensible investment. Considering specialist shops and those with a significant output, in addition to the basic equipment, shaking machines and a fructose dispenser could improve your efficiency, reduce waste and increase profit.

½ oz Fructose ladle & Fructose container

For smaller bubble tea shops, a fructose ladle and fructose container should be sufficient, functioning in tandem to help you store and measure out fructose manually for each drink you make. The ladle contains approximately ½ oz (15 ml) per scoop, and is sized in accordance with the typical serving of fructose per drink. Our fructose container is suitable for keeping all kinds of syrups or toppings fresh and ready to add to bubble tea drinks.

Programmable fructose dispenser

Fructose dispensers are relatively new in the grand scheme of equipment for bubble tea shops, but with the rapid growth of the UK market, they are becoming an increasingly practical switch from the manual ladle for bigger or busier bubble tea shops. Programmable to allow you to tailor the exact amount of fructose in each drink you make with the push of a button, this machine maximises speed and efficiency whilst simultaneously reducing waste. In a busy shop, or at an event with lots of people, efficiency and precision is what will set your business apart, and thus generate more profit. If you are operating a specialist bubble tea shop, a programmable fructose dispenser is a valuable investment.

Measuring jugs (large and small)

Measuring jugs are essential to the making of Bubble Tea drinks. Recipes vary from drink to drink, but all rely on the correct ratio of base to other ingredients in order to deliver balanced flavour profiles. 500ml drinks, for example, call for 200ml of base liquid – whether that be Green tea, Black tea, or hot water. The hot water for each tea itself, must also be measured precisely so as to adhere to the correct tea leaf to water ratio. Too much water will leave you with a weak, overly diluted tea base, and too little will render your base bitter, or too strong. Similarly, the cooking of tapioca pearls necessitates a surplus of water. As the recommended ratio of tapioca pearls to water is 1g:10ml, being able to measure the water you are using is of paramount importance. Large jugs might also be used to brew larger quantities of tea in, as the water can be measured accurately in the first instance, and then the tea can be conveniently poured through a fine strainer into a dispenser.

Perforated tapioca ladle

A perforated tapioca ladle is essential for adding toppings such as jelly, tapioca pearls, and popping boba to Bubble Tea drinks. Made from stainless steel for ease of cleaning and sterilization, the ladle is sized in accordance with the recommended topping amount per cup, making it easy for you to scoop in  the correct portion size. It is preferential to use a perforated ladle rather than a solid ladle, scoop, or spoon to serve toppings, as the perforations act as drains for the syrup which keep the toppings fresh, enabling you to add toppings to each cup without transferring excess sugar and interfering with the balance of the drink you have mixed.

Long mixing spoon

A long stainless steel spoon is a valuable piece of bubble tea making equipment, particularly as it is long enough to use with both 500ml and 700ml cups. These can be used for a wide variety of tasks when making bubble tea, from gently patting your tea leaves to ensure that they are all in contact with hot water, to stirring tapioca balls as they cook in deep water so that they do not clump together. These spoons are also handy for ‘smearing’ thick brown sugar syrup in patterns around the sides of cups, and for stirring flavoured milk tea drinks which use creamer, to ensure that the creamer dissolves in hot water and does not clump together. Their stainless steel make-up furthermore allows for easy cleaning and sterilization.

Powder measuring spoon

Powder measuring spoons are important to ensure that you are able to measure the correct amount of powdered ingredients into each drink that requires them. Each scoop yields approximately 10-12g of powder (depending on the sugar proportion of the powder), and is made from PC (polycarbonate) plastic for ease of cleaning and sterilization.

Polycarbonate (PC) cocktail shaker 500ml and 700ml

Cocktail shakers are imperative to the making of bubble tea drinks, as they are instrumental in cooling the base liquid. Shaking the hot tea with ice has been the preferred method of making bubble tea since its conception in the 1980s in Taiwan. These cocktail shakers are ideal for the task of combining all the ingredients with the hot base, as their PC (polycarbonate) makeup renders them durable, and enables them to withstand temperatures of up to 130 degrees.

SK-300 Shaking machine

The SK-300 shaking machine is able to shake two drinks at once, and is compatible with both 500ml and 700ml shakers. This shaking machine is programmable, enabling you to guarantee evenly mixed and well blended drinks at double the rate one set of hands could manage. Working alongside the machine, an employee would be able to shake three drinks at once, rather than one, so the shaker really helps to save time during rushes. The shaker is not complicated to set up, and is fully wipeable, so would make a simple, yet productive addition to busier bubble tea shops.

Stainless steel mesh tea strainer

With a diameter of 180mm, this strainer can be paced on top of a tea dispenser with its foldable stand design, so that tea may be strained directly into a thermal container. A strainer is, of course, a necessity when it comes to brewing tea with loose leaves, as these must be filtered out before drinking. The stainless steel material of this particular strainer makes it easy to clean and sterilize.

Syrup dispensing pump (1oz)

Syrup dispensing pumps are the ideal way to measure out portions of syrup for each individual drink. They match with all of our 2.5kg concentrated syrup products, to enable you to dispense approximately 10ml per pump. Pumps offer a much more convenient means to measure out syrup, by eliminating the risk of sticky hands, and removing the need for an extra measuring vessel.

10L thermal insulated tea dispenser

A thermal insulated tea dispenser enables you to keep large volumes of tea warm and ready as and when you need it, eliminating the need for you to brew new batches of tea any more than every few hours. We recommend two dispensers, one for Black tea and one for Green tea, which will allow you to serve customers both milk tea and fruity tea quickly and easily, whilst maintaining the high quality of your Bubble Tea drinks. For a Bubble Tea shop of any size, this is an essential piece of equipment.

Cup sealing machine

Cup sealing machines use a heated element to seal cups with film. Sealing cups with film creates an interactive experience for customers, as they are able to pierce it with their straws – an activity which has become synonymous with enjoying bubble tea all over the world. These films can also be customised, enabling you to attach your branding to each and every product you produce and seal with the machine. Beyond aesthetics and interactivity, cup sealing machines are a practical investment for any business which is keen to offer a takeaway or delivery service. With any drink that is being enjoyed off premises, or being delivered to the customer, it is imperative that the packaging is water-tight to avoid spillage en-route. The cup sealing machine enables bubble tea shops to send out deliveries themselves, or through apps like Uber eats and Deliveroo, and rest assured that the product will arrive un-spilled and intact.