Bubble tea near the Marais: craft 12 min from Filles du Calvaire

The Marais and its industrial bubble tea offering

The Marais (3rd and 4th) counts several bubble tea addresses, mostly international chains (Coco, Yi Fang, Chatime). Bubble tea is OK but not more: pre-cooked pearls, diluted tea, default 70 percent sugar. For an artisanal Taiwanese bubble tea lover, the option is limited in the Marais. MAISON LE TE, at 136 rue Saint-Maur in the neighboring 11th, offers the artisanal version: morning-cooked pearls, high-altitude tea brewed to order, fresh milk, sugar to taste.

The walking route from the Marais

From Filles du Calvaire (line 8), 12 minutes up boulevard Voltaire to rue Saint-Maur. From Saint-Sebastien Froissart (line 8), 14 minutes. From Saint-Paul (line 1), 18 minutes on foot or line 1 to Republique then 12 minutes on foot. The walk via Voltaire is pleasant, tree-lined.

Why cross over instead of staying in the Marais

Three reasons. First: tapioca pearls. In Marais chains, they are pre-cooked and held in a water bath for hours. At MAISON LE TE, they boil for 30 minutes that morning, then steep in brown sugar. Texture difference is immediate. Second: the tea. In chains, tea is diluted in a single tank. At MAISON LE TE, tea is brewed to order, exact quantity. Third: sugar. Chains default to 70 percent. MAISON LE TE recommends 30 percent to discover real tea taste.

The bubble tea menu

Classics: Taiwanese oolong milk tea, taro, matcha, oolong. Seasonal: strawberry, peach, kaki, yuzu by season. Hot winter drinks: hojicha latte boba, hot oolong latte. See the full menu.

See also

Paris craft bubble tea, Bastille bubble tea, Paris 11 bubble tea, Marais tea house.

Booking and address

MAISON LE TE: 136 rue Saint-Maur, Paris 11. Bubble tea available at the restaurant's hours, 11am-10:30pm daily.