The bubble tea craze is alive and well, even after the temporary hiatus during the ‘Circuit Breaker’ period.
Homegrown brand LiHO Singapore is back in the game, and coming back strong with their Dalgona Series. Bringing together our favourite boba and the new Dalgona coffee trend—what a winning combination! Fans can look forward to three all-new drinks:
- Dalgona Brown Sugar Pearl Yuan Yang (S$4.90/medium, S$5.90/large)
- Dalgona Brown Sugar Pearl Coffee (S$5.10/medium, S$6.10/large)
- Dalgona Blueberry Latte (S$5.50/medium, S$6.50/large)
To see if this winning combination is truly worth the hype (and your calories), I decided to give all three drinks a try, at 50% sugar level. Because of the whipped coffee, the drinks had a distinct layered aesthetic to them—great for the ‘gram!
One of the first few things that struck me was that these drinks came in the usual LiHO packaging, with the plastic sealed lids. Where was the signature whipped Dalgona coffee topping?
It does make sense since I ordered from GrabFood—it would be nigh impossible to transport whipped Dalgona foam. But it was still a little disappointing, though, especially in comparison with the beverage seen on the posters. If you happen to order in-store or at any of the LiHO outlets with dine-in areas, let us know if there’s a difference.
I started with the most intriguing flavour of the lot and took a sip of the Dalgona Blueberry Latte. What hit me instantly was the sweet, syrupy blueberry flavour which reminded me a little of blueberry jam. The roasted, bitter coffee notes came near the end, but they just didn’t go too well with blueberries.
I suppose I could see this as a layered cake, instead. But in a drink, especially as the layers blended together, the flavours seemed a little jumbled.
Going for the Dalgona Brown Sugar Pearl Coffee next, I gave it a good shake to mix up the layers. Pretty as they look, I’d want the flavours to be distributed more evenly.
Again, I found this a tad too sweet. Perhaps it’s the combination of brown sugar and 50% sugar level, or perhaps it’s because my go-to coffee order is kopi o kosong gao (strong black coffee without sugar).
Thanks to the whipped Dalgona coffee component, this drink was smoother (and sweeter) than most coffees. There was only a hint of bitterness, so if you’re put off by strong coffees, this might be great for you.
If I would order this again, I’ll definitely go for 30% or even 0% sugar level.
My favourite of the three had to be the Dalgona Brown Sugar Pearl Yuan Yang. Still pretty sweet, but I could overlook that in favour of the strong tea fragrance. That, together with smooth roasted notes from the Dalgona coffee, made for an enjoyable mid-afternoon perk-me-up.
Now that we’ve thoroughly reviewed the three new drinks, it’s time for you to tell us what you think. Have you tried LiHO’s new Dalgona Series yet, and what do you think about the drinks?
Dates & Times: Now available at LiHO outlets | GrabFood | foodpanda
Prices: From S$4.90 per cup
