UK Canned Bubble Tea Brands Compared: TeaJoy, Manhua Cha, Dot Dot
Ning MaAsk for the ready-to-drink bubble tea brands on sale in the UK and six names come up next to ours: Dot Dot, Manhua Cha, Pocas, Rico, Boba Cat and VINUT. We are one of the seven, so rather than tell you which is best, we opened each brand's own website on 30 September 2026 and wrote down what it says about its cans: size, drink, boba, storage, shelf life and sugar. Where a site does not say, the table says "not stated". Then we checked where a UK buyer can get each one: the brand's own shop or stockists, or a UK retailer's live page.
No single can wins on everything. Of the two brands that state sugar on their own sites, Dot Dot is lower, at 1.0g to 1.9g per 100ml against our 2.0g. Manhua Cha has the biggest cans, 500ml or 700ml, kept in the fridge and best enjoyed within 14 days. For tapioca pearls, start with Pocas or Rico's milk tea. Ours is 330ml of green tea and fruit juice with popping boba, and keeps for 24 months from production.
There are no prices here, ours included. For the wider question of a can against a shop-made drink, see canned bubble tea vs bubble tea shops.
What is in each can
| Brand | Can size | The drink | Boba |
|---|---|---|---|
| TeaJoy | 330ml | Green tea with 30% fruit juice, two flavours | Popping boba, 10% of the can |
| Dot Dot | 250ml, and 250ml glass bottles | Sparkling tea with fruit purée in the cans | Popping bubbles |
| Manhua Cha | 500ml or 700ml | Fruit tea, six flavours | Popping juice balls |
| Pocas | 16.5oz | Milk tea: taro, brown sugar, matcha, honeydew and more | Tapioca pearls |
| Rico | 350g tin; 340ml tin (green tea) | Bubble milk tea in eight flavours, and a passion fruit green tea | Litchi popping boba (green tea); milk teas not stated |
| Boba Cat | 315ml (Original Milk Tea), 320ml (Peach Sparkling) | Milk tea in four flavours, and sparkling bubble tea in two | Not stated |
| VINUT | 320ml | Popping Boba Bubble Tea: lychee, peach, mango and strawberry (from UK shop pages) | Popping boba |
How each can keeps, and where to buy it
| Brand | Storage, as stated | Shelf life, as stated | Sugar per 100ml | Where to buy in the UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TeaJoy | Chill and shake well before serving | 24 months from production | 2.0g | Our site and Amazon UK; TeaJoy as a brand is served in 800+ UK cafés, restaurants and shops |
| Dot Dot | Cool, dry place, away from heat | Not stated; best before date on the side | 1.0g to 1.9g, by flavour | Its own online shop, and UK retailers, venues and cafés |
| Manhua Cha | Must be kept refrigerated | Best enjoyed within 14 days | Not stated | Its own online shop (UK-wide delivery) and Newcastle shop |
| Pocas | Not stated | "Long Shelf Life", no figure | Not stated | Wing Yip, Korea Foods, Miniso and Amazon UK (Pocas UK's list); Xihaha online (490ml) |
| Rico | Not stated | 24 months | Not stated | Tuk Tuk Mart online (milk tea) |
| Boba Cat | Not stated | 24 months | Not stated | Starry Mart online (315ml Original) |
| VINUT | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Poundstretcher (all four flavours); First Choice Store online |
Who makes them
Two of the six are UK brands. Dot Dot started as a bubble tea café in Stoke Newington, fills every bottle and can in its own London brewery, and launched its ready-to-drink range at Selfridges in summer 2023. Manhua Cha was founded in Newcastle. Pocas was founded in New York, Boba Cat started in Taichung, Taiwan, VINUT is Vietnamese, and Rico is a brand of Tung Shaing Foods in Taiwan.
Our can, in full
Our ready-to-drink cans are 330ml, in Peach & Mango and Passionfruit & Strawberry, with popping boba in the can and a paper straw attached. The can prints 30% fruit juice, 2% green tea extract and 10% popping boba, and vegan, gluten free, allergen free and halal. Every ingredient is on our bubble teas page. TeaJoy is female-founded, we have sold 2.5 million drinks, and as a brand we are served in more than 800 cafés, restaurants and shops across the UK, including Rosa's Thai, Las Iguanas, Black Sheep Coffee and TGI Fridays, plus selected Harvest Energy forecourts. Named venues, and our Amazon UK shop, are on where to buy TeaJoy.
At the UK Soft Drinks Awards 2025 we were a finalist for Best in can and Best premium drink, and commended for Best low/no alcohol drink. We also won London Food & Drink Startup of the Year at the UK StartUp Awards 2025. More on both is in is TeaJoy any good?
TeaJoy vs Manhua Cha
Manhua Cha is the brand most like us, a UK brand selling both cans and kits.
- Choice and size. It has six can flavours to our two, in 500ml or 700ml against our 330ml.
- Keeping. Its cans are made fresh, must be kept refrigerated and are best enjoyed within 14 days. Ours have a shelf life of 24 months from production.
- Boba. Both are fruit teas with popping boba: popping juice balls in its cans, 10% popping boba in ours.
- Buying. It sells online, with delivery anywhere in the UK, and has a shop in Newcastle. We sell our cans online and on Amazon UK; TeaJoy as a brand is served in 800+ UK locations.
So if you want the most flavours and the biggest can for this week, Manhua Cha has the edge. If you want a can that keeps for 24 months from production, ours is the one.
Kits, briefly
Two more UK names come up for make-at-home bubble tea; neither sells a can online. Bubbleology's Mixology Kits make four drinks each, and its milk kit lists instant tapioca pearls. Bubble Panda's kits make 8 regular or 4 large drinks from tea bags plus fruit syrups or milk powders; its FAQ asks for boiling water, and a small saucepan when a kit has tapioca. Manhua Cha's kits make 4, 8 or 12 drinks, and its Original Milk Tea kit uses fast-cook tapioca. Our home kits, the Fruit Tea Kit, the Milk Tea Kit and the Matcha Bubble Tea Kit, make four drinks each and need no boiling. Our guide to choosing a bubble tea kit covers what else to check.
Questions people ask
Which canned bubble teas have tapioca pearls?
Pocas is the one brand whose own site says its cans hold tapioca pearls, and Tuk Tuk Mart's page for Rico's milk tea describes chewy tapioca pearls. TeaJoy, Dot Dot and Manhua Cha make fruit teas with popping boba, and Rico's passion fruit green tea and VINUT's UK cans have it too. Boba Cat's own site does not say. If chewy tapioca is what you want, start with Pocas or Rico's milk tea; for popping boba, look at the fruit teas. Our guide to popping boba vs tapioca pearls explains the difference in the cup.
Does canned bubble tea need to be kept in the fridge?
Manhua Cha is the one brand here whose site says its cans must be kept refrigerated, and they are best enjoyed within 14 days. Dot Dot asks for a cool, dry place, and Rico and Boba Cat each give a shelf life of 24 months. Ours is 24 months from production, and the can asks only that you chill it and shake it well before serving. For how to store every TeaJoy can and kit, see how long bubble tea keeps.
Which canned bubble tea has the least sugar?
Of the seven, only TeaJoy and Dot Dot give sugar per 100ml on their own sites. Ours is 2.0g of sugars out of 2.2g carbohydrate, which is 6.6g in a 330ml can. Dot Dot's cans are lower, at 1.0g to 1.9g depending on the flavour, so on sugar alone Dot Dot has the edge. Calories for every TeaJoy can and kit are in how many calories are in bubble tea.
Where can I buy canned bubble tea in the UK?
Ours is on our site, in the cans collection, and on Amazon UK. Dot Dot and Manhua Cha sell from their own online shops, and Manhua Cha also has a shop in Newcastle. Pocas UK lists Wing Yip, Korea Foods, Miniso and Amazon UK. VINUT is at Poundstretcher, Rico's milk tea at Tuk Tuk Mart online and Boba Cat at Starry Mart online.
Try TeaJoy for yourself
Our cans are in the cans collection, as a mixed four-pack or by the 12, and you can sign up to our emails for 15% off your entire order. Buying for a café or shop? Our wholesale page has free samples, a £200 minimum order and free delivery.