M&S has once again captured the attention of Brits, just weeks after its £6 egg mayo sandwich became a viral sensation.
The retail giant launched two flavours of bubble tea – Strawberry and Mango and Passionfruit – earlier this year, which are now available in cafes across the country. The fruity beverages come with chewy tapioca balls, better known as boba or pearls, a popular addition to drinks originating in Taiwan during the early 1980s. However, one Marks and Spencer customer, Kirsty Martin, was left feeling underwhelmed following her first tasting.
M&S posted several videos of its new bubble teas on social – which feature syrup, ice, tapioca balls and spring water – so doesn’t actually contain any tea.
Taking to TikTok, Kirsty posted a series of pictures showing what she expected the drink to look like – contrasting with the reality of how it was served.
“Worst £4 I have ever spent,” she captioned the post, which has garnered a whopping 377,000 views and thousands of likes at the time of writing. “Do not order the bubble tea from Marks & Spencer.”
It wasn’t long before tickled Brits rushed to the comments section. “It looks like a baked bean drink,” one person fumed. Another agreed, commenting: “That’s water with Heinz beans at the bottom.” A third added: “I worked at a M&S cafe [and] this isn’t surprising.” While a fourth described the drinks as tasting like ‘fairy washing up liquid’.
However, many viewers argued the appearance of the drink was due to the fact that Kirsty hadn’t stirred the syrup. “It’s supposed to look like that then you mix it… Forget to take your brain out with you today?” one person wrote. Another added: “Maybe you need to stir it,” with a laughing emoji.
M&S has been contacted for comment.
Have you tried the new drinks? Let us know what you thought of them in the comments section below