What 50% sweet means

Short answer: it's the sugar level. 50% is half the shop's default sweetness, and it's the most ordered setting.

The scale

Shops let you pick a sugar level: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%. 100% is the full default amount; 50% is half of that.

What each tastes like

• 100%: dessert-sweet.
• 75%: sweet but balanced.
• 50%: the tea and toppings come through.
• 25%: lightly sweet.
• 0%: leans on the tea and pearls alone.

Where to start

50% is a good default for milk tea. For fruit tea, try 25% to 50%, since the fruit adds its own sweetness.

Ice changes it

Less ice means less dilution, so a drink can taste sweeter. If you order low ice, consider dialing the sugar down.

One exception

Brown sugar drinks get most of their sweetness from the syrup itself, so the percentage matters less there.

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