I tried the Heinz ketchup-flavored boba tea. It wasn't as terrible as you'd think, but I'm still not going back for seconds.

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Cheryl TehOct 5, 2022, 11:31 IST
I tried the Heinz ketchup-flavored boba tea. It wasn't as terrible as you'd think, but I'm still not going back for seconds.

Gongcha's collaboration with Heinz launched on September 28.Cheryl Teh

  • I tried a new offering from Gongcha Singapore, a bubble tea store on the island.
  • Two new drinks made with Heinz ketchup were launched on September 28.
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Gongcha Singapore is a popular bubble tea shop with 30 stores around the island and outlets in 19 countries, including the US. On September 28, it debuted a collaboration with Heinz and currently sells two flavors of ketchup-infused tea. Yes, that Heinz. Yes, that ketchup.

Gongcha Singapore is a popular bubble tea shop with 30 stores around the island and outlets in 19 countries, including the US. On September 28, it debuted a collaboration with Heinz and currently sells two flavors of ketchup-infused tea. Yes, that Heinz. Yes, that ketchup.
Heinz's Tomato BBT comes in two different flavors, "Berry Mary" and "Pomato Bomb."Cheryl Teh

I volunteered to put the tomato-flavored "BBT" — the Singaporean term for boba — to the test.

There were around 20 people at the Gongcha outlet I visited at Somerset 313, a mall along Singapore's Orchard Road shopping belt. A few of them pointed and snickered at the sign advertising the tomato teas, but none of them ordered the drinks, going for conventional milk teas with boba pearls.

With great trepidation, I watched as a staff member at Gongcha Singapore mixed up my drink. He squeezed an honest-to-god bottle of Heinz's tomato ketchup into what looked like a shot glass, before emptying it into a cocktail shaker.

Heinz's and Gongcha's representatives told me these drinks were exclusive to Singapore.

The Heinz and Gongcha Singapore's Tomato BBT came in bottles that looked like just the ketchup bottles you'd find on supermarket shelves.

The Heinz and Gongcha Singapore's Tomato BBT came in bottles that looked like just the ketchup bottles you'd find on supermarket shelves.
The bottles of Gongcha and Heinz's Tomato BBT come in bottles that are shaped like Heinz's ketchup bottles. There's a small hole for one to insert a straw in the cover.Cheryl Teh

I'll be honest and say I wasn't looking forward to trying these drinks, but I decided to keep an open mind.

I ordered both flavors of the drink, the Pomato Bomb and the Berry Mary. They set me back 7 Singapore dollars and 80 cents, or $5.50, per bottle.

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First up: Berry Mary. It tasted like liquefied ketchup.

First up: Berry Mary. It tasted like liquefied ketchup.
The tomato and raspberry flavored "Berry Mary" was the first drink I tried from the series.Cheryl Teh

The Berry Mary is described as having tomato and raspberry flavors. To me, it just tasted like ketchup — and honestly, it wasn't bad.

After a few sips, hints of green tea and raspberry started coming to the surface, but it still tasted an awful lot like ketchup.

Next up: the Pomato Bomb.

Next up: the Pomato Bomb.
In the bottle, the "Pomato Bomb" flavor looks a little like salad dressing.Cheryl Teh

The second drink I tried was Gongcha's Pomato Bomb, which the bubble tea chain said was a mix of tomato, pear, and pomegranate.

It looked like watery salad dressing. When I shook the bottle, the drink turned frothy.

It tasted like a watery berry sauce mixed with a dash of milk and a heavy spoonful of ketchup. I wasn't a fan of the sour aftertaste, or of the chunks in the drink, which might have been tiny bits of pear.

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If a mix of tea and milky berry sauce with hints of tomato is your thing, then you've hit the jackpot with these bubble teas.

If a mix of tea and milky berry sauce with hints of tomato is your thing, then you've hit the jackpot with these bubble teas.
The "Pomato Bomb" was far tangier and milkier than the "Berry Mary."Cheryl Teh

I was disappointed to find the drinks didn't come with boba — or tapioca pearls — but that might be because they might have been a tough fit in the bottles.

Of the two drinks, I preferred the Berry Mary. I managed to make my way through more than three quarters of it, and I think it was the better encapsulation of what Gongcha and Heinz were going for — a combination of "two iconic foods of our time."

Some people might find these bubble teas refreshing in Singapore's oppressive heat. As for me, the ketchup teas are a one-time occasion. I'll be sticking to my regular milk teas and boba pearls.

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