In Japan, bubble tea recently experienced such a boom that apart from the non-stop appearance of new boba stands on every corner, there was also a range of spin-off products. Like bubble tea flavoured sweets, ice cream bars, and even tapioca beer.

Japanese sweets makers Meiji have also just debuted an icy treat perfect for bubble tea lovers in the summer months. As part of the ‘Super Cup Sweets’ range, the 'Tapioca Black Tea Latte Super Cup' takes all the beloved components of a classic milk tea boba and puts them in one tantalising four-layer ice cream.

The base layer is a black tea ice cream made with Assam tea powder sourced from the Indian tea growing region it's named after. In a nod to the recent trend for brown sugar tapioca pearls, this is followed by another layer consisting of a Kuramitsu sauce (brown sugar syrup) with real tapioca.

The next layer puts the ‘milk’ in milk tea, with a mild milk flavoured ice cream, which also plays the role of the cream topping which can be found in fancier boba stands. The final layer adds the element of crunch to the set up, with cookie pieces containing black tea powder.

If bubble tea in ice cream form intrigues you, this treat can be found in various Japanese food stores costing around 220 yen.