Chadam is a bubble tea shop at 37 Karangahape Rd in Grafton, Auckland City, holding a 4.5 Google rating and taking orders online through its menu site. Bubble tea rewards a little customising. Most shops let you set your own sugar and ice levels, and regulars often drop to half or quarter sweetness, since a full-sugar milk tea is richer than it first looks. Toppings are the other big choice: tapioca pearls are the classic, at their best warm and chewy straight after the drink is sealed, and they firm up as the cup sits, so it pays not to linger. Fruit teas make a lighter pick on a warm afternoon, while brown sugar milk tea stays the dependable crowd-pleaser. Right in the middle of the K Road strip, Chadam makes an easy stop for a cold cup between shops.