Growing up I was never a fan of drinking tea well except for that all sugar Nestea.
My family and I love to eat at Chinese restaurants but I never liked the complimentary tea that comes before the meal. All I know that tea is just for the older people only.
Milk Tea? This is worse. I really don't like drinking milk alone and can't really even imagine the taste of it when blended it with tea. All I remember is that I swore that I would never have Milk Tea again after I had my awful glass of Nai Cha at Chowking. It tasted so off. It's like I'm drinking cough medicine.
My perception for MILK TEA changed when we had a vacation trip to Singapore last year.
the sidewalk teashop at Lau Pa Sat
While having satay dinner at Lau Pa Sat, my cousin pointed to a guy doing something interesting. My cousin said that the guy is "pulling" the drink so the milk and tea would mix well. She said it was good so I happily obliged. What's a trip without trying local stuff right?
AMAZING! :)
After that first sip of Iced Teh Tarik (Tea+Condensed Milk), ah, i'm in heaven! i never thought that milk tea could be that could. After that, I always wanted to have a cup of Teh Tarik everywhere we go in Singapore even in Kuala Lumpur. I already saw Gong Cha and Chatime there but I'm so into Teh Tarik that time and they don't sell Teh Tarik so I didn't mind them that time. All I know is that they sell milk tea and Singaporeans and Malaysians are patiently waiting in long lines just to have a cup of those drinks.
Back in the Philippines, I finally noticed the Serenitea in Alabang Town Center which I was always ignoring before. I realized that it continuously draw long queue of people and all I would hear from them is "Okinawa or Hokkaido?" To satisfy our curiosity, my cousin and I fell in line and on our turn we simply said "one large Hokkaido and one large Okinawa " and the crew asked "Your sugar level? you sinker?"...Sugar level? Sinker? wait.. what? Funny because I initially thought that she is asking about my blood sugar level. So I just chose Nata for my Hokkaido and Pearl for my cousin's Okinawa. After a while, my name is called and finally I would taste my first Milk Tea *shake.insert straw.sip......ahhhhh* I'm officially a crazed Milk Tea Fan.
As a crazed milk tea fan, I swore to taste ALL the milk tea i would see if i could. So here's a rundown of the Tea Shop I already went to and my comments on their shop and their drink that i had.
SERENITEA
my first.
A local tea shop. What I liked about Serenitea is the variety of drinks they have on their menu. They use different kinds of tea like Assam, Black, Earl Gray, Green Tea etc. You can adjust the sweetness level. from No Sugar (0) to Full (100%). You get 1 free sinker for your drink. They have Pearls, Crystals, Pudding, Bricks. For my milk tea, I prefer pudding or none at all. For the taste, the taste of milk and the tea is perfectly balanced. No aftertaste from the tea at all which I like. So I keep coming back for more and particularly love the Nagoya and Choco Milk Tea.
CHATIME
An international Brand. I mentioned earlier that I already saw Chatime in Malaysia and Singapore and soon I learned that they already had branches here in Manila. The first one I saw was their branch at Landmark Makati. I went at around 7:00pm and they were out of stock
already. yes. they are that popular. Few weeks later, I visited MoA and lo and behold it's Chatime-MoA's opening day. I excitedly went in and the extremely friendly crew assisted me on
ordering. I had a large Chatime Milk Tea with Egg Pudding 100% sugar 100% ice. Yes. Ice. You can adjust the amount of ice on your drink from No Ice to Full Ice. With Chatime, there is this modernal oriental vibe on there concept. All tea choices are oriental like Green Tea and Jasmine.
Other then tea and milk tea, they offer coffee and juices on their menu. Another cool stuff in Chatime is this queue disc. You'll be given this disc upon ordering and when it lights and vibrate
s, your order is ready on the counter. For the taste, similar with Serenitea, the taste of milk and
tea is perfectly balanced. No aftertaste from the tea. Well, except for that jasmine milk tea and its floral aftertaste.
MOONLEAF
The no frills tea shop.
The menu is simple. The chairs and tables are white and basic. Reasonable prices. Ordering is simple. No more sugar and ice levels to bother with and toppings/sinkers are even optional.
Nothing is over the top. The concept is fit for college students and young professionals. I already lowered my expectations when I set foot on their shop near UST. I already expected that all I would taste on the drink is the milk. I was wrong! I tried the Peppermint Milk Tea and the taste is awesome. The sweetness is awesome and the balance between the milk and tea is perfect. The amount of ice on their drinks is a bit much though. On a trip to Manila, I went back to Moonleaf, this time, at their St. Thomas Square branch. I ordered Caramel Milk Tea. My best drink ever! I just noticed that the store seemed to be battered looking compared to the one near UST. The service is very nice though.
GONG CHA
at the Megamall branch
my Earl Gray House Special Tea
The royalty. This store is already known all over Asia for their best quality drinks. There is no Gong Cha store here in the South yet but i saw that their branch in Alabang Town Center is opening soon though. During my trip to Manila recently, i decided to have a Milk Tea trip. Where my goal is to try a drink on major known teas shops around the Metro. My first one, was Moonleaf in St. Thomas Square. Then, I took an FX going to Megamall to try 2 more.
First stop, Gong Cha. I had high expectations for this shop but to my surprise their Megamall branch is just a kiosk at middle of the Atrium. No chairs and tables for customers and worse, a long, long line. I decided to try an iced regular Earl Gray House Special without any toppings. Like Serenitea, you got to choose, the sugar level and toppings for your drink. I was amused that there is even a drinking instruction for the House Specials. So I willingly followed it. First, remove the lid and sip the frothy cream. Second, insert the straw and take the first sip of the tea. Lastly, mix the drink using the straw and enjoy. To my disappointment, i didn't enjoy it. Their cream is yummy but the tea is too strong for my taste. Even after I finished my drink and started to walk going to my next stop I could still taste the tea on my mouth. Maybe that's the best quality they are talking about. Next time, I think I should try the Milk Tea and Ice Cream Tea variants and avoid the House Specials already.
HAPPY LEMON.
Happy Lemon- Megamall
my Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese
Yummiest Drinks?
Second stop in Megamall for my Milk Tea Drink trip. After my disappointment on my Gong Cha drink, I just thought that maybe Happy Lemon would make me happy. As i stepped inside the store, i can't help but to notice that it really has a positive and happy vibe. Maybe, the line is shorter here, the crew are like smileys or the drinkers are so happy while they are enjoying their drinks. I ordered a regular Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese since I heard that this is the reason why Happy Lemon is so famous. When my name was called, I got my drink and I excitedly put my straw and mixed my drink. Again, to my disappointment, I almost my puked my drink. I really didn't like it. The tea is overwhelmingly fragrant, the cheese tastes weird and the salt made it weirder. I didn't even finish my drink, I think I just had two sips and that's it. I just said I would try more conservative flavors next time like a simple milk tea perhaps. So, during a shopping trip at Greenhills, I went to the Promenade and went to Happy Lemon's branch there. I had Cocoa Milk Tea with Puffed Cream. I can say that this is better than the last but still the flavor of the tea is overwhelming. I noticed that their large cup is smaller than the rest. Next time, I would try their Lemon series.
At the time of writing, MoonLeaf is the runaway winner for me for this Milk tea battle. I am hoping for a nearer branch here at the South though.
RANKING as of Feb 2, 2012*
1. Moonleaf
2. Serenitea
3. Chatime
4. Gong Cha
5. Happy Lemon
*ranking may change subjectively :))
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