The SPOT.ph Milk Tea Guide
When does a dish—or in this case, a drink—transform from a passing fad to a crucial component of the regional food scene? The beverage hasn't disappeared from the neighborhood food scene since we last produced a thorough milk tea guide.
Today, there are many more vendors sprouting up all throughout the Metro, if you look around. Here is all you need to know about them, as well as the go-to milk tea places in your area to visit when you need your fix. The world of milk tea is varied, encompassing many types, tastes, mix-ins, and other elements.
Read further:
The SPOT.ph Handbook of Japanese Cuisine
The SPOT.ph Chinese Food Guide
The Pizza Guide from SPOT.ph
Details of Milk Tea
The basic definition of a milk tea is an iced beverage made of milk and tea, however, the exact tea and milk that are used might vary depending on where you obtain your drink. Of course, many people would legitimately contend that milk tea is incomplete without the sinkers.
A common one that has also come to be associated with the beverage is boba, but you can also include pudding, coconut jelly, fruit, tapioca pearls (we'll discuss the distinction between boba and tapioca pearls later), and boba or tapioca pearls.
Depending on where you buy it, milk tea is known by a variety of names, but they all include the same ingredients: milk, tea, and boba. This drink is also known as pearl tea, bubble tea, or nai cha (which is Mandarin for... you got it: milk tea), in addition to the names milk tea and boba.
The Development of Milk Tea
Did you know that a dispute about who originated the milk tea led to a lawsuit between two chains of tea shops? It's widely accepted that Liu Han-Chieh and Lin Hsiu Hui, owners of the well-known teahouse chain Chun Shui Tang in Taichung, Taiwan, came up with the idea for cold milk tea in the early 1980s after being influenced by iced coffee while visiting Japan.
Liu experimented with putting candied fruit and syrups in cold tea, but it was his product manager, Lin, who came up with the idea of putting tapioca balls in iced milk tea in 1988. She called her concoction "bubble milk tea" because the tapioca balls looked like bubbles.
However, Hanlim Tea Room in Tainan, Taiwan, said that they were the creators of the beverage and had been serving pearl milk tea since 1986—two years before Lin came up with her bubble milk tea.
This legend claims that the company's founder, Tu Tsung-ho, added tapioca balls to their famous iced tea after discovering them at the neighborhood market. Tu named the new beverage "pearl milk tea" due to the translucent appearance of the tapioca balls.
The two teahouse chains ultimately took the issue to court, but they were unable to copyright their inventions, which let other tea houses make their own versions—some even producing white tapioca pearls coated in brown sugar. When automatic cup-sealing devices first made their way to Taiwan in the late 1990s, they gave the drink its still-distinctive appearance.
While it's more often accepted that Taiwan is where boba beverages originated, some contend that the iconic Malaysian dessert-turned-drink cendol was the real inspiration.
Cendol may be prepared as a drink using coconut milk and layers of pandan jelly in addition to its traditional form as a shaved ice treat with pandan jelly, coconut milk, and gula Melaka or palm sugar. This dish quickly spread to Taiwan's night markets, where some claim it served as the model for boba.
The local milk tea trend in Metro Manila may be attributed to Serenitea, which launched its first location in San Juan in December 2008. Years later, international franchises began to appear in the Metro: Happy Lemon in 2010, and Chatime and Gong Cha in 2011.
In its most basic form, milk tea is just what it says on the tin: milk and tea, with the latter defining a large portion of the flavor that results.
The majority of milk tea establishments will use their own distinctive tea blend as the basis for the majority of their beverages. Assam, Earl Grey, or English Breakfast are common examples of full-bodied, highly caffeinated black tea blends used for this purpose.
Additionally, milk tea stores frequently sell white teas with flowery undertones like chamomile or jasmine as well as green teas like oolong.
Thai milk tea, which derives its distinctive orange hue from the conventionally spiced Thai tea mix, is also quite well-liked these days in milk tea businesses.
The milk component of the equation is next. Most milk tea shops use fresh milk; for example, milk tea with the Hokkaido label will typically contain Hokkaido fresh milk, which is reputed to be of higher quality than regular milk.
In contrast, traditional Hong Kong milk tea uses evaporated milk, and Thai milk tea uses condensed milk to counteract the strong flavor of Thai tea.
The sackcloth bag used to filter black tea leaves, which resembles a silk stocking and is claimed to make the tea smoother and give it an intense brown color, is known as Hong Kong Sock Milk Tea (fun fact:
People who avoid dairy products will also be pleased to learn that some local establishments, notably Kahatea, combine milk tea with non-dairy milk like soy or almond milk.
You may choose a milk tea with cream or cream cheese topping, which is simply whipped cream cheese with salt added to contrast with the tea base.
This will give you an even richer taste than your milk tea. For this, Happy Lemon is well-known because of its Rock Salt and Cheese series.
Fire Tiger by Social Club, which debuted in Manila in 2020, is a more recent entry on the scene. The luscious milk tea with creme brulee on top is the specialty of this Bangkok-based milk tea establishment.
Although milk tea originated with white tapioca balls, often called sago informally, we bet you are more accustomed to the larger, black balls that give boba or bubble tea its name. What makes the two different from one another?
The simplest type of tapioca ball is sago, which is produced just with tapioca starch and water. The distinctive dark-brown hue of boba is also a result of the addition of brown sugar to tapioca starch.
In addition to tapioca pearls and boba, you may now have milk tea with a variety of sinkers, including pudding, fruit jelly, grass jelly, coconut jelly, or nata de coco.
Common Milk Tea Varieties
Other than traditional black tea or green tea, milk tea establishments typically provide a wide range of selections. Most frequently alter based on the sinkers they include; examples are CoCo's Panda Milk Tea, Two Buddies, and Three Ladies, all of which have the same base but contain various sinkers.
When Taiwanese milk-tea chain Tiger Sugar opened their first location in Bonifacio Global City in the latter half of 2018 to long lines, brown sugar milk tea, a more recent kind of milk tea, took off in Metro Manila.
The drink, which has pearls freshly cooked in brown-sugar syrup upon ordering and creates tiger stripes of caramel along the edges of your cup when poured over fresh milk or milk tea, is credited to Tiger Sugar by the Michelin Guide as its invention.
Since then, other Taiwanese establishments that sell this beverage, such as Xing Fu Tang and The Alley, have opened in the Metro, and the chains that were already there have developed their own variations on the sweet, creamy delight.
Wintermelon tea is another well-liked selection you might discover on a milk tea menu. Winter melon syrup, which is used to give the beverage a characteristic, caramel-like flavor, is when the drink gets its name.
We're not surprised that winter melon or winter gourd became a popular addition to milk tea because it is already naturally delicious on its own. Additionally, you may recognize its Tagalog name, kudos, as one of the vegetables mentioned in the well-known folk song Bahay Kubo.
Taro milk tea is another flavor whose name is derived from a vegetable, or more particularly, a root crop. This drink gets its distinctive rich purple color and nutty-sweet flavor from taro, which can be used as a flavoring or as an actual puree or powder. Additionally, use, which leans more toward the sweet than the nutty side, should not be mistaken for taro.
Matcha is another well-liked milk tea alternative since milk wonderfully complements its earthier flavor. It's also a picture of perfection because of its creamy green hue.
Popular Manila Milk Tea Spots
Where should you go to obtain a milk tea if the urge ever hits now that you pretty much know everything there is to know about them? If you're just getting started, we've included tried-and-true providers as well as a few new up-and-coming ones for you to check out. There is a dime a dozen brands available locally, and milk-tea lovers are likely to have their own go-to's at this point.
The first milk tea business to operate in the Philippines was Serenitea, and they're still going strong. The Okinawa Espresso (P157/regular, P178/large), which combines their popular Okinawa milk tea (flavored with Okinawa sugar) with espresso for a drink sure to deliver on caffeine, is one of this milk-tea chain's newest creations. Consider ordering their new Triple Chicken Chops (P294) or three of their famous chicken chops in one dish to go with your drink.
When it comes to milk tea chains in the Metro, Chatime is another OG and is renowned for bringing out fresh, seasonal tastes. Purists may choose from traditional drinks like the Pearl Milk Tea or Jasmine Green Tea Latte (P120 and P125, respectively), but they can also choose from more novel options like the Cream Cheese Cookie Milk Tea (P150).
You can depend on Gong Cha for winter melon milk tea. The Taiwanese milk tea company is most known for its rendition of the caramel-flavored beverage, which is also available in a variety of flavors including Banana Wintermelon (P105/medium, P120/large) and Matcha Wintermelon (P95/medium, P105/large).
However, nothing compares to the traditional HS Milk Wintermelon (P85 for small, P100 for medium, and P115 for large), which has a hefty dollop of salty milk cream poured on top of their famous winter melon mix for a sweet-savory, decadent delight.
The sweet-savory delight of adding salty cream to milk tea was popularized by Happy Lemon, and we haven't looked back since. The Roasted Milk Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese (P149 for standard, P169 for large) is an undervalued option, but the nuttiness that comes from roasting tea pairs nicely with its salty-sweet cream topping. Their Rock Salt and Cheese series is still a bestseller today.
Five years ago, this Macao-based tea brand launched its first location in the Philippines, and business has been booming ever since! We cannot suggest the Cheesecake & Pearl Milk Tea (P140/alto, P160/mayor), which is the specialty of Macao Imperial Tea. You may get it with cheesecake cream or chestnut cream.
At their first location in BGC, this well-known franchise from Taiwan opened to long lines that might stretch for hours. While the wait for their famous Brown Sugar Milk Tea is now much more bearable, the beverages are still delicious.
Tiger Sugar: first time here? Purchase their Brown Sugar Boba Milk With Cream Mousse (P120), which has a fluffy, light cream topping that goes well with the drink's toasted caramel flavor and makes it even more decadent.
Surprise, surprise, Fire Tiger is from Bangkok, Thailand, not Taiwan! One of Fire Tiger's specialties is to top their milk tea with a torched crème Brulee for an additional rich and creamy touch.
Even their most popular dish, The Majesty (P160), has crispy cheese on top, which may seem unusual but is worth a go. The crunchy cheese gives the otherwise creamy beverage a nice texture and a salty taste that counteracts its sweetness.
This Taiwanese tea business, which is best known for its fruit teas, also sells superb milk tea, including its best-selling Brown Sugar Pearl Tea Latte (P120 for medium, P140 for large), which is rich and creamy with fresh milk and deliciously chewy brown sugar pearls. Fans of a stronger tea mix will like the Salty Cream Black Tea (P110/medium, P130/large), which this time comes with a silky, cream-foam topping.
This milk tea franchise, which was once known as Mu Bai in Taiwan, changed its name to I'Milky when it launched its first location in Manila in 2019. With their really adorable, simplistic logo and ultra-creamy beverages, they were an instant hit. If you want your milk tea with a greater milk content, here is the place for you.
Additionally, because I'Milky also provides soy milk choices, people who are lactose intolerant won't have to miss out. For those who like this flavor profile, soy milk enhances the earthiness of matcha in the Matcha Soy Milk (P125/regular, P140/large).
Coffee and milk tea
With the intention of providing healthier and lighter alternatives to the typical milk tea, 11:11 is proudly Filipino-made, in contrast to practically all of the chains on this list.
For their cheese cap series, this tea store utilizes genuine Australian cream cheese, giving it a creamier, more luxurious flavor that goes well with all of their tea blends, whether it's the strong Sticky Rice Cheesy+ (P120), which has smokey undertones of roasted rice, or the more flowery Spring Tea Cheesy+ (P120).
Check out their famous Pulpy+ series, which is technically not a milk tea but has layers of spring tea, crystal jelly sinkers, and fruit pulp.
Comments
Post a Comment