The Tea Series Part 2

As promised, I'm sharing my latest discovery in the milk tea craze. On a hot and humid day, I decided to try Gong Cha which is located at Sky Garden, SM North EDSA. I've been hearing a lot of good remarks on this milk tea station. It has always been in the list of Top 3 Bubble Tea Stores in the country today. So what's really the fuss all about?

Gong Cha, as their slogan says "Tea fit for Royalty," does not scrimp on their ingredients. It uses tea leaves not tea bags in brewing their tea, thereby infusing the flavor even more. It seems that they perfected the brewing process of tea. The drink comes in two sizes - Medium and Large.  It has seven categories to choose from: House Special (Bestsellers); Coffee Special; Pearl Ice Smoothie; Milk Tea; Creative Mix, Ice Cream Special; and Brewed Tea. It has four sugar options - 100%, 70%, 50% and 0%. Their ice options are Normal, Less Ice and No Ice. Gong Cha Milk Cream, Pearl, Coconut Jelly, Coffee Jelly, Grass Jelly, Fruit Jelly, Pudding, Aloe, Red Bean and Ice Cream comprise their extra options. These options make your drink customized to your taste. They offer not just tea, but coffee and chocolate drinks as well. They have kid-friendly drinks, like Lemon Juice with Aloe and Ice Cream Chocolate.

I chose the Gong Cha Milk Winter Melon Tea with coconut jelly, one of their bestsellers, and the Milk Tea with Pearl Jelly. I found the former to be refreshing. The drink is light-bodied even if it has milk cream on top. The latter drink is creamy not a watered-down version of milk tea. You can actually taste the tea in the milk. The pearl jelly in this drink has the right amount of sweetness. Also, it is chewy but has a certain bite. It's like 'al dente' for pearl jelly. 

There are four things that set them apart from the rest of the pack. First on the list is the deep flavor of their tea. You can actually taste the steeped leaves. Secondly, the right mix of tea, milk and flavorings creates a unique blend which leaves an impact on your palate. Their milk tea is really creamy. It's not watered down. You can actually taste the tea and not just the milk. Thirdly, it is their Gong Cha Milk Cream. I think they're the only ones who offer the milk cream as extra option. The milk cream is similar to the milk froth found in your latte and cappuccino. Lastly, it is their Ice Cream Option. I haven't encountered any other milk tea station that combines ice cream and milk tea.

The Gong Cha in Sky Garden, SM North EDSA has a fast and efficient service. The drinks are properly labeled. It indicates the type of drink, level of sweetness, ice option and extra option. I just wish that they will have seats inside the air-conditioned store, so customers will be more comfortable, especially on a extremely hot & humid day. I hope that they'll have more branches in the future.  Other than that, I really enjoyed my Gong Cha  Milk Winter Melon Tea.

If you want to try ice cream with tea or if you want to taste the milk cream (milk froth)  in your milk tea, you have to definitely try Gong Cha!

The Tea Series

In my food journey, I'd like to share my newest discoveries in gastronomic pleasures (which have turned out to be my favorites) and one of which is the Chatime. This is located at the Second Floor, SM North EDSA, Main Mall. 

Though I'm a self-confessed coffee addict, I love tea also, especially milk teas. Tea is the latest craze in town. Different tea stations are sprouting in the metropolis. I choose tea over coffee on days when I want to control my caffeine. The former has less caffeine content. I've tried many milk tea drinks from different tea stations and Chatime is in my Top 5 list for tea stations. 

Chatime has so many choices to choose from flavor, toppings, ice options and sugar level. The flavors have 9 categories - Mellow Milk Tea, Smoothie Series, Coffee, Oriental Pop Tea, QQ Jelly (drinks that have pearls and coconut jelly), Chatime Special Mix, Fresh Tea, Energetic Healthy Juice and Chatime Mousse. Each category has an average of 5 selections. You may choose pearl, grass jelly, pudding, coconut jelly, rainbow jelly, red bean and aloe vera for your toppings. Additional charge of Php15.00 - Php20.00 is applied on extra toppings. It also has 4 options for the ice: Non Ice, Less Ice, Normal Ice and Extra Ice. Regular (16 oz.) and Large (20 oz) are the sizes of their drinks, except for the coffee, which is 12 oz. This is my first time to encounter 6 choices for the sugar options, other tea stations only offer 3-4 levels of sweetness for their drinks. Chatime has 6 sugar options: 0% Sugar, 30% Sugar, 50% Sugar, Normal Sugar and Extra Sugar. Price ranges from Php60.00 to Php100.00. Plus, it offers the same vibe that you get from coffee shops in which you can unwind, relax, read newspapers/magazines, surf the internet, hang out with family and friends. Most tea stations don't have ample seats for their customers, since some of them are merely stands or kiosks. What sets the Chatime apart from their competition is their wide array of choices, making your drink really personalized or customized to your taste. 

These are what ordered in Chatime - the classic Pearl Milk Tea (for me), Taro Pudding Milk Tea (for my hubby Nelson) and the Taiwan Mango QQ (for my son Joaqui). I really liked the Taiwan Mango QQ, since it is kid-friendly. It does not contain caffeine. It's composed of fresh mango juice with pearls and coconut jelly. The blends were just right. You can actually see and taste the small fibers of the taro in the Taro Pudding Milk Tea. 

So if you want something new and fresh, check out Chatime!

Watch out for the continuation of my Tea Series!