My Favorite Cups of Tea

I’ve always been a milk tea addict ever since Lipton milk tea was first out in the market and Chowking introduced its own version of milk tea – Nai Cha. When I first traveled to Malaysia, I grew fond of their teh tarik that I actually tried making a homemade version. Thai iced tea is undeniably my favorite as well :)

No wonder when all the milk tea stores opened in Manila, I found myself always in line to get a milk tea. I don’t mind waiting in  the long line as long as I get my milk tea fix to cure my insatiable craving.

Let me share my usual favorites:

#1 Gong Cha

It’s my number 1 milk tea favorite. For me, their drinks are the best tasting in town. I always order the Gong Cha House Special series. I especially liked the GC Early Grey and Winter Melon Tea. 

There are 3 ways to taste and enjoy the Gong Cha House Special:
1.  Open the lid and sip the foamy creamy milk on top.
2.  Taste the flavor of the tea. 
3.  And mix them using the straw. This will give your drink a creamy taste of milk and tea combined. Mmmmm...

      Aside from the house specials, we usually order the those under the milk tea series. So far I’ve tried and liked the Milk Tea with Pearl Jelly, Early Grey Milk Tea, Caramel Milk Tea, Alisan Milk Tea and Chocolate Milk Tea. 

They have stores in Glorietta (Food Choices), SM Mall of Asia, SM North Edsa, Robinson’s Place Ermita, and Gateway Mall (Cubao). 

GongCha Menu

#2 Chatime

I tasted Chatime’s milk tea first before I tried the others. Their milk teas are exciting but there are some drinks that are either a hit or a miss. What I love about Chatime is the variety of their drinks. You may get overwhelmed at first by their drink menu. They have milk teas, fruit, and tea drinks; a lot to choose from.

The Chatime Roasted Milk Tea and Pearl Milk tea are good and safe choices. The Matcha Red Bean Milk is also a must-order. If you’re a fan of green tea (matcha) and red beans, this drink will surely become an instant hit for you.

I’m becoming more addicted to their QQ Jelly drink  like Chatime Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea. I'm also loving the their Lychee QQ Milk Tea. The milk tea has kick of lychee flavor on it plus the jelly.

I usually pass by their Landmark Bridgeway branch. They also have stores in Pioneer Center (Pasig), Robinson’s Galleria Supermarket, One Archers Place (Taft), and SM Mall of Asia.

Chatime Menu

#3 Happy Lemon

I first tried Happy Lemon in Power Plant Mall. Although I don’t get to order their milk teas that often, I find their Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese a really exciting drink. The way to drink it is to sip the cheese on top first and taste the rock salt. Who would have thought that rock salt and cheese would compliment each other’s taste? At first, it would taste kind of weird but once you keep sipping you will appreciate their combined taste. Yummy!

Happy Lemon has stores in Power Plant Mall (Rockwell), Greenhills (Promenade), Eastwood, TriNoma Mall, and SM Megamall. I hope they open up a branch in Ayala CBD soon. 

Happy Lemon menu

#4 Serenitea

I’ve been hearing raves about Serenitea. So Erick and I decided to try their milk teas one lazy Sunday in Robinson’s Place Manila. We tried their Nagoya and Hokkaido Milk Teas.
They were also as good as the other milk teas but I think I still have to find out my favorite at Serenitea. It wasn't long until I found my not so ordinary cup of tea and that is Winter Melon Milk Tea. 

To know about their store locations, click here. 

Serenitea menu

#5 Bubble Tea

When I was still working in Ortigas CBD, I usually pass by Megamall on my way home.  Although I’ve been noticing Bubble Tea before, I never had the chance to try their drinks until the milk tea craze. While most of the other milk tea stores are from Taiwan, Bubble milk tea is from Japan.

I tried their Royal Milk Tea while Erick had their Chocolate Milk Tea. My drink was just okay nothing really extraordinary or worth raving about but it was also good and lived up to my expectation.

Erick’s milk tea tasted more like a chocolate drink rather than a milk tea. So yeah, in our list Bubble Tea is in the bottom. I noticed that their price is actually higher that other stores that sell more delicious milk teas. I think we paid Php 115 for a regular-sized milk tea whereas you can buy a large milk tea for a hundred bucks in other stores. 

Bubble Tea has stores in SM Megamall and SM City North Edsa. 


#6 Tea Farm

With frequent lunch and dinner dates in Makati, Erick and I came to know about this small milk tea stall in KPMG Bldg. I'd like to call it as the best-kept secret of KPMG. Comparing to all the other popular milk tea stores, Tea Farm's drinks are not behind in terms of taste and price. We especially liked their Winter Melon Milk Tea and Black Sugar Milk Tea. 

Tea Farm is located at G/F Garden Area of KPMG Bldg. in Ayala Avenue.

With all the tea establishments sprouting within the metro. it’s hard not to indulge in these yummy milk teas. Drinking tea has becoming a more popular drink option aside from the usual and overpriced coffees. I was never a big fan of coffee so I’m happy that now I have a choice between coffee or milk tea. I’d say in a heartbeat, milk tea please! 

How about you? What’s your favorite?