Taiwan: Milk Tea at Hanlin

Last night I had the opportunity to walk around the vicinity of my hotel and found "Hanlin" at the food court. Hanlin boasts that they are the origin of bubble tea. They have been around since 1986.

The menu had a long list of choices but I didn't want to be too adventurous so I just got the tieguanyin milk tea (but without bubbles). I realize though that I should've ordered it with bubbles and with 80% sugar (next time!). No bubbles and just 50% sugar is just like putting milk and tea together without the oomph. I still like that it was flavorful though.

Brought the cup back to the hotel since I didn't want to hangout in a busy food court. I paired it with creamy tomato mushroom pasta from Underground (a no meat resto). I had a fabulous dinner with my boys joining me over Google Hangout. 

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Breaking the Milk Tea Fast

I drink milk tea at least 5 times a week. It became a daily fix after lunch with my friend Cherry. We'd finish our meal and then head to the kopitiam to buy iced milk tea from Toast Box. The staff already knew what we were ordering and would just usually ask how many we were buying. They even tried to teach me to speak Chinese because they said I look like one and were wondering how come I don't know how to communicate in their language. So I learned the words teh peng and xiexie.

So Ash Wednesday rolled in last March 1. I was still thinking about what to give up for Lent. Eventually decided on giving up milk tea. I was really hesitant to do it because it was my daily prize for myself after a long day at work. It was one of the most challenging 40 days for me.

A decade ago I gave up drinking soda. It drove me crazy for 2 weeks but eventually I did not crave for it anymore. For milk tea I thought about breaking the sacrifice every single day. It was really hard (the other stuff I sacrificed does not compare!) and it was not made easier when I was in Tokyo because you can buy milk tea anywhere you go. So I really looked forward to Easter.

Easter Sunday came and I was eager to finally drink some milk tea. After hearing mass we proceeded to a restaurant to meet my cousin. Unfortunately the restaurant did not have milk tea in the menu. I played cool and said that it could wait until merienda time. We were in Tokyo so we did some station hopping after lunch and with tired feet we settled to have snacks at a cake shop in Akihabara.

Hubby took a vid of me breaking my milk tea fast. After that day I noticed there were a lot more varieties of milk tea available in the vending machines so I spent some time sampling different brands.

I don't think I'll sacrifice drinking milk tea ever again. :p

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Taiwan's Best Milk Tea: Chun Shui Tang

During my first trip to Taiwan I asked around where I could buy the best milk tea. I was unsuccessful in finding it. I managed to try milk tea in a few places, but I knew it wasn't the place locals went to (they were located in touristy areas). So I made it my goal to find the best milk tea suggested by locals.

It was right under my nose. Just a few steps away from my hotel you will find "Chun Shui Tang" which is the most recommended milk tea in Taiwan.

For my first try I ordered pearl milk tea with less sugar and normal ice. It was more milky compared to milk tea from other countries where the tea had a stronger taste. I like that it was not too sweet sweet and it smoothly went down my throat. Those who prefer to have milkier milk tea would like this beverage. 

For an idea on how it compares to other brands, it's a tad bit like Cha Time (but better hehe). So next time your in Taiwan make sure to find the nearest Chun Shui Tang branch! 

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Old Town White Milk Tea

One of my favorite milk teas is Old Town White milk tea. I always have it before I board a flight out of Kuala Lumpur. You can get a box for only Myr12.50 at the shop before you board the plane.

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Milk Tea Station

People who live in the Northern part of Metro Manila are so lucky because a lot of milk tea places are located there. I told myself that I'd check out the milk tea place at Imperial Palace Suites which I spotted on the way to a meeting. I finally got the chance to check it out when I arrived in the area 30 minutes before my appointment.

I probably had a silly smile on my face when I entered the shop. After ordering I immediately whipped out my phone and asked permission from the crew if I could take some photos for my blog. They, of course, obliged when I said I had a tea blog. I probably weirded them out though since I also took a photo of the cup when they served it hehehe.

Anyway, so I just ordered for a standard glass of milk tea with pearls. It did not disappoint and I'm pretty sure I'll drop by again when I visit QC.

Milk Tea Station
located at Imperial Palace Suites
Timog cor. Tomas Morato
Quezon City


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Pokka Premium Milk Green Tea

Whenever I'm in Singapore I go to 7-Eleven to check out if there's anything new I should try out. I had sampled the Pokka Milk Tea last year and found it a tad too lemon-y for my taste, but that didn't stop me from drinking it every time I visited Singapore.

Anyway, so during my visit last month I was surprised to see a new offering by Pokka - Milk Green Tea. Green tea with milk? Green colored beverage? I had to go around 7-Eleven's aisles thrice, thinking whether I should sample it or not. I was apprehensive because I thought that green tea plus milk would be weird. I like drinking green tea as it is, the more bitter, the better.

So my curiosity won out and I got a bottle. My hotel was just a stone's throw away so I went back to my room to get some rest and sample the green tea with milk.

And, my oh my, I got the shock of my life. It was an awesome experience. I never expected that green tea would go so well with milk. I loved it because it had the right level of sweetness and drinking it made me feel refreshed and re-energized (I had just come in from Manila that day and took a long walk to the Singapore Philatelic Museum).

And guess what, I had one every single day I was in Singapore. =)

Dear local retailers/supermarkets/specialty shops, please, please import Pokka Milk Green Tea!!!

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Max Tea Tarikk (Instant Milk Tea)

I managed to sample Max Tea Tarikk because of my friend Brian who recently visited Singapore. He gave me two brands to try out and Max Tea Tarikk was one of them. As I've been accustomed to, I added a teaspoon of condensed milk which I shouldn't have done since Max Tea Tarikk was sweet enough. This one tasted a bit like Super Milk Tea since it had a citrus after-taste.

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Owl Teh Tarik (Instant Milk Tea)

Owl Teh Tarik (hand-pulled milk tea) is probably one of the best instant milk tea brands I've sampled. It's the closest rendition of hand-pulled milk tea in powder form. I couldn't help but ooh and aah when I first tasted it and had to stop myself from finishing the pack I bought from Singapore in a week. It because too sweet though when I added condensed milk, but was perfect when I added fresh milk on another day. Definitely getting several packs when I visit Singapore again.

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Super Milk Tea (Instant 3-in-1)

I just tried Super's instant milk tea just now. Tasted like milk tea from hawker centers but with a citrus twist aftertaste. I think I should have added some condensed milk when I had a glass. It's not so bad though, I think I'll have another try soon.

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Mr. Tea Milk Tea (Instant 3-in-1)

I got a pack of Mr. Tea instant Milk Tea in Singapore during my last trip. I was actually looking for a pack of Gold Kili Milk Tea since I loved its taste so I just got a pack of Mr. Tea's instant milk tea instead. (Since it's called Mr. Tea, I kinda thought I'd find Mr. T's photo on it, LOL).

Immediately tried it when I got home in Manila and thought it tasted like milk tea sold at hawker centers. Just added a teaspoon of condensed milk to make it a bit sweeter. It's one of my frequent afternoon delights.

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Pokka Milk Tea at SM Hypermarket!

I've been quite worried about my instant milk tea stash. My Gold Kili pack is dwindling fast and I'm still trying to find somebody who can get me some from Singapore.

We were trying to find a good brand of Mint tea the other day at SM Hypermarket when we chanced upon (at the bottom of the shelf) a couple of Pokka Milk Tea! The cans looked like people were ignoring it (good for me!). I got one can and tried it out during dinner. It tasted better than the Pokka Milk Tea I got in Singapore! Not sure why, but the canned one tasted a lot better.

So when we did our groceries last weekend I got several cans. Weeee!

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Kopi Roti Milk Tea

I usually order iced tea with milk at Kopi Roti, but since my tonsils were taking awhile to get well I decided to try out hot milk tea.

I was quite nervous at first since I didn't know if I'd like it. I was hooked at the first sip though and now I'm not sure which I like better. Maybe I'll order both next time I visit Kopi Roti. LOL.

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Homemade Milk Tea with Sariwangi

I wasn't feeling too well the past two weeks and couldn't drink iced milk tea. I was kinda desperate already so I thought I'd try it out hot.

I then steeped a bag of Sariwangi black tea and added a tablespoon of condensed milk.

It was an awesome experience!

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Sereni-tea at Bona Coffee

Sweetie and I found ourselves at Bona Coffee Westgate the other night. Our movie date was postponed since the movie we wanted to watch was SRO! Quickly left the mall and decided to drive around Westgate. Passed by Bona Coffee and decided to kill time there since we had a few hours before we could pick up Miguel from his prom.

Since it was evening I didn't want to drink coffee. I didn't find anything close to chai latte/milk tea so I had a hard time choosing. The jolly barista seeing that I was having a hard time suggested I try out their sereni-tea drink. He described what was in it but I stopped listening when he said that it had milk in it. I immediately said yes.

I was really excited to try out the drink since I've just been making my own milk tea at home the past few weeks. The color and consistency of the drink was similar to all the other milk teas I've drank but I was in for a surprise. The tea that was used in the drink was the "floral" kind. It tasted like sampaguita. I know a couple of people who like that kind of tea but I don't. I thought it was just a bit sweet so I added a bit of water, but this didn't dilute the floral taste.

Anyway, I guess I'm going to stick to coffee when I'm at Bona Coffee.

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