Baa-ck to Baa-ck

Oi! It's a back-to-back Thai post.

After yesterday's post on Pad Thai, today is about Thai Milk Tea.

There's a newly opened store near our house called Baa Baa Thai Tea. And being an adventurous guy, I had to go there and try it out. Stat.

Tried their pink milk, and it does taste legit. It reminds me of the Pink Milk that I'd buy at the MBK food court.

This is so good, I'll be back.

Cha Chance

Back when I'd frequent BKK - both for work and leisure trips - there were a few local places that were on my to-go-to list.

No matter how short or long my stay was, these were places that were not to be missed. It was a combination of malls like MBK, souvenir shops like Naraya, and Thai tea places like Cha Tra Mue.

It was at Cha Tra Mue where my appreciation for Thai Milk Tea started. And while there are stores in MNL that carried Thai Milk Tea, the original would always still be the best.

So, imagine my joy when they finally opened a Cha Tra Mue store in MNL! Not only that, they have Plum Green Tea in their menu.

Finally! No need to fly to BKK to get a chance to drink my fave Thai teas!

Bliss in a box

Those words would best describe my recent discovery - Vinamilk Tea Bliss.

Considering that it's a pre-packaged milk tea, the flavour of this is really fresh. It has that distinct wintermelon taste, the right amount of tea and milk, and it's super refreshing.

My only comment would be how small the pack is. I'm able to finish the whole box in 2 sips and can finish 3 of these in one sitting.

If they have a 1-liter pack of this, then that would really be blissful!

Give me Libertea!

I've always liked ordering Libertea Iced Tea from Army Navy for delivery. That's because they come in cool glass bottles that are reusable.

Now, it looks like I have 15 more reasons to order the same thing!

Yup, Army Navy is coming up with a Milk Tea series for their Libertea Line. Same cool glass bottle, in 15 different flavors.

I'm there, Army Navy. I'm there.

Packed to a Tea

A post about this bottled milk tea in Paranaque keeps on popping up my feed.

I must say, this tea is beautifully packed! The bottle looks very high-end, and the flavours look very promising. Especially the Toffee Milk Tea and the Hojicha Milk Tea.

If this tea pops-up in my feed again, I just might end up ordering it soon!

End of the (Simple) Line

One of my former students posted this photo of our favourite tea store in front of SSC.

It's a melancholic photo, actually. It shows SimpleLine - boarded up and for rent. Which simply means it's already closed.

They must be another casualty of the pandemic.

I'll miss their Lychee Green tea with Aloe Vera and their Caramel Oolong Milk Tea with Grass Jelly.

I'll miss the Simple joy of SimpleLine.

(Tiger) Sugar, oh, honey, honey

Just like "The Alley," it was in Seoul when I first tried the milk tea brand "Tiger Sugar."

The first time I tasted it, I found it too sweet for my liking. That's why when they opened their stores in MNL last year, I didn't bother falling in line.

Last week, I passed by their branch in SM Megamall and found it bereft of people. So, I thought of giving it a try.

Surprisingly, the taste was much better here in MNL than in Seoul. In fact, my level of dislike for it in South Korea was my level of liking it here.

Maybe they did something with the formulation. But whatever they did, it was definitely right move.

Here's another milk tea brand to add to my rotation.

The Alley-oop!

The first time I tried milk tea at The Alley was during our Seoul trip last year. There were 2 stores in Myeongdong that we'd often pass by, and eventually, we tried their milk teas.

They were really good!

Sometime last year, they opened shop here in MNL, and last December, they opened a branch in nearby SM Megamall.

I haven't tried their teas here, but if it's as good as the one in Seoul, then The Alley will definitely be a part of my milk tea repertoire.

(Sesame) Street Style

It was supposed to be a regular Serenitea run to get my usual Choco Royal Milk Tea.

When they served my drink, this pleasant surprise greeted me!

They have a tie-up with Sesame Street!

All their cups are adorned with Sesame Street characters. And I was tempted to buy one more cup just to get the Ernie and Bert cup. (I didn't.)

But this just means I'll be going to Serenitea a bit more often this time.

So, can you tell me how to get to Serenitea?

Chatime takes its time

It's been about 20 minutes since my order. And my order is just large strawberry milk tea. But still, it isn't here.

Worse, they're not even making it yet.

There's one guy inside who's checking equipment, listing things, cleaning up - he looks like he's doing everything. Except making any of the tea orders that are already there. So, you have a couple of cups of tea waiting to be made, and no one making it!

Sometime soon, please, Chatime. Sometime soon.

Imperial-ist

While everyone is joining the hype and getting on the Coco bandwagon, I'm going to indulge in my one of my favorite milk teas. Spoiler Alert: It's not Coco.

It's Macao Imperial Tea!

This is one of those super delish but underrated tea brands. And after seeing the snaking queues at Coco, I'd rather keep it that way.

Perfect Thai-ming

It's been a while since I've been to BKK, and lately, my tastebuds have been looking for their milk tea.

Luckily, Chatime introduced their seasonal flavors just in time!

I've tried it this weekend, and it's legit!

New milk tea addiction, coming up!

Matcha-rap

The Matcha craze isn't letting up anytime soon.

And the latest brand to jump into the green tea bandwagon is my favorite Taiwanese beverage chain - Quickly!

I tried their Matcha and it was legit! One sip, and I felt transported back to Tokyo in a snap!

Now here's another reason to love Quickly. And Matcha, too.

Meet your Matcha

And the Pinoy passion for Matcha continues.

Yesterday, en route to the photo shoot, I dropped by 7-11 and saw this:

Matcha Milk Tea from Oishi!

True to it's name, it really is delicious. And it'll be part of my milk repertoire from this day forth.

Sugoi ne!

Teas-ter's Choice

Since things are going to be quite hectic - both at work and at the department - I need something to calm me down and keep me from bouncing around. Tea is always a good choice, and I've recently discovered this brand that lives up to its name.

Celestial Tea is indeed heavenly. At first, I wasn't sure how the flavors of Honey, Lemon and Ginseng would interact. But after trying it, this brand is definitely up there with my favorites - TWG and Twinings.

Worth a T(ea)ry

Yesterday morning, during our learning session at the office, our Admin person served Chowking for recess. One of the items she ordered was Chowking's Wintermelon Milk Tea. Being the tea lover that I am, I tried it.

I must say, It's. So. Good.

The drink has that rich wintermelon tea taste, made even more special with cream cheese topping. Yup, the same thing you find in Happy Lemon.

This combination makes for a drink that's creamy and light. And not to mention cheap!

It's the first time I tried it, and it definitely won't be the last.