Cheese tea: two words you might not expect to find together, but they sure make a delicious combination. If you can overcome the strangeness of the idea, you’ll soon find yourself in a heaven of sweet and salty goodness.
A Taiwanese phenonemon
Like bubble tea, cheese tea has its roots in Taiwan. This concoction, however, first happened far more recently than its bubbly counterpart. Less than ten years ago, night market vendors in Taiwan began combining powdered cheese, salt, and cream to create a unique foamy tea topping. Later, in 2012, mainland Chinese tea purveyors HeyTea amended the recipe into something more upscale to suit their tea salon. The result was real cream cheese combined with fresh milk, and it didn’t take long for word to spread about how delicious it was. In fact, people began queuing around the block for up to three hours just to get a taste. Now, this tea can be found in dozens of tea cafés around Singapore and is fast becoming a popular alternative to bubble tea.
Just mix cream and cheese
Every café has their own precise way of making cheese tea, but most recipes have the same basic ingredients. First, you start with the tea itself. Any tea can be used for this drink, from green tea to Earl Grey, but it’s typically served chilled. Next, it’s time to add the cheese topping. To make it, mix equal parts of softened cream cheese and hand-whipped heavy cream. Some cafés also add sugar, salt, fresh milk, milk or cheese powder, or a combination of several. Once prepared and well-chilled, the cheese topping is scooped over a cup or glass of chilled tea and optionally dusted with matcha powder, cocoa powder, or salt. Sometimes its even sprinkled with sugar and heated with a flame to create a brûlée cap.
Embrace the cheese ‘stache
At many cafés, you can add a cheese topping to any tea of your choice. Some favourites include fresh fruit juice tea, fragrant oolong tea, and matcha milk tea. No matter which one you choose, don’t mistake it for a regular iced tea and dunk a straw into it. The right way to drink cheese tea is straight from the cup. This way, you can get both tea and thick, rich cheese topping in each mouthful. Just tilt the tea back at a 45-degree angle and sip away. Don’t be embarrassed if you get a white cheese ‘moustache’-it’s all part of the fun!
Chow down cheese tea delivery
If the sound of this sweet and savoury delight has your mouth watering, you can get your own cup delivered straight to your door with foodpanda. Some of our favourites include the Peach Oolong Cheese Tea from Ulu Tea, the Champagne Cheese Tea from Partea Bubble Fruit Tea, and the Jasmine Scented Cheese Tea from Miss Tea.
