What's your favorite milk tea?

I'm a late bloomer when it comes to food fads and I don't really know why. I guess I just don't like jumping onto the bandwagon too soon in general. Or maybe, I'm simply not used to trying new things. Anyway, with food crazes, I let things settle down just a bit and allow myself to look into other people's opinions. This way, I can gauge how I really feel about a certain craze. (Yes, I'm too over-analytical like that.) But when the time comes that it's my friends who come to me and recommend things, I usually cave in soon enough. 

When I finally tried the milk tea, there's no denying that I loved it, and I was sure that I'd go for more drinks. This was probably the time when people realized this isn't just a fad and that it's something that could be a staple for its kind of business, like fast food chains and coffee houses. Sure enough, milk tea places around the metro are still quickly growing in numbers.

I myself have tried more than a few different milk tea places as well as flavors:

1. BubbaTeaLicious Pearl Milk Tea Place is not much of a place than it is a push cart/stall. I think this was the first milk tea I tried in UST. I've only tried their Royal and Caramel Milk Tea, but I also tasted a couple of their fruit tea variants, Wild Berries and Mango Delight. I'd have to say BubbaTea isn't my go-to milk tea place, though, because they are kind of inconsistent with their flavors. At least, that's based on my experience upon having Royal Milk Tea at different branches. But it's one of the most accessible places for me since there's a branch in UST and also, at SM malls around the area.

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2. Golden Chopsticks is located at the 2nd flr. carpark in UST. Since I already graduated last March, I am hoping that they would have other branches soon so I don't have to go to UST everytime I crave for their milk tea. I love their Coffee Konjac (with coffee jelly) and Charcoal Collagen Milk Tea!

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3. Simple Line is another local milk tea place for UST students located in Dapitan St. I had a friend who has been a long time customer, way back when they were still called "Simple Life." I've tried their Caramel and Oolong flavors, which I both loved.

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4. Happy Lemon is one of  the milk tea brand imports that easily gained a cult following locally. I was happy to find out that they opened a branch in Trinoma since it was the closest to my area. I've only had the Cocoa with Rock Salt & Cheese the one time I was at Happy Lemon and it was really yummy! I preferred drinking it mixed. I'm looking to try their milk tea variants in the future.


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5. Moonleaf Tea Shop is so well-known nowadays probably because their main patrons are college students. I tried their milk tea because several of my friends raved about Moonleaf's Wintermelon Milk Tea. And it really was worth raving about. Even though Moonleaf doesn't give you options for sugar level, their milk tea is a perfect mix. You can still taste the tea but the sweetness balances it out. But you do have choices for sinkers like the classic tapioca pearls, nata, pudding, and aloe vera bits. They have fruit tea variants, too! I was able to taste another favorite among my peers, the Lychee Yakult. Recently, I tried one of their new milk tea flavors, Tiramisu, and it was good.

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6. Gong Cha is another milk tea import that is originally from Taiwan and has various branches around Asia. They have the best milk tea, in my opinion!! The first time I tried it, I bought myself the House Special Milk Wintermelon Tea and Earl Grey Milk Tea. Both tasted really good but my favorite has to be the Wintermelon because their milk cream is to die for! Hahaha. BTW, they let you choose your sugar level. Hopefully, they'll open more branches soon!

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7. Cha Dao Tea Place is one of the newer milk tea places around. I've only tried their milk tea once at SM Marikina. I had Creme Brulee and one of their best-sellers, Cha Yen (red tea, vanilla, cinammon, milk). Both seemed a little bland for me, but I guess it was just inconsistency with mixing at that particular branch at the time because a friend of mine seemed to love their milk tea. A new branch recently opened in Dapitan near UST so I might give them another chance soon.


Other milk tea places I've tried include Infinitea in UST and a new stall in SM Manila called Tea-rrific.I've also tried Chowking's Nai Cha,which has become one of my go-to milk tea fix. I like how it's sweet but also has that tea aftertaste. They only serve it in one size, though (for only P39!).

For those who have instant milk tea cravings and can't get to the nearest mall or milk tea place, you can get the MineShine Premium Milk Tea (in 500ml at P40!) at your nearest 7-11! There's also C2 Milky Tea for people on-the-go (available in leading supermarkets and convenience stores), the only problem is they only have it in small 230ml bottles! I always regret not buying more than one the minute I walk out of the store. Haha. 

So, there you go. I'm also looking forward to try other milk tea brands like ChaTime, Serenitea, Bubble Tea, and Raintree! If you have recommendations or you just wanna share your favorite milk tea, please feel free to tell me in the comments! :)