A while ago I asked, is Cheese Tea a thing? Well, apparently, yes it is.
As initially disgusting as it may sound, Cheese Tea is a popular drink in Asia which has made its way to the US, and now the UK. Consisting typically of a base of black or green tea, topped with a creamy concoction of cheese powder mixed with cream and milk. The drink is hugely popular on the ‘gram – as are the creamy moustaches you get when you drink one.
Intrigued by the drink, and always up for testing out food trends, I visited Coba Bubble Tea in Oxford’s Covered Market to check it out.
Glass-fronted Coba Bubble Tea is adorned with post-it notes of customer scribbles, while the interior is a mix of lime green walls and instant noodle pots stacks. The cafe serves up a large menu of bubble teas, as well as fruit juices, smoothies, milkshakes and the cheese tea in question.
For the cheese tea, you can order it on black, oolong or matcha tea, or even on coffee and hot chocolate. As a bit of as matcha fan, I went for that.
So, is cheese tea any good?
Yeah, thankfully, better than expected.
The ‘cheese’ element is almost like a mascarpone – sweet and savoury, with the consistency similar to smooth clotted cream.
You’re supposed to drink it without a straw, so you get a mouthful of the tea underneath and a little bit of the cheese topping at the same time, hence the moustache. Alternatively, as I preferred, you can mix it all in together, sweetening the tea overall but with a creamy finish and savoury edge from the salty cheese.
Would I drink it again? Yes, I’d probably try out other variations though, particularly with oolong or hot chocolate!
So, get your camera phone ready to show off that ‘tache, this one’s a goer.
While you’re visiting Coba Bubble Tea…
Make sure you try out their bubble teas. I took away a tara (sweet potato) bubble tea with tapioca pearls to drink later, and it was delicious. The cafe has a huge selection of classic or fruit flavoured pearls, or ‘bubbles’, that are added to the drinks, which can be eaten as part of the drinks adding little bursts of flavour and texture.
They also have a selection of instant noodles and packaged mochi – chewy little rice buns, flavoured with a variety of fruits. I took a pack of mango mochi away and they are ADDICTIVE.
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