Bubble tea is not cheap but it’s a cost one accepts for having the habit. And while I do not always consider every flavour of bubble tea to be tasty or finessed, I don’t consider the purchase a regrettable waste. The exception is this The Alley LuJiaoXiang Hōjicha Peach Oolong Latte ($6.90 for regular, +$0.60 for pearls).
The tea is a translucent light brown colour that starts off with a promising bright and crisp white peach flavour with the hōjicha adding just a hint of roasted sweetness towards the finish. The mouthfeel was a little thin and the dairy notes are enjoyably mellow. Now, if they’d stopped here with perhaps (though not necessary) addition of milk froth, I’d have been a happy customer.
But no, after a few sips, the mouthfeel thickens with a nasty — and that is one of the nicer words to describe it — salty piquant cheese flavour. No where is it mentioned that the latte component uses cheese rather than milk. I don’t understand how salty, cheese, foam ever became a thing. Savoury foods, maybe, but on a sweet drink, it’s revolting and from that point on, it’s either chug the drink or throw it out. I was tempted to do the latter, but it’s a $7.50 drink!
This Hōjicha Peach Oolong Latte was purchased at The Alley LuJiaoXiang in November 2019.