This Gong Cha Genmai Tea Latte ($5.50 for regular, +$0.70 for pearls, with little sugar) marks the first milk tea that I’ve purchased from any Taiwan-style drink shop despite visiting for over a decade. Of course, Gong Cha was not in Australia then and the only flavours available were royal and taro milk tea (and maybe chocolate?).

The Genmai Tea Latte is made with freshly brewed genmaicha (tea bag) and has an opaque off-white colour with a mellow genmaicha aroma. Served chilled, the roasted notes of the brown rice came through prominently from the head of each sip before a subtle hint of dairy emerged in the body and recedes quickly to give way to the pleasant vegetal notes of the genmaicha with a minor astringency. Overall, the reduced sugar levels allows the genmaicha notes to shine, making it a very enjoyable milk tea. The mouthfeel was on the thin side but the upside is that it’s without any dominating dairy notes that I usually find off-putting.

Genmai Tea Latte was ordered Gong Cha in Sydney, Australia during June 2018.