What’s beyond bubble tea? Try cheese tea, the new trend coming to Lexington
You’ve probably heard of bubble tea, the sweet drink with balls of “boba” or tapioca, that has been a popular treat for more than 20 years.
But how about cheese tea?
A new bubble tea shop, opening soon in Lexington, will bring in this latest trendy beverage to town. Jen Lo, owner of TSAOCHA, said the kind of teas she will be serving are overwhelmingly popular in her native China, but are now finding a following in the U.S.
“I believe a tea can not only be tasty but can bring you happiness,” Lo said.
Lo said this new style of bubble tea has a reputation for being healthier, too.
What makes this tea different from other bubble teas, which have been around Lexington for a while?
According to TSAOCHA, which is an international chain with about 30 franchises in America, the tea isn’t made from flavored powder but from different kinds of tea leaves. In fact, TSAOCHA is Chinese for “pure tea.” Sometimes organic milk or fruit is added, along with boba bubbles.
Drinks also can be topped with a sweet and salty creamy “cheese” that is sometimes called foam tea or fluffy tea. It’s made with cheese imported from Australia, Lo said. And in China they can’t get enough of the stuff.
“It has captured the Chinese market, and people drink it like water, like Americans drink coffee,” she said.
Lo said it is delicious and she hopes it will bring Kentuckians and Asians together in the troubled pandemic atmosphere.
In fact, she moved back to Lexington from China just to open her tea shop. Lo got her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Kentucky and, after moving home to China, and opening a bubble tea shop in her hometown of Chengdu, decided she could bring one to Lexington too.
Based on the customers just stopping by to see if it is open, there is a market for this in Lexington.
The shop opened the first week of May. Besides bubble tea, Lo said they plan to serve “egg” waffles with Chinese flavors of ice cream, fruit shaved ice, yogurt slushes and coffee.
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
