Taiwan has a new trend that the west coast is embracing, and brace yourself: it’s going to sound super weird. But try it, I implore you foodie nerds. It’s breathtaking and has all the makings of a masterpiece.
If you’ve tried boba or bubble tea, you’re familiar with the sweet tea base that is made “bubbly” with tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup, the top sealed shut with plastic and an oversized straw with a point as the spear to access the delicious combination.
You can mix the tea with milk for a creamier flavor, or substitute the tapioca balls for aloe jelly. It’s a drink that allows the simple pleasure of eating and drinking at the same time, one of my favorite things. It’s hard to believe it could get even tastier, but yet here we are. I ordered the Cheese Boba at White & Brown in K-Town, Los Angeles at my friend’s enthusiastic recommendation.
I know, it sounds crazy, right? But like most strange things, it’s charming once you get to know it. In this case, all it takes is one sip to put you into a boba smile. I took one sip and my eyes lit up, the decadence invading my taste buds giving me a new perspective on what ingredients were worthy of tea.
What cheese boba is not: it is not a tea mixed with melted cheese sauce, it is not cheese curds substituted for tapioca balls, nor is it cheese flavored tea. Cheese boba is a type of cheese that resembles whipped cream foam that is delicately placed on top of the boba tea, lightly salted, giving the sweet and salty feeling that you appreciate in a dessert. It provides the same satisfaction as eating a chocolate covered pretzel.
The correct way to drink this to sip it without a straw, raising the cup at a 45 degree angle so as to consume both foam and tea flavors simultaneously. If you have a cheese foam mustache, you’re doing it right. It’s a luxurious and fun upgrade to normal boba, and you can order it cold or hot with the same tasty results.
I highly recommend this new trend, and hope that it becomes the normal way to consume boba in the next year. Think of cheese boba tea as an Asian version of a sea salt latte, and pick one up at your nearest boba tea cafe to be up on the coolest foodie trends!
Megan is an avid traveler, boba tea enthusiast, and is just enough Asian to tell you when you’re using chopsticks incorrectly. She writes about her travels and airline crew lifestyle at www.kissesfromtheclouds.com
