Love cheese more than life itself? Then you're going to want to know where you can get cheese tea in the U.S. Seriously. The drink, which has been a massive trend in Asia for a few months now, is finally going to be available in the U.S. at Happy Lemon locations around the country. I know it sounds like a weird combo — cheese and tea — but, just as butter in coffee weirdly works, cheese in this tea works as well. While cheese mousse has been on the menu of many bubble-tea shops for awhile, cheese tea has recently taken social media by storm. And, as one food blogger wrote, people in Asia wait in long lines to get their cheese tea on.
"We came across this shop with a huge crowd of at least 50, queuing under the sun," Malaysian food blogger Ethan Wong wrote on his blog. "I got so curious of what is the case? Why are people getting frenzy over this [cheese tea]?" Personally, there are very few things I will wait in an hours-long line for. So, if people are waiting in line for cheese tea, it must be the best thing ever. I mean, is it being served by Oprah? What could inspire this kind of commitment?
Wong wrote that people regularly wait in line for more than five hours to get a steaming cup of cheese tea. Here's the quick and dirty about cheese tea, also known as Heytea, the latest craze inspiring more devotion than rock stars.
"The layer of cheese is a about an inch, mixture of whipped cream and cheese (cream cheese, I assume), lightly seasoned with salt beautifully poured over the drink of your choice," Wong wrote. "The cheese layer is full of punch – so fluffy, thick, creamy, and rich with a hint of saltiness boost the flavors of the cheese. Whereas the tea, Jasmine green tea to be specific, is on the average scale. However, when you have a sip as instructed, 40 degrees tilted, right amount of cheese and tea fills your taste bud, bursting with complex flavor as you gulp em down!"
You know that if you tell people something is the latest, must-have thing they will wait in line for it just to see what all the fuss is about. Remember the lines of New York story Rory was investigating in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life? But, the South China Morning Post reported that the waiting is part of the experience.
"Heytea’s initial success in Shanghai is a snapshot of the country’s fast-changing commercial landscape” Ray Lu, a director with Hotung Ventures, told the Post. “People regard a cup of milk tea as part of the fashion that shows their attitude toward an enjoyable life." People have so much FOMO that actually drinking the tea is the least important part of the experience. "I was swamped by news about the tea shop on the internet, and I decided to test it,” a customer surnamed Zhang told the Post. "It is worth a few hours waiting no matter how the tea tastes."
If you live near a Happy Lemon location, run — don't walk — to try this cheese tea right now. Aside from the obvious excitement of cheese, the good news is that you probably won't have to wait five hours to sip this coveted cheesy drink. The Happy Lemon has locations in Boston, New Jersey, and California. Aside from green tea, you can get salted cheese in black tea, milk tea, and chocolate tea. Um, yes please!
If You don't live near a cheese tea location, and you simply can't take the FOMO, you can make your own cheese tea at home by Googling some recipes. When you're finished making your perfect cup of cheese tea, don't forget to Instagram your cheese-tea mustache. Because, cheese is everything. Cheers, my fellow cheese devotees — 2018 is already looking up.
