Personally, it’s not my cup of tea coffee - I ranked it at the very bottom of my list. It reminds me of those Japanese canned iced coffees, such as UCC, Boss Coffee and Pokka. The coffee itself is weak, although the flavor suggests it was made with dark roast beans. This is not a drink I’d suggest for third wave cold brew coffee fans. We suggest breaking the rules and drinking this one with a straw. Unlike the other salted cheese drinks, this is more like a thick, blended iced drink (think Jamba Juice’s Chocolate Moo’d), which means sipping this straight from the cup is a little more difficult (and messy). If you love chocolate milkshakes, this drink will be at the top of your list. This is Happy Lemon’s third best selling salted cheese drink (fifth best, when compared to its entire drink menu). In this case, that means double the creaminess, with the added salted cheese float. Two tasters – Doug and Natalie -both said this drink would be good on a hot day.Īnother classic boba tea flavor - milk tea, is basically black tea, but with milk already stirred in. Almost all Berkeleyside tasters agreed that Happy Lemon’s Light Oolong was refreshing and paired well with the salted cheese. Unlike black teas, which have notes of bitterness, oolong is lighter in both color and flavor. Oolong tea is a Chinese tea with a toasty, but slightly fruity flavor.
Although most of the Berkeleyside tasters agreed it was a top contender (it was my first choice), Tracey said the salted cheese tasted too artificial for her liking (she ranked it #7 on her list). Happy Lemon posts a list of its Top 10 Drinks - Black Tea with Salted Cheese was #1, so we’re not alone in liking this one best. Old-school boba tea drinkers and newbs can both appreciate the combo of no-frills black tea - which is relatively strong, but not too bitter - with the creamy, salty and sweet foam. Black Tea with Salted CheeseĬhoosing from all nine drinks can be a bit overwhelming. Here are the results of the tasting, from best to worst: 1.
#HAPPY LEMON MENU FULL#
NB: At Happy Lemon, customers can choose the level of sweetness of their drinks we ordered full sweetness for this story, but you may want to consider going with less sugar - we suggest half sweetness. Berkeleyside staffers tasted and ranked all nine Happy Lemon salted cheese drinks.
I invited four other Berkeleyside team members - Tracey Taylor, Natalie Orenstein, Wendy Cohen and Doug Ng - to join me in tasting and ranking all nine of the salted cheese drinks offered at Happy Lemon. A couple of colleagues had reservations about cheese in their tea, so I commend them for partaking in the challenge anyway. Most come with a regular salted cheese topping, but three drinks come topped with a tiramisu salted cheese float.įour of nine salted cheese drinks offered at Happy Lemon in Berkeley.
#HAPPY LEMON MENU SERIES#
In October, China-based boba chain Happy Lemon opened in downtown Berkeley. The Shattuck Avenue location offers nine different varieties of tea on its salted cheese series menu. Photo: Sarah Han Happy LemonĢ106 Shattuck Ave. In fact, if you’re not going to drink your salted cheese tea right away, ask your server to give you the salted cheese topping in a separate container, so you can add it right before your first sip. Eventually, the foam will sink down into the tea, but maximum enjoyment comes during the first few minutes, when the two layers are distinct. This allows you to enjoy the tea in layers - first the sweet and salty creamy foam hits your lips, then the tea flows through, combining with the cream on its way into your mouth. If you want to get really technical, tilt the cup at a 45 degree angle when you drink. Although you may be tempted to stir in the creamy topping and then sip the blended tea through a straw, the proper way to enjoy salted cheese drinks is to leave the thick float of cream untouched and then sip directly from the cup. There’s a method to drinking salted cheese tea. It’s made with cream cheese, whipped cream, milk and a hint of rock salt. It’s true, the concept sounds horrible, but in this case, the “cheese” topping is more like a thick layer of creamy, salted foam that tops each drink. In boba shops in the States, you’ll also find it called creama/crema or mousse, perhaps to get over the stigma of putting cheese in tea. This trendy tea drink is a boba spin-off that first became popular in Asia and has started to make its way into more tea shops across the world.
Salted cheese tea is having a moment in the U.S. Salted cheese teas from Happy Lemon which opened in downtown Berkeley in October.
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