HeyTea: the best cheese tea in the world is now in London

By Halal Xplorer Bubble Tea England Food London July 31, 2024

HeyTea: the best cheese tea in the world

Come try cheese tea with us in London from the founders of the cheese tea drink: @heytea.uk !! This is a post that I have been looking forward to doing for a very long time. It kind of combines my recent past (just before I started blogging) and my now. This brings back some good memories and this place by default will always have a good place in my heart. In this post we’ll talk about HeyTea and also the infamous cheese tea. Let’s goooo!

Who are HeyTea?

HeyTea are the revolutionary founders and pioneers of cheese tea. Back in China (and Taiwan), bubble tea is just a standard drink that even McDonald’s do, but all the rave is about cheese tea. Well this was the case back when I was there in 2019. People were queuing up SEVEN hours to try this drink from this particular shop when they first came out and burst onto the scene!! Seven hours! HeyTea was born in China back in 2011 (and initially named Royal Tea), it blossomed in China, it captured the hearts of the Chinese people and then it ventured out to the rest of the world. They’ve got branches in countries like Singapore and Malaysia. And as of about a year ago, they now entered the England market. And boy are we glad. And we are not surprised at all about their rapid growth in England. They started out in Soho, near Chinatown London and before you knew it due to their success they opened up numerous branches in the capital including in Mayfair and Camden. They’ve even opened up in Manchester now as we speak. And I really wouldn’t be surprised if they open up many many more by the end of the year.

What is cheese tea?

While the West and London drools over and gets excited for bubble tea this part of the world sees it as a normal drink – as normal as tea or coffee. It has literally been around for decades. This shows to me how advanced that part of the world is when it comes to food. It’s basically a green tea or fruit tea of some sort with a cream cheese foam topping. Cheese tea may sound odd, but imagine drinking cheesecake (kinda) – trust me if it’s done well, you’ll love it. Many frown at hearing cheese tea, but they forget that cheese can come in a variety of different forms ranging from salty to sweet. It has more of a foamy texture with a creamy taste and an ever so slight hint of saltiness.

Our experience

We tried the following four drinks:

Cheese grape boom – it includes premium grapes (peeling and deseeded) with jasmine green tea and clear jelly. And of course a cheese topping made from real dairy.

Cheese strawberry boom – it includes blended strawberries (into a rich puree form) with aqua green jasmine tea. And the cheese topping as above. It also includes fat-free boba pops to provide a crunch.

Coconut mango boom – it includes premium cubed mangoes, coconut milk and sago (cooked for 30 mins).

Brown sugar bobo – brown sugar tapioca pearls and premium milk.

Let’s start with my favourite: the cheese grape boom. This drink was AMAZING. It was so good it might just have become my number one cheese tea and I’ve tried a few now (should do a list really). I liked the blend of grape and floral jasmine tea along with the bursts of the jelly pieces. A top tier drink. Really impressed! My wife isn’t a big jasmine tea fan, so not to worry. The strawberry cheese tea had a lighter jasmine flavour and so it was the one she preferred. So, I like that there’s something for all. The mango coconut drink had sago in it and it kind of reminded me of mango lassi. This one seems to be very popular amongst Londoners. The brown sugar bobo is the classic bubble tea drink, but this one tasted slightly different in quality. It tasted like the quality of the tapioca pearls or something about the drink was just higher than elsewhere. So impressed. And even though they are known for their cheese tea, this drink proves they can also do an extremely good bubble tea too! We are definitely going to be back!

Is it halal?

Their drinks are suitable for vegetarians including the cheese teas. And the clear jelly pieces used in the cheese tea drinks are also suitable for vegetarians.