A milk tea so milky it’s called Tea Milk.

Milk teas are incredibly popular in Japan, but now there’s one so milky it’s causing a stir online, with Japanese social media lighting up with praise for it. Exclusive to Japanese-born fast food chain Mos Burger, this new drink goes by the name “Tea Milk“, because the dairy component is so strong – the ratio of tea to milk is said to be 1:9 – that it’s more like having tea with your milk, rather than milk with your tea.

With so many glowing reviews online, we were keen to try it for ourselves, and from the minute we laid eyes on it, we knew this was no ordinary tea… and no ordinary milk either.

According to Mos Burger, the tea used in the beverage is “Kandy tea“, so called as it hails from the ancient city of Kandy, a World Heritage site in Sri Lanka. Characterised by its low bitterness, Kandy teas produce a full-bodied brew particularly suited to milk, and a little can go a long way to adding a robust flavour.

With only a small amount of tea in the bottom of the cup, we figured the brew would have to be significantly robust to make its presence felt on the palate. Giving it a slight stir and taking a cautious sip, we braced ourselves for a mouthful of milk, but ended up pleasantly surprised as the tea was aromatic and delicious, standing strong with the milk to deliver a harmonious coupling of flavours.

According to Mos Burger, a little lemon is added to every serving, but it was indistinguishable on the palate. Only upon searching for a hint of citrus were we able to find it on the nose, but it was very subtle, almost as if it was part of the tea.

While the flavour of the tea was pronounced, we detected no bitterness in the blend, which just goes to show how well the tea-to-milk ratio works. The eye-popping amount of milk in the drink isn’t just for show, and unless you like your brew super strong, like a so-called “builder’s tea”, you’ll appreciate the nuanced dance between milk and tea that plays out in every mouthful.

With a clean and refreshing aftertaste, the Tea Milk also pairs surprisingly well with the chain’s burgers and fries, and it’ll be on the menu, priced at 420 yen (US$2.62), for a limited time until early November.

Images©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!