Recently I read about cheese tea for the first time and thought it sounded quite odd – I like tea, and I like cheese, but why would I ever want to combine these two?! I was skeptical, but I enjoy being adventurous in what I eat and drink, so I wanted to give it a try. Sadly, it only seemed to be available on the West Coast and in Asia, so I resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to file it away in my ‘try someday” list since I had no travel plans to visit those areas. Little did I know that only a week later I would receive an invitation to join 150 other Local Guides in San Francisco for Connect Live 2018! I felt confident I could find cheese tea in San Francisco since it’s the mecca for all delicious Asian food, like Sushirrito! @KarenVChin helped me find Steap Tea Bar near our hotel, and I was so excited to try it during our free time!!
Spoiler
Steap is located in Chinatown, which was just a short Uber ride from our hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf. I arrived with so many questions! Was this going to be some weird liquefied blend of cheese cubes in my drink?! How will I drink it through a straw?? The kind woman working at Steap told me the cheese was actually referred to as “cream topping”, and they make it fresh in-house by blending whipped cream and mascarpone cheese with a sea salt finish! I opted for the almond milk tea with tapioca pearls (those are the black balls at the bottom of the drink if you’re not familiar).
Eager to taste this beautiful creation, I took a sip from the top to get a good sample of the cream. I was instantly in love. It was the perfect combination of savory and sweet flavors (cheese notes were not too strong, but just barely there). It was definitely unlike any other drink I’ve had in the past. If I had more time in San Francisco, I would have loved to return to try some of their other unique toppings on the menu like hemp drops, lychee jelly, hibiscus, and activated charcoal.
Other things to note for those of you that may have dietary restrictions:
- Steap has dairy-free options (almond milk) and uses organic milk for those who can consume dairy.
- They allow you to adjust the sweetness level based on your preference, as a lot of boba drinks can end up being overly sweet.
- You can order it without the boba if you’re not a fan of the tapioca
As you can see, they will serve the drinks hot or cold (I ordered mine cold). I left wondering when I’d get to taste this delightful drink again and posted wistfully about it on Facebook. Thankfully, I have some foodie friends here in North Carolina, and one let me know that a recently opened establishment in Greensboro called MasterTea has my beloved cheese tea on the menu!
The day after I returned from SF, I begged my husband to go try it with me. He was skeptical and didn’t order his own drink, but when he tried mine, he admitted that it was quite tasty and he enjoyed the unique flavor. Pictured above is their Honey Green Tea. As you can see, the cream layer is a little thicker than the one I had in SF and the boba is barely visible since they used the clear tapioca. It was a little sweeter than the one I had from Steap, but still delicious.
Overall, cheese tea greatly surpassed my skeptical expectations and I can’t wait for all of you to try it! Remember that it likely won’t be listed as “cheese tea” on the menu, so ask for “cream topping” and you’ll be in business! Move over Pumpkin Spice, you’ve been replaced by Cheese Tea as the new trendy Fall beverage! I’ll soon be making a list of the best places to find cheese tea in the US, so feel free to follow if you’re interested.
