Your Guide To Metro Milk Teas

In our search for the best milk tea in town, me and my hubby came up with this list, complete with recommendations for first timers such as names of their bestsellers (as they can be very confusing!), our own recommendations, addons/sinkers, sweetness level, etc -- things you need to know as soon as you hit the counter to order! I really don't get it why some milk tea places make it really hard for first timers to come up with something as simple as milk tea! Why don't they just put together something for gullible us -- something standard and basic? besides, milk teas, more or less, taste the same, we clueless flock won't know the difference -- just so standing there clueless as what to order won't feel too awkward and embarrassing? justsaying.

Anyway, I hope to add some more to this post as we are still trying and testing milk tea places and would love to hear your recommendations too! Please comment your favorite milk tea -- place and combinations. :)

Going forward, let me start with my first love:

1. SERENITEA

There's no forgetting this one! Simply put, this started our love affair with milk teas. My other Serenitea post tells more about their place and their offerings, this one I'll keep short and sweet :) Their bestsellers are Okinawa, Wintermelon and Hokkaido. I personally like Assam -- not on the list and Frosting Black Tea - also not on the list. lol. It is okay to order full/standard sweetness except for the Hokkaido as it is already quite sweet. I suggest you go for 50% if you order Hokkaido. Malty Choco is also good but not a hint of tea in there. Recommended sinkers are crystals (nata de coco), pearls (black gummies) and panna cotta. So remember, it's Okinawa. Large. Standard. Crystals. (that's my hubby's order. lol) Large costs Php100-105. Frosting Black Tea has ice cream as sinkers so if you would like some pearls in there, you will have to pay 15pesos for additional sinkers. Anyway it's so good, I don't mind paying extra :) Ohh, and I hope the JUMBO cups will stay forever and ever because they are really fun!

Branches: Alabang Town Center, Solenad 2 Sta. Rosa Laguna, Katipunan QC

2. ZAGU

A little blah but it'll make do when you're in immediate need of a milk tea fix. What I don't like about Zagu's milk tea is that it lacks the kick. Maybe because of the slushie texture, it didn't work with the milk tea taste. Like I said, it is good but not OMG-good however if you consider the price, I think just around Php 45-50 and the convenience of getting this one (hello, sa dami ba naman Zagu outlets?) then I think it is worth mentioning here. Golden words to remember when ordering: Milk tea manong/ate. Large.

Branches: hello?!

3. TEA.OLOGY

First and only time we went to tea.ology not because their milk teas are bad but their location is quite inconvenient for us. The hubby was the one who suggested we try this place as he saw this while browsing Instragram. We ordered Frosted Mint Chocolate milk tea. A large cup costs Php95. My daughter liked it (that should be a good sign as she didn't want anything to do with milk teas!) The hubby and I are willing to give it a second try if there's a chance.

Branches: Katipunan QC

4. MOONLEAF

This must be the most convenient milk tea place for us since it is only an elevator away from my sisters' place where we usually spend the weekend. Moonleaf is good as you can really get that milk and tea flavor, you can even separate the taste if you concentrate in doing so. lol. kidding ;) Anyway, order Hakka. nata. -- that's it, unless you would like to adjust sweetness. I'm not a fan of their pearls though, a little tough for me. Cheap but most recommended at Php75 a cup (not sure if they have sizes though)

Branches: Loyola Heights

5. FRUTTI FROYO

Now we're getting somewhere! Frutti Froyo is known for their "make-your-own" froyos but just recently they have expanded their offerings to include waffles and milk teas. I have a feeling that there will be more (notice the "plus" on cup) Anyway, this one's simple too, just say "Royal, panna cotta" and you're done. Reasonably priced too, only Php90 for a large cup. The hubby loves this so much, this is his number 1 pick!

Branches: Alabang, Solenad 2, Trinoma

Now, please welcome my true love:

6. GONG CHA

God, this is indeed true love! ^_^ Toffee Milk Tea with Coconut Jelly at 50% sweetness is a must try! For some reason, their tea is more distinct and the milk is creamier, just the right combination for a perfect milk tea. I hope they hurry up and open that ATC branch already, I've been dying to get one sip again. lol. A little pricey but hey, it's worth it! Php110 for this large cup but you can skip the addons and get away with Php90.

Branches: Glorietta 4-food court, Sky Garden - SM North Edsa

7. CHOWKING NAI CHA

The first time I tried this, it was a major FAIL. It was too sweet and the taste was really weird. lol :D However, when I saw their "new and improved" poster - and I was really craving for a cup of milk tea that I won't mind if it's another fail - I gave it another try. Good thing I did too because the taste improved and the pearls have a potential. HAVE, because I really think the ones we got were undercooked - they were tough. as in TOUGH. lol :D really cheap at 37Php. 

8. CHATIME

Okay, I would like to think that I have a love-hate relationship with Chatime. I'm not liking their milk teas, the first time I ordered, I specifically asked for their bestseller; they gave me the Pearl Milk Tea (photo above). There was  nothing spectacular about it. I gave it another try and went for Chatime Milk Tea. Again, there's nothing to it that I would rave about. But I'm totally inlove with their Choco Banana Milk Tea and Chocolate Mousse (read more about it here) So, I think I would have to recommend trying their other varieties, aside from their milk teas to be able to really appreciate Chatime. Drinks are from 50-90Php but addons are priced separately at 15-20Php

Branches:  SM North Edsa, Alabang Town Center

9. TEA-RRIFIC

This one's fairly new and it belongs to the Fruitas family (yep, those stalls in malls serving fruit shakes and buko things - btw, I love them ^^) So, it coming from a reputable company, it is only normal to be curious and try right? Try, I did. Price range is 45-65Php. I ordered Wintermelon, the safest bet. Well.. it was good. Not out-of-this-world good but..yeah, good enough. However, I have yet to try their smooth-tea (fruit+tea) because I heard that is their bestseller. we'll see..

Branches:  Malls? but SM San Pablo has one so..

Help me improve this post! I'd like to hear your favorite milk teas and your experiences/recommendations in these places so I could try them out the next time I visit. Cheers! ^_^