Procedure: Since tastes vary wildly, we decided that we would walk up to the person manning the store and ask for the most popular item on the menu. Then we drink it.
What: Mango passion fruit smoothie (RM 5.10)
Where: http://g.co/maps/743d9
We went to the one in Ampang Park, Kuala Lumpur. It has a wide variety of stuff; fruit-based, tea-based, or otherwise, and loads of toppings and other options to choose from.
The First Sip: Holy freaking wow.
The fruit combination is really good. The taste smacks you full on before receding into a gentle sweetness, pleasantly interrupted by the occasional chunk of fruit. Theres not much nonsense here and its not overly sweet. It plays the strength of the fruits off each other; mangos thick flavour and passion fruits light sweetness join together in holy matrimony.
Theres little to no ice, or rather the ice is granular enough not to interrupt the fruity goodness and serves purely as a delivery vehicle for the taste fandango that is soon to arrive on your tongue.
In fact theres little that isnt pure mangoey passion fruitey goodness. It is extremely yummy and very, very good value for money. Whether sipped slowly for its flavour or gulped for a mouthful of refreshing, this is highly, highly recommended.
What: Pearl milk tea (regular) RM 5.90
Where: http://g.co/maps/kxjgr
Chatime has the distinction of having the only pun-based name on our list. We went to the one in Uptown, Petaling Jaya, because were masochists. They allow you to vary how much ice and sugar you want in your drink, which is great for those of us who prefer a little more control over consistency and taste.
The First Sip: Milky tea-y goodness.
Its heavier on the milk than the tea, with the tea undercurrent pleasant if light. The overhanging milkiness is soothing and easy on the tongue, with a pleasant aftertaste which (thanks to the tea) you can feel in the sinuses as well.
The bubbles, which are perfectly sized to go through their overlarge straws, are chewy and go well with the milk tea, although by themselves they tend towards the slightly weird. The temptation is to suck as many of them into your cheeks as possible and make hamster impressions at people.
You certainly can, given how many of them they stick into the drink (at least a third of the cup if not more). The bubbles and the tea complement each other, bubbles adding texture and tea overlaying flavour. A decent, light drink that goes very fast.
Where: http://g.co/maps/sz4bh
What: Signature Winter Melon Tea (RM 5.90)
We went to the one in SS15, Subang Jaya. They have the same varying levels of ice or sugar (which the staff will remember to ask you about, so thats nice).
The First Sip: This is slightly complicated because the cup comes with a sticker advising you to try the drink three different ways. So we did.
1) Without the straw, sip tea through the top layer of milk froth: the first mouthful you get is the froth and it is amazing. It tastes like milk and honey with a rock-candy body. After that the tea laces through with a pleasant aftertaste.
2) Stick straw in, slurp tea followed by froth: the tea itself is light and flavourful, with little lingering aftertaste. The aromatic flavour spreads evenly around the whole mouth, and the froth provides smoothness at the end of the experience.
3) Stir together: separately the froth and the tea are both great but together its gestalt. This is where the real body of the drink comes together.
The syrup hits first, hypersweetness tempered by dilution and the gentle flavours of the tea. Full flavoured and sweet yet retaining its lightness, with hints of the original froth and deep subtle notes that stay on the tongue. It is. So. Good.
The temptation to lick the inside of the cup was strong, but we resisted. For about 30 seconds. Great, subtle stuff.
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