Chinese milk tea

As I’ve been traveling a bit more in the last few years outside China, I started noticing that more and more Chinese milk tea brands are popping up in more and more countries, one of the most prevalent being Mixue, which is also a very popular milk tea and ice cream shop you can find all around China. However, in China it is considered less of a place to find the best milk tea, but rather a cheaper option, one that is quite popular among Chinese students.

So I was very surprised to see that Mixue is the one spreading like wildfire around the world now, as I would have thought that other brands more known for their quality tea would be more prominent outside China. So today I decided to introduce you to the most popular and my favorite milk tea brands, many of which are already available in many other countries too.

But before I get into specific shops, let’s talk a little bit about the development of drinking milk tea in China. Many people might think that milk tea originates from Taiwan, and bubble milk tea indeed appeared first in Taiwan in the 1980s, with several shops serving it there at first, and then it spread to other countries from there. But people had been drinking milk tea much longer before bubble milk tea appeared, and Taiwan was one of the first places where milk tea became commercialized. Later, in the 2010s, there was a milk tea boom on mainland China too, several new brands popped up, and now drinking milk tea is just as popular, if not more, than in Taiwan. It also seems that many Chinese milk tea brands are going or have already gone global, so if you bump into any of the following milk tea stores in your country, do give them a try.

蜜雪冰城 Mixue

Let’s start with the one you’re most likely to bump into. The shop began in Henan Province and was first known for its ultra-cheap ice cream that used to cost only 1 yuan. That rock-bottom price became part of its identity. Even though prices have gone up a bit since, Mixue is still cheaper than most other milk tea brands. Because of the lower pricing, they were able to open widely in smaller cities that more expensive brands often neglect. After 2018 they also began opening stores in other countries.

Where they have stores outside China: Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Australia. They are also planning to open their first stores in New York and Los Angeles.

喜茶 Heytea

This is another store you have a higher chance of bumping into, as they are present in at least 8 countries outside China and have a big presence in the US. The brand originally operated under a different name in Guangdong, but in 2016 rebranded to 喜茶 Heytea and is now one of the most popular tea chains across China.

They became popular when they hopped on the cheese tea trend, using higher-quality ingredients than many competitors. Their tea and store design feel more premium than Mixue, and the prices reflect that.

Where they have stores outside China: Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Australia, UK, US, Canada.

奈雪的茶 Naisnow

It’s a relatively newer brand, opening its first shop just over 10 years ago in 2015 in Shenzhen. They set themselves apart by also selling baked goods in their stores. Their teas feel more premium and are maybe even a bit pricier than Heytea. They originally had a very Japanese-style branding, but after 2022 they embraced their Chinese identity more. Its English name went through several rebrands: first Nayuki, then Naixue, and most recently Naisnow. It is also probably my favorite Chinese milk tea brand.

Where they have stores outside China: Singapore and Thailand. I found a store in Osaka, Japan too, but it seems to have closed, and I couldn’t find info on whether they plan to reopen or add new stores there.

霸王茶姬 Chagee

It’s even newer than Naisnow, founded in Yunnan in 2017. Their specialty is “original-leaf fresh milk tea” built on Yunnan tea culture, not powder milk tea. The name and logo reference the movie Farewell My Concubine (霸王别姬).

They have been expanding rapidly overseas and have said they aim to become the “Oriental Starbucks.”

Where they have stores outside China: Malaysia (their strongest overseas base), Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the US (Los Angeles). They also plan to open in Japan, South Korea, and other places.

茶百道 ChaPanda

This store was founded in Chengdu, and in the past 5 years it has really started popping up everywhere in China. It has also become my husband’s favorite Chinese milk tea store, not just because of their tea, but also because of other drinks like the Mango-Pomelo Sago, which is really good. In the last few years they have started to branch out overseas, and it’s the only milk tea brand I found that has opened a store in the EU (Barcelona, Spain). However, you might struggle to find it there, as they use the English name TeaPanda instead of ChaPanda.

Where they have stores outside China: South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Singapore, Spain.

Currently these are the Chinese milk tea shops that you have the biggest chance of bumping into outside China. These shops were all founded in mainland China, so that’s why I didn’t include famous shops such as Coco or GongCha (both from Taiwan) which probably can be found in even more cities than the ones that I have mentioned in today’s newsletter.