The latest beverage trend making waves in Japan is cheese tea, which has swiftly spread among the youth and become a new social media sensation. Offering a unique experience by combining sweet and salty flavors with its creamy cheese froth on top and refreshing tea aroma, this drink captivates both the palate and the screens with its taste and appearance. It has already carved out a place in the daily routines of the Japanese.
This beverage, where sweet meets salty, has quickly become the latest sensation on social media due to both its taste and presentation. This trend, which has rapidly spread among the youth, has in no time become an indispensable part of daily life.
This layer, reminiscent of cheesecake, combines with the refreshing aroma of tea to offer a two-tiered taste experience. Those who try it find the harmony of both sweet and salty, with a hint of sour, quite impressive.
Experts attribute the popularity of cheese tea to three main factors: umami, the indispensable flavor profile of Japanese cuisine, the creamy top layer of the drink, and the influence of social media. In particular, the 'cheese mustache' trend, thanks to the mark the drink leaves on the lips, quickly spread among the youth. Japanese people, who are open to innovations like bubble tea and matcha latte, quickly adopted cheese tea and incorporated it into their daily routines.
Its consumption is as unique as the drink itself. It is sipped from a specially angled lid without stirring the cup. First, the intense cheese foam is tasted, followed by the refreshing aroma of tea. This method confirms many people's analogy of 'a light cheesecake accompanied by cold tea' and reveals why the drink is so loved.