Would you try cheese tea? The owner of STEAP Tea Bar in San Francisco shows us what the new fad is all about.
Media: SFGATEThe latest Instagram-able food item is made up of two ingredients you probably never considered consuming together — cheese and tea.
The popular Asian drink is the new up-and-coming “it” drink, and it's gaining traction in the United States, including at STEAP Tea Bar in San Francisco's Chinatown.
First thing, the name is misleading.
“It’s a horrible name, but it’s not cheddar cheese or Velveeta on top of tea, it’s more of a whipped tea top,” Emil DeFrancesco, owner of STEAP Tea Bar, said.
The drink usually starts with (but is not limited to) iced black or green tea and is served with a fluffy, thick cheese-cream topping. When served, it resembles a freshly poured beer topped with Frappuccino whipped cream.
Check out the slideshow below to see STEAP Tea Bar and other Bay Area businesses that make cheese tea.
Tony's tea at STEAP Tea Bar in Chinatown is made from a green and lemon tea and topped with "cheese cream," made from mascarpone cheese.
Tony's tea at STEAP Tea Bar in Chinatown is made from a green and lemon tea and topped with "cheese cream," made from mascarpone cheese.
STEAP Tea Bar, located in Chinatown, crafts cheese teas like Tony's Tea in addition to other bubble teas.
STEAP Tea Bar, located in Chinatown, crafts cheese teas like Tony's Tea in addition to other bubble teas.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares a fresh batch of "cheese cream" where mascarpone cheese is the star ingredient.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares a fresh batch of "cheese cream" where mascarpone cheese is the star ingredient.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares the store special, Tony's Tea that's topped with mascarpone cheese.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares the store special, Tony's Tea that's topped with mascarpone cheese.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco's best seller is Tony's Tea, a green and lemon tea that's topped with "cheese cream."
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco's best seller is Tony's Tea, a green and lemon tea that's topped with "cheese cream."
(From front to back): Tony's tea (missing "cheese cream") pictured in the front with black and matcha teas in the back.
(From front to back): Tony's tea (missing "cheese cream") pictured in the front with black and matcha teas in the back.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares black and Tony's tea.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares black and Tony's tea.
STEAP Tea Bar, located in Chinatown, crafts cheese teas like Tony's Tea in addition to other bubble teas.
STEAP Tea Bar, located in Chinatown, crafts cheese teas like Tony's Tea in addition to other bubble teas.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares matcha tea that can also had added "cheese cream" a top the drink.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares matcha tea that can also had added "cheese cream" a top the drink.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares the store special, Tony's Tea that's topped with mascarpone cheese.
STEAP Tea Bar owner Emil DeFrancesco prepares the store special, Tony's Tea that's topped with mascarpone cheese.
Happy Lemon has nine different cheese teas including green, milk and chocolate teas with salted cheese. They also offer three teas with a tiramisu salted cheese float. Happy Lemon has a few locations in the Bay Area including Berkeley, San Jose and Burlingame.
Happy Lemon has nine different cheese teas including green, milk and chocolate teas with salted cheese. They also offer three teas with a
... moreThe typical cheese top is made from powdered cream cheese, but DeFrancesco prefers to use fresh mascarpone cheese for his version, saying it adds more depth to the drink.
STEAP’s cheese top is a mixture of mascarpone, heavy cream, sugar, and a bit of salt for flavor, before it gets beaten by hand in a metal bowl.
“It’s almost like a pancake batter consistency, thick but not watery,” DeFrancesco says as he prepares a batch. “Then, you pour it over the drink and it floats on top of the tea.”
Before you take a sip, you should know there’s a method of drinking that maximizes the flavors.
For an optimal drinking experience, the beverage should be tilted at a 45-degree angle to ensure you get a blend of flavors: the salty, sweetness of the cheese and the lightly sweetened iced tea.
STEAP’s best-selling tea (the only cheese tea on the menu) is Tony’s tea, which is made of a green and lemon tea combo served with the famed topping. But everything at STEAP is customizable so customers can add the cheese topping to other teas on the menu for $1 more.
DeFrancesco, however, doesn’t enforce this technique on his customers.
“I’m not going to tell people how to consume something,” DeFrancesco said. “I’ve had people come in and they want it sealed so they can shake it up. It tastes like a lemon creamsicle.”
Cheese tea originated from Taiwan before it made its way through Singapore, Malaysia, China and now the U.S. The Bay Area has a few businesses that sell the drink, like Happy Lemon and Enough Tea & Coffee.
Although the drink is relatively new to the states, DeFrancesco, who’s part Italian, thinks STEAP’s cheese tea stands apart from other businesses based on the ingredients he uses.
“We try to use the best locally sourced ingredients and I also import some really nice Italian products like the mascarpone," he says.
Having a bartending background is also helpful, DeFrancesco admits as he prepares another drink in a cocktail shaker.
"I'm taking the bubble tea shop and making it into a tea bar. We're trying to be innovative by bringing things that are happening all over the world into one space."
Take a look at the slideshow above to see more businesses that see cheese tea in the Bay Area.