DISH OF THE WEEK: Cheese Tea at DEBUTEA

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

Sweet tea spots with bubble tea, sugars, and all sorts of milk have become ubiquitous all over the city. I’ve been to a handful and enjoyed them in moderation. But I have not been able to keep up with them and frankly don’t really want to.

Debutea sprouted up on a popular street in Greenwich Village and I’ve noticed a pretty full shop every time I walk by. I never thought I would have stopped in let alone find something that qualifies as a Dish of the Week.

But there was something on their menu that caught my eye and sounded so strange that I had to order one. Cheese tea.

That is not a typo. This is tea with a layer of creamy cheese on top in place of milk. Generally, I don’t add dairy to my tea or coffee, but maybe I could make an exception for cheese.

Turns out this is both a trend and a business from Taiwan and China where cheese tea has become surprisingly popular. Will it hit in New York?

Not sure the answer to that but after trying the Golden Phoenix at the Greenwich Village location, I understand the appeal.

The cheese topping is somewhere between whipped cream and cream cheese. It has a salty tangy flavor that is rich and cooling. Took me a little while to figure out how to incorporate it into the tea. Each of my sips resulted in mostly the thick rich topping. I eventually stirred it up and the woodsy earthy oolong tea married very nicely with the sweet salty cheese.

I never would have guessed that I’d like it. But what Americans would have guessed that they would be slurping balls of chewy tapioca through a cup filled with sweet tea? I guess if we got on board with that, this can’t be too far behind. Price: $4.75