TieGuanYin Milk Tea (鉄観音ミルクティー)- The Alley

I’m back in Sapporo today! The main goal for today was to watch a movie, get this cardigan I really wanted, walk around and explore some more, and, try the The Alley here.

You know, after the last couple times getting a failed jasmine you might have thought I would have gotten a jasmine. I did not, but after the fact I did. I chose the Tieguanyin because it’s more of a rare flavor, and I quite like the taste of the tea, and I figured I wouldn’t be able to get it at Gong Cha or most boba places (even though they are a bit of a rarity here). The American The Alley doesn’t even have Tieguanyin! Plus, since I’ve just been going to Gong Cha recently, I thought might as well get something not there. I also chose to get a normal milk tea as opposed to a latte, because it’s a bit cheaper, and right now I’m not feeling that picky about real milk vs creamer.

Upon first sip, I have to say I had mixed feelings. I’m not sure if it’s this shop, the tea they’re using, or the creamer, but the drink tastes almost exactly like the oolong I had from Gong Cha last week. I know Tieguanyin is a type of oolong, but as someone who’s has pretty good Tieguanyin milk tea before, you’re not fooling me by giving me something oolong tasting. Like I said last week, because the drink is basically so similar, the taste isn’t bad, it’s certainly a decent drink, but the tea flavor is not too apparent, and almost generic oolong tasting. Is this the flavor or creamer blocking the tea? Should I try it again but as a latte? Not sure, and don’t really want to waste another drink trying that on a not great first impression. A bit disappointed, since it was advertised as a Tieguanyin, and not just any oolong. It’s a boba milk tea nonetheless though.

The boba is actually pretty good. I got the regular boba, and it actually has a decent sweet flavor to it, as well as a good chewy texture. Compared to my local The Alley back home, the regular boba there had no flavor at all, so that was actually a pleasant surprise.

Oh, and the boba might be more expensive than Gong Cha, but no ice is free!! Lucky, and what a relief after having to get ice from Gong Cha every other time.

Details: Tieguanyin Milk Tea; large; boba; less sugar; no ice; from The Alley (Sapporo Daimaru)

Tieguanyin Milk Tea