Cheese Tea Is on the Menu at a New Shop in Chinatown

A tea shop with a play on words for a name recently opened its doors in Chinatown and is serving a trendy drink: cheese tea. Royaltea operates out of 23B Tyler St., between Beach and Kneeland streets.

A mix of bowler hats, mustaches, and crowns adorn the cups provided at Royaltea, which are filled with a variety of teas like red jade and rose pu’er teas beneath frothy cheese. Cheese-free options include fruity grapefruit high mountain tea; jasmine tea with strawberry, lemonade, and orange; and passionfruit and kumquat with boba. Two fruity and cheesy options include a dragon fruit smoothie with green tea and a strawberry version. There are also milk teas and lattes with assorted boba available for the drinks.

Cheese tea has been spreading around Asia, the United States, and beyond for a while now, but Boston doesn’t have an extensive cheese tea scene yet. At least one shop did beat Royaltea to the punch, though: Happy Lemon, which opened in 2015 and operates in Downtown Crossing’s Corner Mall, also serves salty cheese teas.

Royaltea started out in Guagnzhou, China, and has more than 130 locations scattered around the country. There is another U.S. Royaltea location in Orlando. Boston’s shop opens every day at 11 a.m. and stays open until 11:30 p.m. or 12 a.m., depending on the day.

Royaltea/Facebook