Coffee with Rock Salt and Cheese; Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese

MANILA, Philippines -- Once upon a time, when the British ruled over Hong Kong, afternoon tea parties were practiced in the Chinese community. The black teas then were served with milk and sugar and pastries on the side.

The milk tea suited their palates; hence, the Chinese people accepted the new tradition. It eventually grew popular across Hong Kong. But they decided to use the local tea leaves and introduced new innovations such as using silk screen for the panty hose milk tea and adding evaporated milk, instead of milk and sugar, for a silkier and smoother finish.

Through the years, Chinese traders passed on the tradition to every port they docked into. Take for instance in Pakistan where people drink pakki chai or doodh pati chai (literally means milk tea), where they boil the tea with milk and sugar.

In Malaysia and Singapore, they have Teh See, which is often sold in kopi stalls and coffee shops. This milk tea is made from tea and evaporated milk. The “see” or “C” in the name of the milk tea is derived from the brand of the evaporated milk used for it.

Taiwan has a different version of milk tea: bubble tea. It is actually a tea-based drink mixed with fruit, fruit syrup, and/or milk, with small tapioca balls or pearls. They introduced this kind of milk tea to attract the young market.

In the Philippines, where a huge Chinese community is thriving, milk tea has become a part of the culture. Admittedly, at first, milk tea was not popular with the masses. Filipinos  have been predominantly coffee-drinkers. There are only some who prefer tea, and only a few favor drinking milk tea.

Some Chinese restaurants serve milk tea, but they only offer milk tea on the side, not as the main product.  Recently, seven young entrepreneurs partnered to establish a food business that concentrates on milk tea – the Happy Lemon, with its very first branch in the Philippines located in Promenade Greenhills.

Originally from Hong Kong, Happy Lemon was brought to the country by a group of Chinese-Filipino businessmen who have been friends since grade school and college:  Kelvin Gaisano, Kristine Gaisano, Smart Gilas player/TV host Chris Tiu, Andy See, Wesley Pardilla, and Edward Go.

The young entrepreneurs share a common love for milk tea. Since there are only a few restaurants which serve good quality milk tea in the Philippines, they went abroad in search for the best cup of milk tea. Then, Kelvin got an idea. “Why don’t we put up a milk tea business?” he suggested. All agreed.

But finding the perfect brand to bring to the Philippines was the challenge.

Chris Tiu related: “Filipinos, to some extent, have already been introduced to milk tea, but we want them to develop a deeper appreciation for it by offering quality beverages that boast of unique and delicious flavors, made from the freshest ingredients from around the world.”

Kelvin Gaisano added: “We know there are risks involved. But we also believe that there is an under-served market for milk tea.”

In their quest to find the best milk tea, the seven young businessmen went everywhere and tried different milk tea brands. One day, they chanced upon Happy Lemon, a Hong Kong-based milk tea business that has been in the market since 2006.

As they waltzed inside the store and started looking at the menu, they knew they had found “The One.” They agreed to bring the brand home to the Philippines.

However, it wasn’t an easy task. Tiu shared that they had to wait long before the franchise was finally granted to them. “It was a long process of courtship,” he said. “For one, we didn’t know who to contact for the franchising. Two, only one of us, Andy See, knows how to speak straight Mandarin.”

They sent letter after letter. They followed up each letter with calls, but they received no reply at all until September 2009 when someone from the Happy Lemon headquarters in Hong Kong informed them that they were open to the idea of establishing Happy Lemon in the Philippines.

In November 2010, Happy Lemon opened its door to Filipino milk tea lovers, including those who are curious about the brand. A quick look at the beverage menu is enough to pique one’s curiosity.

Using the good quality tea leaves imported from China which are freshly brewed every day, Happy Lemon has several milk tea variants such as the Lemon Series, recommended for those who feel thirsty; the Rock Salt Cheese, their best-seller; the plain Milk Tea series; Mousse Spin, which is more popular among the younger ones; Cocoa & Coffee, which is more chocolate and coffee based with several toppings; and the exotic Specialty Drinks and Fresh Tea drinks, which are less sugary and specially made for health conscious individuals.

Happy Lemon's newest flavor – the Blueberry Boba, a refreshing blueberry tea drink with a yogurt filling and tapioca balls,  is a must-try.

When in Happy Lemon, let your mood be your guide!