The Birmingham Happy Lemon is a fairly new bubble tea and specialty drink store with inspired flavours that you'd find on the streets of Taipei. The chain is barely a decade old and already has amassed 500+ stores across the world. While the name suggests an abundance of lemons, you'll find that and more with a plethora of very interesting boba combinations. Some of the menu items are milk based while others are simply a refreshing tea. In total, you have drinks divided into the following categories: milk tea, rock salted cheese, lemon smoothies, milk tea smoothies, fresh lemon tea, fruit matcha latte, and a variety of specialty drinks. This is the first boba bar I've seen with rock salted cheese as a flavour, and it's apparently one of their more well-known drinks.
Happy Lemon is well sited between New Street Station and the Chinese Quarter. I've found that it's the perfect after dinner treat on the way home or a good way to jump-start a night out. The drinks come in a medium or large size, and the price can vary widely depending on what ingredients you request. There is also an additional surcharge to make some of the drinks hot. I've tried a couple of the drinks so far, and I feel that their fresh teas are a real strength of the brand. They are seriously refreshing, with most balancing between sweet and sour on the flavour profile. I can see myself drinking them a lot more this summer when it's warm out.
I've also tried their more experimental flavours, such as the red bean & pudding matcha latte made hot. It's basically caramel (or mango) pudding mixed with milk and red beans. As a hot drink, it's great on cold nights. The drink may sound unconventional for some people, but it's worth trying at least once. If you like Happy Lemon's drinks and plan on visiting here often, I suggest signing up for their 'LoyalTea' loyalty card. It costs £5 up front, but you get a free drink of your choice. Each drink purchased gives you 1 point, which can either be redeemed for Happy Lemon branded merchandise (Happy Lemon iPhone case here I come) or at 10 points, a free drink. Overall, Happy Lemon does a great job focusing on one product that it does really well. read more