With all the Milk Tea stores are springing left and right, Macao Imperial Tea's drink selection is…read morethe most hype-worthy! Love the cheesecake milk tea. There is a striking balance of sweet and salty. Packaging is intricately designed. Though the service is slow for there are a lot for app-delivery orders being prepared ahead of us.

When it comes to milk tea, I've seen it all. Maybe it was because I was hooked during the Manila…read moreMilk Tea Craze phase or because I've been drinking tea since I was in highschool. Either way, I was glad it was more accessible to the general public. When it comes to milk tea though, Simple Line is my go-to place. It's the one place I recommend off the top of my head and it's not just because I've been a customer since my college days (Hi, Simple Line Leon Guinto branch). It's mostly for the fact that it offers such quality tea at such an affordable price. Most tea places charge around 80php to 120php for something that masks the taste of the tea behind milk and whatever flavor you chose but that isn't the case here. When it comes to Simple Line, you can taste the tea and I mean really taste the tea. It isn't unpleasant or grassy but it does have that bitterness you get when you sip freshly made tea from a cup. And believe me when I say that their prices have not gone over 100php. For what you're paying, you get really *really* good tea with so many varieties where the flavors compliment and enhance the tea, not overpower it. Naturally, imagine my surprise when I saw one being opened near Maginhawa. Up until that day, I had only seen Simple Line near CSB but lo and behold, here it was in my backyard. Naturally, I was there during opening week and was surprised to see the same person who made my tea in the Leon Guinto branch on duty at this one. Talk about a pleasantly nostalgic punch to the face. The milk tea craze may have died down just a bit but if it wasn't for Simple Line, I would probably stick to tea bags and hot water at home.

It's always nice to have a cold drink in hand to combat the heat, especially in our country, which…read moreis why I frequently go to I Love Milktea for my quick fix of cool, sweet drinks. I remember that the first time I walked into their shop, I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of flavors they have, both on and off the menu. Their flavors range from the classic Wintermelon to the somewhat unconventional Banoffee Mudslide. One of the things I like about I Love Milktea is that they give you the option to lessen the sugar level of your drink. Personally, I like to keep mine at 75% for Milk teas and 50% for Rock Salt and Cheese Milk teas because going any higher would just be too sweet for me, and this is coming from a girl with a bad case of the sweet tooth. I also like that their drinks are considerably cheaper compared to other milk tea places, with a price range of P35 - P90. I can say that they're all (yes, even the calories) worth a try!

Moonleaf was probably one of the "newer" milk tea places that opened in the Teacher's Village…read morearea. This was during the rise of the milk tea place so naturally, I had to go try it out. Years later, I still find myself heading there if I want something creamier than usual. Let me be honest here. I don't really go to milk tea places for the milk tea. I usually go for the tea. My order is usually a flavored green tea if anything. I blame a sensitive stomach and somewhat lactose intolerance. Yet Moonleaf actually gets me to order milk tea. Hear that, Moonleaf? I brave lactose intolerance for you! -Ahem- There's something in the way Moonleaf blends their milk and tea that makes it taste so good. I can't explain it but it's a certain mellowness that I haven't experienced with other branches. My personal favorite is the honey milk tea. The sweetness from the honey coupled with milk is wonderful is you want something relaxing and soothing after a long day.

I am personally going to swear by the original Moonleaf Tea Shop in Maginhawa as the first milk /…read morebubble tea shop in the metro, and certainly one of (if not THE) first to kickstart the milk tea craze all those years ago (which may have ended with the food poisoning and people dying incident). This is the favorite tambayan place for a lot of UP students because (1) it was the closest drinks place to the campus, and (2) they were the first to partner with a UP org to release UP planners. There were a lot of firsts in this place, and I'm glad I was there to see most of them.

All these years, I have been going to Gong Cha with only one drink in mind - their Gong Cha Alisan…read moreMilk Tea. But one day, this particular Tomas Morato branch of Gong Cha ran out of my usual drink. I asked for the next best thing and they lead me to their Gong Cha Wintermelon Milk Tea. Alas! I have been deceived all my life! So maybe not all my life, but life since I started drinking milk tea from Gong Cha. The wintermelon version tasted way better than my usual order! It was sweet, bitter and refreshingly good all together! I really have to start doing away with my usual orders and be more adventurous. I might be missing out on something as good as this. On a side note, I have always noticed how crammed all Gong Cha kiosks are. While I do understand how valuable and expensive tenant spaces are, I can't help but notice that the place looks a little dark and disorganized. So after hearing about the milk tea scary everyone is afraid about, I think it may be time to tidy up all milk tea branches.

My best friend and I carpool so we usually wait in a restaurant or a café for our not-so-punctual…read morecarpool buddies. It's always a hassle because we are usually forced to buy food in restaurants so that we will have a place to stay. Our mentality is if we're going to pay money, might as well spend it on something that we would get to appreciate. While we wait, we usually stay in Serenitea to catch up on school work or just have a quick chitchat. For me, Serenitea is one of the best tea places out there. The place stays true to its name. Serenitea has a very calming and relaxing vibe to it, making it the perfect place for a study date (or just a regular date). They have a wide variety of drinks to offer. They sell both milk tea and fruit tea. My personal favorite is Serenitea's Milo Dino, which is a chocolate drink with powdered undissolved Milo added to it. Besides tea, they also have snacks that is based on Taiwan's famous street food. Their bestsellers include peppered tofu cubes and chicken chops. If you are looking for a place that has a soothing and calming vibe to it, look no further 'cause Serenitea is here!

Serenitea was my favorite hang-out/study place during my summer classes! The place is small and…read morecozy and well-lit, and the music playing isn't too loud or distracting. Plus, the tea is really great! I can't say much for the milk teas because I never really ordered them, but the fruit teas were my favorite! The Calamansi Fruit Tea and the Lychee Fruit Tea especially. They were the perfect cold drink to have during the sweltering humid days of the summer, and at a reasonable-ish price too! I also like Serenitea because their menu is so diverse, there's a lot of variety to their teas, giving you a lot choose from. This is definitely one of my favorite tea places!

Infinitea was probably the third milk tea place to open up for business in the Maginhawa area. The…read morefact that it chose a spot across the street from Zen Tea made it clear that they intended to secure the spot as competition. Let the milk tea wars begin, then! What Infinitea has over Moonleaf and Zen Tea (Apart from that name pun) is it's rather daunting menu. I have to admit, every time, I always have to take a step back and stare at the menu for a pretty long time before finally deciding on something. It isn't like Simple Line where I know what I want or Zen Tea where I can make up my mind with a quick glance at the menu. I really have to think. Do I want a milk tea? Do I want a fruit tea? Do they have lemonade today? Do they have soda? Should I get an add on? I'm spoiled for choice! Infinitea scratches that itch when you want something specific though. Zen Tea's great but when it's hot (and I mean blazing hot) and a green tea from Simple Line won't cut it, Infinitea is where I go. Nothing better than that Lemon Peppermint when you're two seconds away from melting into a tiny puddle on the ground.

During my high school years (not so long ago, fyi), I liked to go to the Infinitiea branch just…read moreacross the street from our school. I'm not quite sure if it's still there though, because I now go to their branch in Maginhawa. I remember that it was sometimes our chosen venue for group meetings or simple hang-outs. I limited myself to their Ice-blended drinks because, at that time, I wasn't much of a fan of milk tea. Up until now, I still haven't tried their tea-based drinks but I can easily tell you my thoughts on their other drinks. My favorite is the Cookies 'n' Cream Ice-Blended drink. I'm a CnC fan, okay? I like to add tapioca pearls to the drink and, damn, it's sooooo sweet. I'm not really complaining though. I brought this onto myself.

One can find a Moonleaf Teashop pretty much anywhere in Metro Manila, but I'm sure each loyal…read morecustomer has a favorite or pet branch. In my case, it's my neighborhood branch along Congressional Avenue. Aside from its accessibility, I like the place's setup. There's a Wi-Fi-equipped and air-conditioned area ideal for both working and chilling (I'm actually writing this review here), as well as a more spacious area that can hold small events and functions. The air-conditioned room can also be booked ahead of time for meetings and other small private functions. I also appreciate the comfort level I have with the staff that already knows my usual drink (Passionfruit green tea, 75% sweetness, no sinkers). The stuffed breadsticks are also simple delights, especially the flavor with bacon. Once in a while, you'll also find local artists like Ebe Dancel performing acoustic sets here.

Moonleaf Tea Shop is definitely one of my favorite tea places in Manila. I have always been a loyal…read morecustomer of this place and I can mention so many reasons why. First of all, they don't try so hard to recreate new flavors. Most of the tea that you can find on their menu are classics. They don't experiment with new recipes which is sometimes a good thing, especially if you're a fan of traditional milk tea. They simply make their milk tea from freshly-brewed tea leaves harvested in Taiwan. I also appreciate how there's always free Wi-Fi installed in almost every branch. Wi-Fi is very important if you're studying or you need to go online for work (like Yelping!). Aside from their famous specialty milk teas, Moonleaf also serves sweet treats and desserts from Sweet Studio. The whole place also has a comfortable and welcoming vibe to it, which makes it the perfect place for chill barkada hang-outs.

And here we have yet another Maginhawa milk tea regular. It's lasted pretty long, too which should…read moresay something. Of all the milk tea joints, Cha Dao and Tea Please are the two places with the most diverse menus so if you're tired of your usual choices, there's always these guys. Where Tea Please has more adventurous flavors, Cha Dao offers more variations. You have your usual fruit teas and black teas and green teas... but they have things like Strawberries n' Cream, Chocolate Strawberry Yakult, Wintermelon Salted Caramel... the list goes on. Be prepared to spend a few minutes looking the menu over, trying to decide if you want your usual or if you'd like to try something new. Whatever you pick though, it's all good. The flavors are there and aren't overpowering whatsoever. I'd say this is where to go when you want something close to your usual flavor but don't want something too foreign. Also, this place is pretty good to hang out with friends but if you want munchies, better bring your own. (Or you could buy barbecue from the Grill Queen next door, your choice.)

Manila had this milk tea craze and everyone went crazy for it. Except me, though. I've never really…read morebeen a milk tea aficionado. It's nice and creamy, yes, but I'm not addicted. We could co-exist, milk tea and I, but if they suddenly disappeared from the face of this planet, I wouldn't notice. Unlike, if that happens to ice cream, I'd go crazy. Cha Dao happens to be near where I live and we'd occasionally grab some milk tea there. Then one day, they were serving Sugarlick ice cream too. Now I'm all "Cha Dao is my favorite milk tea place everrrrrr." PROS: They offer milk tea in a lot of different flavors, and a lot of them are unique Cha Dao offerings; You can stay indoors and enjoy their air conditioning, or at their porch. It's very conducive for just hanging out or doing your stuff since it's peaceful, comfy, and quiet; They have Sugarlick homemade artisan ice cream! It comes in all awesome flavors like Nutty Salted Caramel and Mango Torte. Each scoop fills up the entire cup! CONS: It's not a really good place for snacking. They have some cookies and their awesome ice cream, but they don't have your common café pastries. TL;DR: Come for the milk tea, stay for the Chocolate Cookie Dough ice cream. Stay for the Wi-Fi too.