First Sip: Macao Imperial

Hype. I don't seem to ever learn from my past experiences. I always get excited to try the talked about food and drinks and I even go out of my way at times just to get hold of it. Though there are some worthy to be showered with praises, most are just average and nothing spectacular. One particular brand I've been wanting to visit for a while is Macao Imperial as this has been getting a lot of love from Masarap Ba? and its community. And I finally got to visit it last Friday. 

Hello, Macao Imperial. 

Macao Imperial is one of the many milk tea franchises from abroad and it gained popularity and strong following after Masarap Ba? vouched for its cream cheese drinks. It became so trending that Macao Imperial offered a "kakulto" (name of Masarap Ba's community members) discount in the form of free upgrade. 

I forgot to take note of what Masarap Ba? recommended so I went with one of the bestsellers instead--Cream Cheese Uji Matcha (PHP150).

I was not asked for ice or sugar level so I guess this place has a standard for that. I did request for pearls (PHP20) as my drink doesn't come with it. I also availed of the free upgrade so I saved PHP20 instead of paying a grand total of PHP190.  

I can't help expect a lot from this drink as I found it rather expensive compared to other brands. However, it wasn't as good as I thought. 

The matcha taste was not very prominent and I found it too milky for my liking. But I did like that the cream cheese flavor was pronounced. The pearls were just okay. It was on the soft side and I would have loved it if it was chewier. 

I'm not sure if I'll be back for more.  

Note: To avail of the free upgrade, follow Masarap Ba?, Macao Imperial and Fredley Group of Companies on Facebook and Instagram, show it to the cashier and mention "kakulto" as verification code. Promo is available until September 3, 2019.

Macao Imperial has multiple branches in Metro Manila.