First Sip: Tea Mama

Tea is not exactly a popular drink of choice in Manila. With majority of the market more inclined to get sweetened drinks such as boba and soda, tea is a far fifth or sixth in the drinks category. But I'm glad that there are establishments that focus on tea and offer a wide selection at that. And when I got to encounter da.u.de back in 2014, I was beyond thrilled. Competition must be tough though as it rebranded again and is now called Tea Mama. 

Hello, Tea Mama. 

Tea Mama is the revamped version of Sweetea's by da.u.de. Aside from its interesting selection of tea, it now offers other refreshing drinks such as fruit tea and matcha latte. It also offers pearl milk tea and milkshakes for those who prefer sweet drinks. 

I was so excited to try its Matcha Avocado (PHP250) drink but one of the staff suggested for me to try Matcha Mango Banana (PHP220) instead which is her favorite drink from Tea Mama. I also got a cup of its Signature Milk Tea (PHP140) to compare it with my favorite boba shops. 

Tea Mama is currently on its soft opening and is still waiting for its customized cups so expect your drinks to be to be served using SM Food Hall's paper cups for the meantime. 

I took a big sip of my Matcha Mango Banana Latte and couldn't help feel disappointed. Don't get me wrong. It tastes good. The taste of mango and banana were pronounced. However, I couldn't get even a slightest hint of matcha. I feel like I was drinking fruit shake instead of matcha latte. And at a premium price of PHP220, I definitely expected a lot more. Sadly, it was just green and all fruit. Note too that the drink is on the sweet side as it uses condensed milk for sweetener.

The Signature Milk Tea was also too sweet for my liking. Unlike boba shops, I was not asked for sweetness level. I was told that what made this drink sweet was the black sugar pearls (a healthier option compared to brown sugar pearls) which had a more round taste. 

Serving of pearls was very generous but it didn't have that chewy texture I want from pearls. I found it a bit hard. I'm just not sure if it has something to do with it being made with black sugar. 

I was so bummed that I messaged Tea Mama about my visit. At PHP360 for two mediocre drinks, I don't see myself visiting Tea Mama anytime soon. I do hope that they offer less sweet drinks in the future or at least give customers an option for less sugar.

Tea Mama is located at 5th Floor, Mega Food Hall, SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City.