Grant Me Serenitea: More Milk Tea in the Philippines Please?

Fred has been raving about Serenitea since last September when I baked a fondant cake for RJ. He kept raving about how the store has its own customized espresso machine for their tea. Wow! That's a first in the Philippines - I think!


When we ate in House of Lasagna another time, I felt I was too sick to drink anything so I had to pass again. Little did I know that my craving for a taste of Serenitea was already snowballing to an insatiable thirst! I love Milk Tea. I even love 7/11's MineShine bottled milk tea. :P It may not be the best, but it's still milk tea!


My friend Kiwee, who just came back after a year in another country, wanted to see Fred's 12 Baskets in San Juan. I arranged for this and told Fred, "Let's go to Serenitea right after!" Finally!

After examining 12 Baskets' new glass shelf and trying out their new products, we headed over to this healthy tea shop along J. Abad Santos in San Juan. 
We arrived just in time to snatch their long table with couch! Yaay! The store was fully packed despite having so many customers who simply take their drink to go. 


Putting our bags on the table like dogs marking their territory, Kiwee and I stared at the menu with much confusion. There were so many choices before our eyes and we didn't know where to begin! We later on had to ask our Serenitea endorser friend, Fred (joke, he's not their endorser, just a fan!) for advice. 

I took Fred's advice without double thinking it while Kiwee took a long discerning look at the menu. 

One of the things that I really liked about ordering from Serenitea is you get to choose not just the kind of tea but also how it's prepared. 

You can choose what sinker/topping to put in your drink (at Php 5 each): 

• QQ (Combination)
• Egg Pudding
• Pearl
• Lime Jelly
• Black Bricks
• Crystals

At the same time, you can choose how sweet you want your drink to be: 100%, 75%, 50% or no sugar. 

Fred's Drink: Okinawa Milk Tea (Medium-Php85+Pearl Php5), Smarla's Drink: Hokkaido Milk Tea (Medium-Php85+Pudding Php5)

Following Fred advice, I chose Hokkaido Milk Tea with egg pudding and 50% sugar. I wasn't really sure what Hokkaido was but I found it subtly sweet. I love that it's not too sweet like Quickly thus you won't easily get tired of its taste. It's subtle sweet flavor was really refreshing. Kids and people with sweet tooth will love this! No wonder this is one of the store's best sellers. 


I got curious and later learned that Hokkaido Milk Tea has a caramel flavor with a hint of coconut. I couldn't remember tasting any coconut in my drink though. Hmm maybe I should have decreased my sugar level further. I also really loved the egg pudding! It provided a nice eggy watery-jelly surprise at the end of each sip. Yum!  


Fred picked the Okinawa Milk Tea with pearls and 50% sugar. Since I kept asking how everyone's drink was, Fred allowed me to take a sip of his drink. It was more on the bittersweet side as opposed to my drink. I think this drink will make coffee lovers smile especially you set it at 25% sugar level in order to achieve that perfect bittersweet taste. 

Black Dragon Milk Tea (Medium-Php85+ Pudding Php5)

Kiwee also allowed me to take a sip of her drink, Black Dragon Milk Tea with 25% sugar and egg pudding. Instantly I noticed how different it tasted from my drink and Fred's drink because of the decreased sugar level. Getting past this, I noticed that it also had a more exotic and earthy taste. I later learned that this tea has a brown rice flavor. Aaaah so that's the mystery flavor! This is a personal favorite of many real tea lovers. :) If you're the adventurous type who loves tasting teas, this is a great choice! 

Chicken Chop (Php65)

Fred was feeling extra generous that day so he decided to order Chicken Chop! Yaaay! Other customers in the store were also snacking on this so I was really excited to taste it. With a barbeque stick, I pierced through the soft and moist chicken strip with a piece of crispy fried basil leaf laid on top of it. The chicken wasn't oily and it had a lightly crunchy exterior from its batter. 


I learned that the best way to eat it is to eat the chicken with a basil leaf on top since most of the spices are infused into the basil. The strong peppery and salty taste of the leaves are softened with the smooth and clean taste of chicken. There are other spices mixed into the basil which I'm not familiar with. Later research showed that it uses a mix of Taiwanese herbs. 


I also love how environmental and clean the place feels like with its green and yellow accents. The interior has a simple beauty that exudes quiet satisfaction. :)

Overall we really loved the place! I'm excited to come back and try their other teas. I'd also like to ask more information about their teas next time: what tea is best when you want to stay awake, etc. 


Here are other pictures from the night:

Along with Fred, I'm now also part of the Serenitea raving team. :) Serenitea truly is not your ordinary cup of tea.


For those who live far away from San Juan, they also have branches in Banawe, Quezon City and  BF Homes, Paranaque. Click here and here for more write ups on Serenitea! 


More Info on Serenitea:

Address: Unit 1 G/F, G&L Bldg., J. Abad Santos cor. V. Cruz, Little Baguio

San Juan, Metro Manila

Contact Number: (02) 379-4166

Operating Hours: Su: 11:00 am - 8:30 pm
                            M, T, W, Th: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
                            F: 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm
                            Sa: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm


~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~