Madeleine Drinks Tea

I had the masala chai twice. I'm not South Asian, so I can't speak to the authenticity, but I am someone who drinks a LOT of tea. The tea was strong and the milk was rich, with a soft glow from the spices. It was not like a typical chai latte in Australia - the tea and the milk were far more concentrated.

The selling point here is the pearls - they're caramelized in a wok. At first I felt they were too soft, but then I changed my mind given that they took the recommended 20 chews (a general rule of thumb) to finish them off.

We had jasmine milk tea as well as the regular milk tea and both were nice, but I appreciated the floral notes in the jasmine. Neither tea would have sung without the pearls, and because they come with lots of sugar, I'd recommend opting for no sugar in the drink.

Delicious chai at very fair prices. The chai was surprisingly filling despite the large size being pretty small. We had the Kashmiri chai, which came with fresh nuts, as well as the Cardamom chai. The flavours were quite different, but I preferred the combination of intense black tea and rich milk in the Cardamom chai.

Yes, yet another brewed tea-cheese foam from me.

Last week I had an awful experience with this exact menu item at a teahouse in Melbourne's CBD. Big Tea far surpassed this experience. The peach oolong actually tasted of peach - quite strongly - and the tea was light but definitely there.

This wasn't what I was expecting - and that's not a bad thing.

This tea is singular. I haven't had something quite like it before, which is notable in Melbourne's oversaturated milk tea market. The tea is bold and intense - almost like a HK milk tea. It's earthy, somewhat chocolatey, and falls just short of being bitter. The tea feels like it establishes itself headily across the drink: the milk and boba support the tea, rather than dominating the beverage.

On the topic of boba - the pearls are chewier than usual, and not that sweet. Maybe they're slightly caramelised, but if so, they're caramalised properly by being brought to a point where they're no longer drenched in sweetness.

The best part of this high tea was the value proposition. The food itself was all tasty, but not on the same level of excellence as somewhere like The Langham. That said, it was less than half the price, and there wasn't a single bad item (although the croissant was too soft for my liking).

I don't like writing negative reviews. I try to focus on businesses which delight - or at the very least satisfy - me, because I get that it's a tough market out there. That said, I have relied heaviy on reviews myself to determine my own purchases, so feel a moral obligation to be honest.

So here's my honest view: this wasn't good. It wasn't completely undrinkable (as two teas in the last few months have been) but there was no flavour. I couldn't taste any peach. Honestly, there were moments while drinking it when I couldn't even taste the tea and could have been convinced I was drinking water.

My husband had similar issues with his drink (a lychee tea) - I could smell some lychee but couldn't taste it (the drink was quite bitter as well). As my husband said, "I'm really glad the tea came with jelly."

I've said it before that brewed teas with foam are one of the best ways to judge a tea chain's quality. There's nowhere to hide.

Ordered at Tailored, Carnegie, on skim milk.

The chai was nice, I guess? It was enjoyable to drink (although a little sweeter than my preferences) but not particularly memorable. The cafe was clean and spacious, but the vibe wasn't as distinctive or cohesive as other cafes that I've been to.

Are you really a Melburnian if you've never gone to Shark Fin Inn for yum cha?

Shark Fin Inn is popular and for good reason. It's one of the few remaining eateries which does yum cha in the old-school style: trolleys full of steaming dumplings, baked treasures and fried cakes. When you see something you like, you request it rather than deciding ahead of time what you'll purchase. This makes yum cha here feel a bit like "choose your own adventure": what you eat next depends on the path which you've taken during the meal so far.

The food is good and reasonably priced (we paid far more going to a yum cha hall in Springvale). All pastries were satisfyingly flakey, showing that the pastry chefs at Shark Fin Inn have their technique down pat. The dumplings were plump with prawn, and the other dishes were satisfyingly moist without being damp.

Tried in Camberwell, VIC.

I love bubble tea. I spend too much of my salary on bubble tea. And that can be true alongside the following statement: the most beautiful part of tea is the ceremony that accompanies it. In some corners of the world, these rituals are elaborate, sacred and enchanting; in others, they are quoditian. But even the briefest observances can be beautiful. Give me a tea where I can steep the leaves myself before draining the liquid into my glass, and I will be a happy camper.

Fordham hit that bill. The wet chai comes with a jug filled with hot milk, black tea, and a generous handful of whole spices. You pour the tea into your own glass at whatever pace you want to drink, with the sieve separating the chai's final form from the constituents which endowed it with their charms.

(Drink featured on the left) Tried at Chadstone Gotcha

I don't often go for Thai Milk Teas because they're too sweet. Sweet isn't necessarily bad, but I prefer complex notes in my tea, and my waistline could do with a little tightening.

I'd been holding out for a sugar free Thai Milk Tea several days earlier elsewhere, but they were sold out. So when I had the chance to drop by Gotcha, I jumped. Thai Milk Tea for me it was.

The woman serving me was able to give me 25% sugar (I usually order no sugar, but in the past Gotcha hasn't been able to drop below 75% sugar for similar drinks). The drink was delicious - it really wasn't too sweet but had the complex nuttiness that makes a Thai Milk Tea shine amongst saccharine peers.

Tried at Teaser Holmesglen.

Honestly not my favourite.

Look, I love wintermelon. I really do. Slap on some foam, aiyu jelly or a healthy dash of milk and it's sweet, light and indulgent.

Lime with wintermelon just didn't do it for me. I couldn't taste the lime (neither could my husband) unless I held a large mouthful and waited to feel my cheeks tense up. The wintermelon and lime combination also felt a bit watery - I prefer wintermelon with the toppings I mentioned earlier.