Or SSCFCBMT for short.

The first time I encountered sea salt cold foam milk tea (or milk cap milk tea or cheese cap milk tea) was as a new addition to the menu of the Kung Fu Tea I frequented back during undergrad. Being an adventurous guy, I decided to give it a try. It was served as a normal milk tea with a generous layer of cream at the top and I shook it all together on reflex, as I had learned long ago that this was the correct way to drink boba. I took a sip and was repulsed - it was salty! What the hell was this?? I finished about half of it and tossed it out.

The second time I tried milk cap milk tea was at a Gong Cha in Dallas. I’m not sure why I ordered it to be honest - I already knew that I didn’t like it. But Gong Cha provided a convenient guide on “How to Drink a Milk Cap Milk Tea” on their wall, and a quick scan of that informed me that there was another, perhaps better, method to this sea cream madness. Instead of shaking it all together, the poster said, trying sipping straight through the cream, holding the cup at an angle so that you get both the cream and the milk tea in one mouthful. I gave it a try and I became an instant convert. In fact, I became such a milk cap snob that I refused to drink pearl milk tea that didn’t have a milk cap (with the exceptions of Boba Guys and Drive Through Boba).

IN FACT, I became such a snob that I decided I had to try it myself. The recipe is quite simple - whip a cup of whipping cream, two tablespoons of sugar and half a tablespoon of salt together. But I decided to up the ante. Ice is such a waste of space! Why is the ice needed? To cool the hot tea. But what if… We cold brewed the tea?

Sea Salt Cold Foam Cold Brew Milk Tea.