Latea Era in Scarborough, Ontario kindly invited me to their Warm Up “TO” Winter event in January. I was provided with one warm beverage from the winter drinks menu. I picked the Cheese Foam Rose Oolong ($4.70 CAD) and paid for the Red Bean Matcha ($4.70 CAD).
The shop was well-lit and had a relaxing atmosphere. There were many tables and even a small selection of games and colour books.
Cheese Foam Rose Oolong (above)
The top of the drink was very pretty with a thick foam, matcha powder, and dried rose petals. The liquor was dark amber and slightly murky. The first thing to note is that the foam is made of cream cheese. If you aren’t a fan of cream cheese, you will not like this drink. My first sip was all cheese foam which was light and airy.
They don’t recommend you mix the foam into the drink so when you go to sip, there is a strong cheese smell which overpowers the subtle floral aroma from the oolong. Each sip starts with is a cheese taste that transforms into a floral oolong and ends with a salty aftertaste that lingers. After all the tea is gone, you can finish up the rest of the foam. Just make sure not to eat the petals because they were dry!
I quite enjoyed this drink. I’ve never had a cheese foam drink and I liked the combination of flavours. They also offer a salty crown which I want to try (4/5 rating).
Red Bean Matcha
When I asked for another recommendation, the staff mentioned this. Matcha can be difficult and if made incorrectly, the tea can become very bitter which sadly was the case. The matcha had a very roasted aroma and tasted bitter with some astringency.
While the tea was fairly bitter, the red bean was able to even out the taste once there was a better red bean-to-matcha ratio. The red beans also had a lovely texture and were very soft. Lastly, the drink was very striking with the red beans at the bottom and a bright vibrant green matcha on top.
As much as I wanted to like this drink, the bitterness was overpowering. I think if this drink was tweaked a bit, it could taste really good (2/5 rating).
Overall
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the shop. While I would stay clear of the matcha line (for now), I really enjoyed the Cheese Foam Rose Oolong! I found it very unique and an interesting mix of cheese/salt and tea. I would like to try the salty foam line and see how it is (3/5 rating).
- Shop: Latea Era
- Location: 3300 Midland Ave, Unit 37 Scarborough ON M1V 4A1