Last year, it looked like hojicha was coming for matcha’s crown as the most-hyped coffee alternative. Since then, ube has emerged as the flavour of 2026 – even Pret has an Ube Brûlée latte – but right now, there’s another drink spreading across London: Milk tea.
Milk tea is an umbrella term encompassing range of tea-based drinks enjoying a surge of popularity in the capital. Hong Kong milk tea is the og style, dating back to British rule in Hong Kong in the mid-20th century. Hong Kongers preferred their cups of tea with a stronger brew, so cafés developed their own blends and techniques, replacing fresh milk for the more readily available evaporated milk.
In the past decade, Chinese brands have reworked the format into “new Chinese tea” – freshly brewed leaves and a wider flavour range that’s fruitier, more floral, and sweeter.
HEYTEA has led the UK charge, opening its first London store in Chinatown in 2023. It pioneered the style of Chinese milk tea now loved by Londoners, bringing cheese foam to a mainstream audience. It now has six spots across the city and is soon due to open the UK’s first HEYTEA Lab, serving pastries and gelato alongside the drinks.
But what’s driving this obsession? This year’s “Chinamaxxing” trend has a part to play. The controversial fad saw Western social media users declaring they were “in a very Chinese time of their life” and adopting Chinese wellness practices, while other imports like Labubu dolls became a viral sensation.
Another key factor is undoubtedly, Gen Z’s well-documented obsession with “little treats”. In a city where a flat deposit remains a fantasy for most, a sweet cup of cheese-foam tea for well under a tenner is a small luxury that’s actually within reach. As the cost of living crisis continues, wars rage on, climate change has us feeling existential and AI is taking away junior jobs, little treat culture is in no danger of fading.
Brands have clocked this and there’s been a boom in Instagrammable sweet treats designed to give Gen Zers their dopamine hit. London’s froyo craze is for sure a sign of it, with cult Australian brand Yo-Chi opening up its first UK store in Notting Hill. Bakeries are booming too, and the team behind Panadera has just announced its next spot will be centred around Gen Z faves French toast and ube.
Social media has made trend cycles faster than ever before and everyone is always on the hunt for the next hyped thing. But the extent of milk tea’s takeover – and the permanent queues outside HEYTEA – suggests this is a trend that’s here to stay.
As milk tea fever spreads across London, here’s our pick of the best spots to grab one for yourself.
HEYTEA
A huge hitter on the global milk tea scene, HEYTEA opened its first London store in Chinatown in 2023. Alongside traditional milk and fruit teas, HEYTEA is known for popularising cheese tea – freshly brewed tea topped with a thick, frothy layer of salty cheese foam. Get ready for the new HEYTEA Lab on Shaftesbury Avenue opening soon.
HOKO
Hong Kong milk tea, Lai Cha, is a signature at HOKO’s Brick Lane café and now you can grab a cup at its super chic sister site, HOKO Bakery. HOKO’s Lai Cha is hand-brewed fresh everyday in small batches using Ceylon tea. It’s the perfect accompaniment to one of the bakery’s Ovaltine cream buns or a slice of horlicks Swiss roll.
CHA DONG
Did you know you can also pick up milk tea with your groceries? Well, if you’re doing your shop in the Selfridges food hall. CHA DONG is a bottled milk tea, brewed in small batches using just four ingredients: water, evaporated milk, black tea and sugar. Founded in 2021, it’s now available in a number of independent groceries, restaurants and cafés across London.
CHAYAN
UK-born tea brand Chayan first opened in Holborn in 2023 and has now expanded to four sites across London. It uses aromatic loose leaf bases rather than concentrates or syrups to create a more delicate and less sweet flavour. Still, if you need your sugar fix, opt for one of their signature frappes – a classic milk tea topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
Lotus Realm
Lotus Realm takes an experimental approach to traditional Chinese tea culture. During the day, it serves a large collection of teas including Pu-erh (fermented tea) with coconut & rose cream, and the Da Hong Pao tea latte served hot or iced. In the evenings, the space mixes things up and serves tea infused cocktails such as the gin-based Lotus – longjing tea layered with passion fruit, green grapes, green sichuan pepper and topped with violet liqueur. There’s also a collection of beautiful tea-based desserts, including their range of mousse cakes.
Molan Tea
Another Chinese brand that’s entered the UK, Molan Tea opened in Elephant & Castle in March. It serves oolong based milk teas, all using fresh milk. Signature flavours include the grape scented oolong tea topped with the light but decadent snow cream.
Leo’s Bun
This little stall on Commercial Street has become a super popular spot for Hong Kong style bolo buns. The fluffy bao-like buns come in flavours including matcha, velvet tiramisu, cookie dough and the original taro – a vanilla bun filled with creamy taro paste. On the drinks menu, as well as iced lemon tea and a coconut matcha, you can pick up a classic Yuanyang milk tea: black tea blended with coffee and evaporated milk
