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The Chongqing people’s love for tofu is
not to be underestimated, so Douji’s updated
ingredients menu incorporates the option of
silken tofu, with the selected texture of the tofu
to meet the local taste preferences, once again
accurately targeting the taste buds of Chongq-
ing people.
Furthermore, Douji also recreates the
milk tea base with local intangible cultural
heritage - fermented rice. The natural fermen-
tation of traditional distiller’s yeast is not only
incorporated into milk tea, but also into a tea
style of its own. The waxberry wine and os-
manthus wine with the fragrance of fermented
glutinous rice are both worth trying, especial-
ly when you have hotpot, they add to the fun
and ease the spice.
This Chongqing brand’s design style is
characterized by the iconic Chinese red, with
modern touches depicting oriental elements
such as lanterns and landscape texture, which
is a perfect fit for the traditional inspiration of
milk tea. If you’re not a fan of dairy-containing
drinks, go for lemon Sprite flavored sparkling
water and a variety of fresh fruit teas. Even el-
derly who once thought “milk tea is unhealthy”
are captivated by the brown sugar snow fungus
made from ancient recipe and sun-dried crunchy
pumpkin tea.
LAN ZHOU, GANSU
Fundosa Coffee
It is often said that the North China is the
“desert for milk tea”, referring to the lack of inde-
CHONG QING pendent brand and the status quo that the big new
Rice Ball Milk Tea tea brands are on the fence and having concerns
about entering its market. Although purchasing
Many people’s impression of Chongqing’s preferences have shaped the market environment,
cuisine is that of hotpot, noodles and other sa- the past concerns have been getting wavered in
vory and sauce-rich dishes, but it is not surpris- recent years by increasingly loud demand.
ing that Sichuan people are also fond of rice. With the “coffee” in the brand name, Fun-
Douji, a local brand that originally focused on dosa Coffee created Lanzhou’s most famous
herbal jelly, has started its new chapter in tea sweet fermented grained milk tea instead. The
drinking this year, innovating a milk tea with popularity of sweet oats milk tea is not a result
glutinous rice balls, replacing the bubbles in the of the different consumption practices of Lan-
milk tea with small, stuffed glutinous rice balls. zhou people, but from the integration of sweet
Their glutinous rice balls are softer and more fermented grains that has made the milk tea more
chewy than the hard-to-cook taro, which gives compatible with the taste buds and preferences
the milk tea an enhanced flavor. of local people.
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Sweet fermented grains, a traditional snack ger or brown sugar. But Huijing pioneered the
of Lanzhou, are made from high quality naked practice of adding Huangjiu to milk tea. Al-
oats, which is boiled until it is 80% done, mixed though milk tea tastes silky smooth, too much
with sweet distiller’s yeast and then fermented. of it can be greasy. The full-bodied Huangjiu
Originally it can be consumed by stirring it in melts away the sweetness with a grown-up,
cold water. Fundosa Coffee, however, has the mature wine sensation, leading to a lingering
fantastic idea of adding sweet fermented grains aroma of tea and a long aftertaste.
to green tea. Its own unique sweet and sour taste The Huijing shop is located directly across
is the best seasoning for the tea, as well as high- from Lu Xun’s former residence. After being
lighting the fragrance of the tea. In particular, reported by the media in 2014, the shop once
each cup of sweet oats milk tea has a full 1-liter produced more than 600 cups of Huangjiu milk
capacity, further embodying the generous tem- tea within one day. Besides, its Shaoxing Huang-
perament of the Northwest people. Recently, jiu Popsicle has also been a popular product.
Fundosa Coffee has also matched the sweet More recently, they’ve been selling fruity
fermented grains series with a variety of tea Huangjiu, such as a mojito that replaces rum
drinks, such as the jasmine scented green tea and with Shaoxing liquor, and bold innovations like
milk tea that have both reaped a lot of favorable liquor-infused yogurt, derived from the tradi-
comments. tional Huangjiu technique.
Following the sweet fermented grains milk
tea, Fundosa Coffee carries on with the North-
west style. Adding fruit tea ingredients such as
mint leaves, cucumber and kumquat to the soup
of the Gansu “Jiangshui” noodle to make fruity
fermented drinks. Also there’s a traditional des-
sert in Lanzhou, a porridge made of local pot-
tasche, peas, red dates and sugar, called “grey
beans”. Infused with Assam black tea, the
old-fashioned northwestern delicacy gives off a
malty aroma that is both friendly to the locals
and in tune with the new trend of teas that high-
light the chewing sensation.
SHAO XING, ZHEJIANG
Yellow Wine Milk Tea
Together with beer and wine, Huangjiu
(also called “Yellow rice wine”) is known as one
of the oldest alcohol in the world. Originated in
Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, it is also referred
to as the “old wine” because of its “the older, the
better” character. As Chinese young people’s
purchasing preferences converge with interna-
tional trends, the consumer groups and market
space for Huangjiu is constantly being margin-
alized. Under this circumstance, a local brand
from Shaoxing, named Huijing, started to devel-
op a variety of modern derivatives of Huangjiu.
One of them is the Huangjiu milk tea.
There have been many ways to drink
Huangjiu, including heating, adding eggs, gin-
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