I’m no stranger to weird boba or food trends. Being from the Bay Area, I feel that I’ve seen many of them. I’ve tried Sushirrito in Palo Alto, and being a fan of sushi, I was definitely not upset about eating an even larger piece of sushi. Furthermore, in a moment of genuine boredom during one of my health kick phases, I even tried making my own cauliflower crust pizza. To put it bluntly, it did not turn out well, and I would much rather just buy a Skinny Bitch Pizza.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, LA throws another food trend right at you. I went to Little Damage last semester, and this served as my induction into the world of interesting-but-confusing LA food trends. I think what sets LA apart in their trendy foods is their unmatched inclusion of neon signs in every establishment. I don’t think I’ve been to a dessert place here that doesn’t have one, so let me know when you find one.
I was fascinated by the charcoal and happily impressed with the flavors in both the ice cream and the cone. It was definitely worth my entire mouth turning black from the copious amounts of charcoal I had just ingested. But hey, activated charcoal is good for you right? (It’s really not in the form of ice cream–I just used that to justify this purchase.)
Though I have eaten and tried DIYing my fair share of trendy foods, I still didn’t think I would end up sipping a cheese tea.
But what is Cheese Tea?
Before I tell you what cheese tea is itself, I think it’s important we understand how it could have began. First, boba originated in Taiwan when in the late 1980s, Lin Hsiu Hui mixed her tapioca dessert with her sweet iced tea for no apparent reason. This thought process could have ended with either a thirsty and disappointed Ms. Hui or a national drink sensation–luckily for her, it was the latter. Fast forward a couple decades, bubble tea exploded across Taiwan, Asia, and then took on an even larger international following.
Similarly, this boba trend of cheese tea started from food stalls in Taiwan and has grown internationally, planting some roots in DTLA at Little Fluffy Head Cafe. The cheese atop the tea is thick and creamy, resembling the consistency of whipped cream.
So here’s the question we’ve all been wondering–who thought it would be okay to put cheese on boba? Did they have some extra cream cheese that they didn’t use on their bagel that they decided to put in their morning iced tea? We will never know. Regardless, this avant-garde combination tastes great. The mix of sweet and savory and thick and thin blends together into an appetizing and satisfying drink, fulfilling everything I could ask for from this boba trend.
Are there different kinds of cheese boba?
Little Fluffy Head offers everything from regular flavored teas to milk teas to matcha. I ordered a classic unsweetened jasmine tea with the cream cheese topping. Because I don’t like overly sweet foods, I think this combination worked perfectly. The cheese was sweet enough that when I mixed the cheese and tea together, they melded into a perfect flavor. My friend, a self-proclaimed boba connoisseur, ordered the dirty mess: a black milk tea with creme brulée cream and Oreo toppings. It got her stamp of approval.
#SpoonTip: You can ask to adjust your sweetness level in 25% increments. If you’re not a fan of sweet things, I would recommend 25% or 0% sweetness because the cheese will make up for it.
How will I remember that I had cheese boba?
Don’t worry, the cafe is made for Instagram. With a cute splatter-painted mirror and a strategically placed neon boba sign above, Little Fluffy Head knows exactly how to cater to our social media savvy generation.
After taking about 50 pictures each, my friend and I were satisfied with our drinks and our new Instagram photos. I’ve put another trendy LA spot in the books and can’t wait to see what new food item I can add to my bucket list.
