One Half
You may know One Half for their coffee, but they also brew lovely teas — hot and cold. The 16 Hours Cold Steeped Tea (RM12) features only one flavour: a black tea from Nepal Chiyabari Estate, which they say suits the brewing method best. The tea characteristics are outstanding. Light bodied while fruity on the nose and sweet on the tongue, the tea flavour reminds us of lychee. Look to this tea for a change the next time your coffee-loving friends are getting their caffeine fix here.
Tanah dan Air
This smallish, under-the-radar tea bar at Happy Mansion excels at making opulent cups of tea. When the sun is up, duck in here for the cold brew tea. Owner Fei makes hers in small batches using tea leaves from China that are steeped for six to eight hours. The result? A cuppa that boasts complex flavours and strong, sweet aromas. Go for the Huang Jin Gui (RM7) for a floral and fragrant cup. It’s sweeter than the Mi Lan Xiang (RM10), which sees a heavier body with a slightly bitter finish.
Cream by The Roast Things
Coffee roasters The Roast Things pay the same amount of attention to their tea leaves as they do their beans. For their cold brews, they use Da Xue Shan Tea (RM14), a mild black tea from China. The team tells us the ideal steeping time is between 16 to 18 hours, as it allows full extraction of the tea’s balanced flavours. The golden liquid is matched with a slice of orange and thyme for freshness. Sip slowly to taste the full characteristics of the tea — we really liked the lingering citrusy tang towards the end.
Chocha Foodstore
Petaling Street's Chocha Foodstore is one of the pioneers when it comes to brewing cold tea. Two years into the game and they still make some of the best in town. Their bottled tea takes 24 hours to brew before serving — the longer the leaves are infused in water, the more aromatic the drink becomes. Oolong tea has a honey-like sweetness, and it is apparent in the light and slightly herbaceous Dong Ding Oolong (RM18). You’ll also find Sencha (green tea, RM18) and Mi Lan Xiang (oolong tea, RM20) on the menu.
Littlepeople
The team at Littlepeople has always been great with handcrafted products, from their speciality coffee and handmade pasta to — you guessed it! — cold brew tea. The menu sees Hojicha and Rose (RM9 each), both of which are brewed using tea leaves by HOJO tea. The Hojicha is earthy and full-bodied with a slightly bitter finish, while the Rose is fragrant and sweet, with mild astringency. The attention to brewing is crucial here. The Hojicha is brewed for one full day and the Rose slightly longer (!) to extract more of its floral notes.
