At Binondo's ChaYi, You Can Get Freshly Brewed Tea Starting at P140

ChaYi 
2/F Lucky Chinatown Mall, Reina Regente Street, Binondo, Manila 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/chayi.ph

(SPOT.ph) When a trend as big as milk tea came along in the Philippines, it wasn't surprising that, eventually, there would come instant milk tea versions that came with hard-to-compete-with price points. The sacrifice with such is that the tea (actual tea, not the chismis kind) often tastes artificial, or that the drink is more milk and sweeteners than tea.

If you’ve been craving a cup where tea takes center stage, here’s some good news: ChaYi, a new tea shop in the heart of Binondo, is serving up freshly brewed perfection. The best part? Nothing on the menu costs more than P200.

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ChaYi, a new tea shop in Binondo, should be in your updated Binondo food trip itinerary

ChaYi comes from the Chinese word "cha" which means tea, and "yi" meaning essence. Owner Winchell Tan wants to flip the script, putting the spotlight on their commitment to serving tea made with freshly brewed leaves. "In the Philippines, there aren't a lot of people who know what tea is—only the Chinese because it's [heavily] part of their culture. [Among Filipinos], if you say tea, everyone thinks [more of] milk tea." ChaYi aims to put the spotlight back on tea, done right—that is, with none of the instants and shortcuts.

ChaYi carries six kinds of tea, mostly flown in from different parts of China like Fujian, a province popular for growing and exporting tea. The Artisan Ceylon is a deep and lip-puckering tea made with a blend of three kinds of Ceylon sourced from Sri Lanka that strikes the balance of taste and aroma; Oriental Jasmine has a palpable sampaguita (JICYDK: sampaguita is a type of jasmine!) aroma that also translates to it a sweet and floral taste. They've also got two kinds of oolong—Osmanthus Oolong and White Peach Oolong—both sourced from Anxi County, Southeast Fujian; the Osmanthus variety is sweet and floral, while the White Peach Oolong is sweet and fruity as it is infused with real peaches from China.

Cha Yi offers two other teas that aren't common—at least in the Philippines. One of the most popular teas in China is the Da Hong Pao (also called the Big Red Robe) which has a roasted and earthy profile. Then there's Pu'er (pronounced poo-er), which is chocolatey, earthy, and smooth. Tan shares that back in the day, the Pu'er tea leaves were pressed until compact for ease of transporting goods. 

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What's on the ChaYi menu?

ChaYi's menu has nothing but tea using the aforementioned tea leaves—from lattes, cold brews, and a special line of drinks called Snowy Series. Tan says that they make sure to always replenish brewed tea to assure its pleasant taste. He says the contents of their containers of brewed tea are replaced every four hours because, as you all know, over-steeping does result in an unpleasant bitter (burnt) tea.

For the hot and iced lattes, there's the recommended Peach Harmony (P155) which uses the White Peach Oolong; Spring Jasmine (P160) which uses Oriental Jasmine tea leaves; Autumn Osmanthus (P155) which uses Osmanthus Oolong tea leaves; Wuyi Rock Tea (P155) which uses Big Red Robe; and my personal favorite, the Yunnan Pu'er (P150) which uses the Pu'er tea leaves.

The Snowy Series consists of two cold drinks—the Snowfall Latte (P190) and Floating Cloud Red Robe (P195). These are the lattes using Artisan Ceylon and Big Red Robe, respectively, but with the added sweet whipped cream on top and crushed pecans for a sweet crunch.

For those who want to fully appreciate the tea without the milk smoothening the astringency, go for their cold-brew tea, options for which include the White Peach Oolong (P140), Oriental Jasmine (P140), and Big Red Robe (P140). These are served in a glass bottle that lets you see the tea leaves swimming inside. Don't worry, there's a detachable strainer attached to the bottle's mouth so you can still drink it with ease. There's also the Lemon Red Tea (P150) for a brighter-tasting option.

You can control the sugar level from no sugar to full sweet, or somewhere in the middle if that's what you prefer. Tan shares that the sweetener they use for their teas is a syrup made with rock sugar which is a widely used type of sugar in China. Tan says they're selective with sweeteners as they can alter the taste of tea too, and the likes of rock sugar assure a smoother taste compared to regular sugar.

As for tea pairings, there are no food items on the menu at the moment. ChaYi wants to focus more on its tea beverages, but since you're already in the neighborhood of Binondo, there's really no shortage of sweet and savory bites to choose from.

ChaYi is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Sunday.

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What's next for ChaYi?

By next year, 2025, ChaYi is set to open more branches in and around Metro Manila, but in the meantime, it's only available at Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo. Tan also shares that there are plans to sell the tea leaves to those who would want to brew their cup of tea in the comforts of their own home.

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