Kitchen Recipe Collection
Cheese Foam Tea (Zhi Shi Cha)
The wildly popular modern Chinese beverage trend. A base of high-quality iced green or black tea topped with a thick, floating layer of savory, sweet, and salty whipped cream cheese foam.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 2
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 2 servings
- Cheese Foam: 3 oz cream cheese (softened to room temp), 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (cold), 2 tbsp whole milk, 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Tea Base: 2 cups strong brewed Jasmine Green Tea or Oolong Tea (chilled)
- Sugar syrup to taste (for the tea)
- Ice cubes
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Tall glasses
Instructions
- 1
Whip Cream Cheese
In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until it is completely smooth and fluffy, with no lumps.
- 2
Sweeten and Salt
Beat in the sweetened condensed milk and the sea salt until well combined.
- 3
Add Heavy Cream
Pour the cold heavy cream into the bowl.
- 4
Whip to Soft Peaks
Beat the mixture until it thickens and holds soft peaks. Do not overwhip it into stiff buttercream; it needs to be pourable.
- 5
Thin the Foam
Stir in the 2 tbsp of whole milk to thin the foam slightly. The ideal texture is like thick, velvety pancake batter that will float on top of a liquid.
- 6
Prepare Tea
Sweeten your chilled brewed tea with simple syrup to your liking.
- 7
Fill Glass
Fill a tall glass 3/4 full with ice cubes and the sweetened cold tea.
- 8
Float the Cheese
Gently pour or spoon a thick layer (about 1.5 inches) of the cheese foam directly on top of the iced tea. It should sit perfectly on top without mixing.
- 9
Garnish
Optional: Lightly dust the top of the foam with a pinch of matcha powder, cocoa powder, or extra sea salt.
- 10
How to Drink
Do not use a straw! Tilt the glass at a 45-degree angle so you drink the cold, crisp tea directly through the thick, salty-sweet cheese foam layer.
Cooking Tips
- The cream cheese MUST be at room temperature before whipping, otherwise you will have unpleasant lumps of cheese in your foam.
- The contrast between the crisp, astringent tea and the rich, salty-sweet dairy is what makes this drink so addictive.
Variations
- Strawberry Cheese Slush: Instead of tea, blend fresh strawberries, ice, and jasmine tea into a slushie, and top with the cheese foam.
Nutrition Estimate
350 calories · 5g protein · 25g carbs · 28g fat · 0g fiber per serving
