Thong Lor is crawling with cute cafes, Instagrammable bars, and date-worthy restaurants but we happened upon a spot offering drinks just a little different from the rest.
The staff at Drip Tea & Coffee bring torches, beakers, and old-fashioned juicers to the table when presenting a unique menu of drinks that includes Fire Whipped Cheese Coffee with a burnt top, DIY Drip Milk Tea that looks like a science experiment, and fruit sodas that guests mix themselves.
The cafe, a few hundred meters from Samitivej Hospital on Thong Lor Soi 13, opened a few months ago and features modern botanical decor. Black and white tile contrasts sharply off a wall covered in glass-domed flowers, boughs hang from the ceiling, and loose tea is spilled under glass table tops.
Bright throw pillows in sunny yellow and old fashioned hand coffee grinders on the tables provide good props for photo shoots.
Guests place their orders at the counter and take a seat. If you choose one of the burnt drinks, they come and scorch it right in front of you. Since fire is awesome, we had to try that.
The Fire Whipped Cheese Tea (THB160) appeared on our table along with a smiley barista wielding a blow torch. She lit it up and fired the top of the tea for about 30 seconds until it was bubbling and brown. The smell usually associated with creme brulee accompanied the show.
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The tea surprised us. It was hardly sweet — a relief — and had both coffee jelly and boba balls in the bottom. The drink was very creamy. The cheese layer at the top was saltier than any cheese tea we’ve tasted before — and we’ve had plenty. The overall effect was a more savory flavor profile than your average sweet one-note bubble teas.
Though not fans of jelly in our coffee or tea — and its presence was not noted in the description — we enjoyed the many textures of this drink: burnt and slightly crisp on top, a thick cheese layer below, a milky tea layer under that, a squishy boba element at the bottom, and a firmer jelly presence to finish.
The Fresh Grapefruit Lychee Soda (THB185) is a guest favorite, with several photos appearing on social media. Perhaps visitors enjoy the element of mixing the drink to their own sweetness and bubble preferences. Although this one also has a performative aspect since the staff bring it over and fresh squeeze the grapefruit in front of you.
Other notable menu items are the Drip Signature Milk Tea (THB385), which is pricey but can be shared and allows guests to pour hot water through a tea filled filter to make their own concoctions. On the side are small cups of boba, dishes of ice cream, cookies, and other extras. It also arrives with its own hourglass so tea aficionados can perfectly time their brews.
Next time we’re in the area, we’ll try the Hot Milk Tea with Bubbles (THB90), since a hot boba tea is kind of unusual and we like to imagine that the boba balls would get extra squishy in a warm drink.
FIND IT:
Drip Tea & Coffee
Thong Lor Soi 13
Open daily, 9am-9pm
BTS Thong Lor
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