Tea Time at Happy Lemon

Happy Lemon in Centrio with all seats occupied.

Cagayan de Oro has experienced a mushrooming of tea shops as of late. Similar to coffee shops several years back, tea shops have become the business du jour. Initially, it was the homegrown brands that established their tea drinking beachhead. I've done a post on one of the best tea shop here in Chingkeetea. Now it seems that the out of town franchises are making their presence felt. The latest is Happy Lemon and they have their store at a prime space in Centrio Mall.

Before I tried it for myself, I really thought that Happy Lemon served lemonade. A quick visit to their website immediately dispelled that erroneous notion. Happy Lemon is a Hong Kong brand and I already know that they have branches in Metro Manila. I never was able to try it then, it was only when it opened in Centrio that I was able to try brewed sweet tea done as how Hong Kongers enjoyed theirs.

Patrons placing their orders for Happy Lemon's concotions.

To help me research this article, I brought along fellow foodie Iris to help me try out this new premium tea shop. Their store is well lighted and the people behind the counter are all accommodating and courteous. They all had the air that they could competently prepare our drinks as specified. While it was prepared we had to wait but the few tables and chairs they had were already occupied by mall rats still in their school uniforms. I wished that they had a few more seats to allow their other patrons to wait comfortably while their drinks are prepared.

Iris' Green tea with Rock Salt and Cheese on the left
 and my Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese on the right.

I ordered Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese and Iris had Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese. It was awesome drinkable with a straw. Now I know that rock salt and cheese are a great drink enhancer, especially with cocoa. The cheese added a creamy texture and I think I could use that knowledge in the future. Iris also enjoyed hers apparently. I'm usually a hot tea drinker but for Happy Lemon's concoction, I would gladly make an exception.