By Denise Ortuno
For exotic tea and juice drinks that will tantalize your taste buds, Ding Tea in La Quinta is the place to be.
The thought of tea for me, has always encouraged a notion of health. It’s away from the coffee culprits, with all the foam and sweeteners, and for someone like me who has an aversion to caffeine, some tasty herbal options. But Ding Tea in La Quinta is a game changer, upping the ante on tea drinks plus a whole lot more.
The company was founded back in 2004, by Mr. Xu Wei-xiang, who wanted to bring the excellence and versatility of Taiwan tea center stage. Fast forward to present day, and Ding Tea is a growing franchise around the world, and we have a shop right here in the Coachella Valley. The La Quinta store opened this spring, and is quickly becoming a new kind of alternative beverage stop for many.
The hip interior with faux brick accent walls, and a huge mural of youthful beauty, make up the stores ambience, dotted with convenient seating. They offer free Wi-Fi and board games such as Monopoly and Jenga, in case you get bored of your phone. It sort of reminded me of a place that you’d find in a Blade Runner movie, when the have the huge holograms of beautiful women, and everything is colorful, with a modern vibe. You’ll get what I mean when you go.
The menu is vast with a selection teas. There are Milk Teas and Fruit Teas, Latte’s and of course Fresh Tea’s. There is also Fruit Juice concoctions such as Plum Lemon Juice, Passion Fruit Juice and Aloe Vera Kiwi Juice among others. And for those who can’t bring themselves to tea, there are coffee options as well, including Mocha, Hazelnut and Sea Cream Coffee to name a few. The most interesting part of the experience is the toppings that you can add to your drink, yes, I said toppings. Guests can add garnishes that include Boba (little gel balls like tapioca), Egg Pudding, Lychee Jelly and my selection, Cheese Cream, plus a many more.
Now I know the Cheese Cream sounds strange, but it totally works and is delicious. I ordered one of their Top 10 Shake for Life specialties. The Shake for Life motto, is a phrase used to literally shake up these drinks to blend them. The Top 10 include: Taro Milk Tea with Cheese, Boba Latte, Hokkaido Black Milk Tea and the one I ordered, Thai Tea Latte. I had to top off my Latte with the cheese. I seriously could not resist as I am a fan of everything cheese, an apparently my love has no bounds, not even for my tea.
They prepared my drink and sealed it with a plastic cover, served with a large straw. It was clearly layered, revealing the fluid lusciousness of the ingredients. I tried in earnest to remove the cover, not realizing that it was not to be removed and that is how you can “Shake” it, without spilling all over the place. You then stab the straw through the plastic, and voila, an adult sippy cup is born. My Thai Tea Latte was delicious, with the added creaminess of the cheese (I knew it would be good).
Ding Tea in La Quinta is a refreshing new bev spot, which offer’s creative tea inspired drinks with a touch of whimsy. Next time, I must try the Egg Pudding topping, cheers!
Ding Tea is located at 79-680 Hwy 111 St. 101, La Quinta 92253
For more information visit www.dingtea.com
