Enter the dragon of bubble teas
JLD Dragon, one of Taiwan’s fast-rising brown sugar milk brands, touches down in Manila with its first Philippine branch at level 2, Robinsons Galleria Veranda.
JLD Dragon, also known as Ji Long Tang, takes pride in using premium brown sugar from Okinawa in all its concoctions. Since the 17th century, the Japanese prefecture has been making this special brown sugar, which produces an incomparable caramel flavor when cooked; this centuries-old sugar-making tradition is honored in the brand’s logo, which is inscribed with the year 1646, an important year in Okinawa’s sugar industry.
“Robinsons Galleria continues to search for the biggest and most innovative food concepts both here and abroad,” said Alyssa Ann Co, business operations manager of JLD Dragon Philippines. “With its location being in the heart of Ortigas, it will be a good opportunity to offer our delicious products to the working and studying crowd of Pasig.”
The first branch, which has a clean and contemporary vibe, is situated at a busy corner of the mall near the EDSA Shrine, which is sure to bring even more foot traffic when JLD Dragon opens for business.
To give Filipinos an idea why it is so popular, the first thing everyone has to try is JLD’s signature Brown Sugar Bubble Thick Milk. It’s made with the famous brown sugar base, fresh and all-natural cow’s milk, premium quality tea leaves, and perfectly chewy brown sugar tapioca pearls that are hand-stirred in the sugar base, imparting that distinctive roasted and nutty flavor. While this promises to become Manila’s go-to drink, other must-tries are the Brown Sugar Bubble Black Tea, Brown Sugar Milk, Brown Sugar Black Tea Latte, Brown Sugar Bubble Black Tea Latte, and Brown Sugar Matcha Bubble Milk. With a total of nine varieties available, there’s surely something for everyone’s personal taste.
Other popular food pairings are JLD Dragon’s soufflés, with flavors such as Earl Grey Bubble Tea, Mango, Chocolate, and Kyoto Matcha. If you’re already following JLD Dragon Philippines’ Instagram account (@jlddragonph), you may have spotted a few desserts that have been developed especially for the Philippine market: Calamansi Pie and a dessert that looks enticingly like a leche flan and ube pie.