Soul searching at Chingkee Tea

Milk tea = Milk + tea
Whoever brought up this idea is a genius. But I have heard (and not verified) that milk teas originated from Taiwan.

One of the most-loved tea houses in Cagayan de Oro is Chingkee Tea owned by Chingkee Te. She is quite famous around teensters and young adults because of her sense in fashion and love of art.

Chingkee Tea started as a small tea house located at Marfori Compound near Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan i think last 2009. It was then transferred to Pabayo-Hayes which is blocks away from its original site. It has a cozy and fairytale vibe with paintings all over the walls. College students used it as a dating place aside from being a tea shop.

It has been a home to me and to hundreds of tea lovers. Actually, it has three branches in the city. The second one is located at Gran Central, and the third one is situated at Pueblo Uptown. The latter is near our house but i opt to travel downtown to drink tea with my friends.

Come! Join me in exploring this quirky place.

The tea shop welcomes you with a rustic vibe. It is actually heart-warming because you can opt to stay there when you are stranded under heavy rains and flood in the city. Ber months is already here so expect more rains to come!

The teashop of couese provides you with colorful chairs and tables. Paintings on the walls and even on the table can be seen.

The same thing goes to other Chingkee tea branches! Every branch has unique features. The branch in Gran Central offers mild and spicy ramen. Meanwhile the uptown branch has matcha flavor!

A cup of tea is only 70-80Php (Less than two dollars) . Add-ons are also available for 10php to 15php.
The one I ordered is 135 php with two flavors (Green Apple Yoghurt and I forgot the other one haha). I kept these cups because I will be needing these soon.

A variety of teas can be brought here starting from hot teas, milk teas, yoghurt teas, and fruit teas. Honeydew milk tea has always been the most ordered tea according to the attendants but you can try everything because it tastes so good. Their panini is incredibly good too.

For those who are having problems with their stomach, I suggest you not to order milk tea as it might cause your stomach to grumble.

There are also times they sell pasta, cakes, and ice cream downstairs. Yum! You can also order chicken sticks and burgers downstairs for less than a hundred peso! Do not worry, they serve a lot of rice for your chicken meal as well!

The mural painting on this one has given a dramatic effect for this room. It seems to be flawless. The tables also have different designs. Some have mosaic designs made out of broken tiles.

The place is so lovely that costumers make the place so packed with people after school and office hours. Milk tea lovers are also nice so you can basically ask them to share their seats with you.

The place has also been open to talented youth. There are poetry nights and days for artists! I am so excited for the upcoming events as well.

I definitely love this painting on the ceiling It has created its own version of Michaelangelo's The Creation of Adam but this one is more like The Love for Milk Tea. Kudos to the artist!

As you can see, every room has its theme. The paintings and decorations on the rooms adds a unique vibe making it Instagramable for IG users. I wish to be very photogenic so I could make a pose too.

Chingkee Tea has won Mindanao Awards by Globe I think last 2014. No one would doubt about it! It has been loved by everyone for more than five years already. The staff are also very nice.

Can it be a study place? Definitely not! Unlike Starbucks, this place has no wifi and Chingkee wants people to communicate freely. I find the idea perfect. I seldom meet my friends here so having no wifi means no one would disturb our conversation, especially Facebook. Haha!

After office hours, the place is packed and people are quite loud when they get so carried away with their conversation.

If given a chance, I would definitely book this place. I want to have my wedding reception here. What do you think about a rustic-themed wedding here in Chingkee?

How about you? Do you have a favorite place in your hometown that you would love to share about? Tell me more about it on the comment box below so that if I could visit your hometown, I might as well drop by and be comforted on that place.