Milk tea has been capturing Filipino’s hearts (and stomachs) for more than a decade now. And as it excites the Pinoy palate, many milk tea shops sprouted like mushrooms nationwide, with names made witty and funny to create appeal.
Milk tea entrepreneurs played with the word "tea" to create catchy names. A few combined it with numbers for example 3-6-Tea and Five 10twen-Tea. Some added it to famous people, namely Cocomartea and DuterTea. Many incorporated it with Tagalog words like Maartea, Mabotea, Mateandi, Tea-Pid, Tea To, and Tea Kim.
But that’s not all, others used "tea" to replace "teh" (short for ate) in some catchy expressions: Boba ka Tea?, Arte Mo Tea, Todo Na Tea, and Ganda mo Tea. And adding to this list is the newly opened milk tea shop in Sampaloc Manila, Landi Ka Tea.
One of its owners, Immanuel Cabuag, thought of the name when a pair of fish inside an aquarium, which were seemingly mating, got his attention. As he interpreted the movement of the female fish too flirty, he suddenly exclaimed, “Landi Ka Teh!” Changing the Teh to Tea, he immediately suggested the brand name to his partners Lualhati Fausto and John Rommel Cells, who didn’t even try to dispute the suggestion since they found it catchy too.
But why during this pandemic, where there's an economic crisis, that they have decided to venture into the milk tea business? “Kahit may pandemya mabili pa rin kasi ang food and beverages like milk tea. Kung hesitant kang mag negosyo, hindi ka uunlad. Kahit pandemic, hindi pwedeng mag mukmok, kailangan maging productive,” said Fausto who also owns a salon. (Even there’s pandemic, food and beverages like milk tea sells. If you’re hesitant to do business, you will not progress. Even if it's pandemic, we can’t just sit around, we need to be productive.)
On it’s soft opening last week, Feb. 18, 2021, flavors like cheesecakes, winter melon, matcha, and chocolate were selling like hotcakes. Their pastries including brownies, macaroons, egg pies, and cinnamon bread also flew off the shelves on opening day.
“We consulted a hotel chef and partnered with a trusted supplier to offer eight flavors of milk tea that are so affordable (P50 per 22 oz) and yet with quality taste,” beams Fausto. “Also, our products will be available soon on food delivery apps.”