When working or hanging out in cafés, my usual drink of choice is either a frothy cappuccino or a nice boba tea. Lately I've found a new addiction: rose milk tea. A pot of the creamy, fragrant, and intoxicating tea with floating dried roses is the perfect companion for an afternoon of writing (or blogging.). And in Haidian, the university district, rose milk tea is as ubiquitous as free wifi.

Rose milk tea is pretty simple to make. Some cafés use loose tea that comes with dried roses, while others just steep a bag of black tea in water and milk and add the roses after. Just like chrysanthemum tea, you drink the tea with flowers floating in it. I use at least one and a half packs of sugar per pot, just because sugar seems to bring out the taste.

I'm usually fond of the rich taste of Hong Kong milk teas, which use condensed milk. But here in Beijing cafés tend to use regular milk, which I don't mind when it comes to rose milk tea. Regular milk is lighter-tasting than condensed milk and doesn't overwhelm the floral fragrance.

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