A sneak peek at Molly Tea: China’s next big tea brand opens in Singapore
Singapore has been no stranger to the influx of international brands, especially hotly anticipated ones from China, such as Chagee and Luckin Coffee.
This week, a new competitor joins the fray: Molly Tea.
Founded in Shenzhen, China in 2021, this relatively new tea brand has gained popularity for its aesthetic designs and innovative takes on traditional Chinese tea. In the last five years, it’s grown to over 2,000 outlets worldwide, across not just China, but also the US, UK and other parts of Southeast Asia.
The name “Molly” sounds just like the Chinese word for jasmine flowers (mo li hua, or 莫莉花). While its name and branding refers to its signature premium jasmine tea, Molly Tea actually serves a whole range of floral and fruit teas.
The brand does take a lot of pride in the fragrance of its teas, and you can certainly smell it, once you’re near the shop.
Located on the first floor, in the heart of Orchard Central, Molly Tea sits along the main shopping stretch, occupying the space formerly used by Equate Coffee.
It’s difficult to miss — it takes up a sprawling space near the mall’s central elevators and draws the eye for its spacious seating area and Singapore-exclusive merlion Molly statue!
This marks the brand’s largest outlet in Southeast Asia, and will also serve as Molly Tea’s flagship outlet here in Singapore.
We got a sneak peek at the drinks it’ll be offering and its accompanying all-pink pop-up before it opens officially on March 6. If you can’t wait, though, it’s in its soft-opening phase right now.
Here’s what you can expect.
Drinks at Molly Tea
The brand aims to captivate, not just by taste, but also through scent.
You’ll notice that each beverage is noticeably fragrant, with a floral aroma that lingers as you sip.
If you’ve never tried Molly Tea, make a beeline for the premium jasmine milk tea (S$5.20), which is the brand’s namesake and No. 1 bestseller, globally.
Though I usually prefer my teas sans milk, the drink impressed me with its seamless blend of premium milk, and a tea made with double-petal jasmine flowers from Hengzhou. It also avoids being overly cloying — something that many milk teas do.
This one is for the purists — especially if you like your milk teas unadulterated by toppings. But you can jazz this up even further by getting the Snowy jasmine (S$6.50) instead, which carries an additional whipped cream top for extra fragrance, and crushed pecan toppings for the crunch.
The pistachio jasmine coconut (S$6.20) was perhaps one of the most eye-catching drinks on offer.
This drink comprises Molly’s premium jasmine tea and coconut water as its base, with a light green layer of pistachio cheese foam and sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts on top.
It is an interesting combination of flavours done right — the light tea and coconut water base serves as a great complement to the heavier and nuttier savoury cheese foam.
While you might feel the urge to stir everything together, Molly recommends sipping its cream-topped drinks in layers, for the best experience.
Another drink that caught our eye was the white champaca matcha (S$5.90), which uses white champaca milk tea from Mengding mountain in Sichuan.
White champaca is a flower that’s related to the magnolia family, and the resultant tea is prized for its intense aroma and lingering finish.
The drink is then topped off with a matcha cheese foam that carries strong grassy notes. As before, you should let it sit and infuse with the milk tea for a more balanced sip.
Those with a sweet-tooth would enjoy the premium jasmine apple milk tea (S$5.90), a milky, fruity beverage that reminded us strongly of apple Yakult.
As a whole, the brand recommends enjoying its drinks at a sugar level of 70%, but we personally found 50% to be more than sufficient.
Molly Tea’s opening deals
As part of Molly Tea’s soft opening phase, from today (March 3) until March 5, diners can snag 12% off Molly Tea’s top six signature drinks.
You can also get an exclusive scent sachet, if you give Molly Tea’s Instagram or Tiktok channels a follow!
Once Molly Tea opens officially, diners can enjoy one-for-one on Molly Tea’s top six signature drinks from March 6 to March 8. Do note that no toppings will be available during this period, and each customer can make only four redemptions.
Molly Tea’s six signature drinks are:
- Premium jasmine milk tea (S$5.20)
- Snowy jasmine (S$6.50)
- Pistachio jasmine coconut (S$6.20)
- Premium jasmine apple milk tea (S$5.90)
- White champaca milk tea (S$5.20)
- White champaca matcha (S$5.90)
Customers will also be entitled to one sure-win gachapon spin, with every purchase. You’ll stand to win prizes such as one-for-one drink vouchers and Molly Tea merchandise.
There are even top prizes, such as perfume and lipstick, up for grabs, too!
If you didn’t get the merch you wanted, you can buy them off the shelf. These include an insulated tumbler (S$42), Cloud tote bag (S$39.90), and even Singapore-exclusive blind box magnets (S$9.90)!
What’s more: There’s an all-pink pop-up experience located right across the outlet with photo spots scattered around, that runs from March 3 to March 22.
Looking for new spots to check out? Check out this Buona Vista lunch crowd favourite, or try some Erewhon-inspired smoothies right here in Singapore!
Tue 10.30am - 10.30pm
Wed 10.30am - 10.30pm
Thu 10.30am - 10.30pm
Fri 10.30am - 10.30pm
Sat 10.30am - 10.30pm
Sun 10.30am - 10.30pm
- Somerset
Hannah is constantly on a hunt for good food and vibey cafes, with the occasional mild lactose intolerance being the only thing that interrupts her endeavours.
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