Soz, rabid fans of popular Taiwanese milk tea Chun Cui He, but your fanatical days of buying them in bulk are over.
In recent months, “Just Drink- Milk Tea” — one of Taiwan’s most popular bottled beverages — gained a massive (and honestly, extreme) fanbase among folks in Hong Kong and Singapore. It was launched here back in July by distributors Abana Singapore, and two all-time-favourite flavours Milk Tea and Latte were sold in 7-Eleven outlets.
They didn’t stay on the shelves for long though. Diehard fans often bought them by the dozens, lauding the milk tea for its smooth, creamy taste that somehow excused them from being dickish nutjobs. One swept through 7-Eleven outlets in Tampines to buy 80 bottles of them. It’s even popped up for sale on Carousell — at jacked up prices, obviously. Neat profits were presumably gained from the $2.80 bottles.
In any case, those days of fawning over Chun Cui He might be permanently over. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has issued a recall of the product due to the existence of L-theanine, an unapproved food additive under regulations.
But the recall only hit the drink’s milk tea flavour. Latte-flavoured Chun Cui He will still continue to be sold — a bummer to fans who favour the classic more.
No food safety risk is associated with the recalled products, AVA assures. L-theanine is simply an organic plant compound found in green tea and is believed to have calming properties. Though it’s not permitted here, the additive is recognised as safe in other countries.
A 7-Eleven spokesman informed The Straits Times that customers with unconsumed bottles of the Milk Tea drinks can return them to stores for a full refund. Which is something that will never happen, ever — folks will either savour every last drop or put it up for sale online at even higher prices.
In the meantime, enjoy the smooth creamy milk tea available absolutely everywhere for a dollar: Teh Tarik. #supportlocal
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