Beca Tea in Bangsar South, KL
The Koh family have been in the tea business for over 90 years, beginning by selling tea out of a trishaw. The younger generations then decided to do something unprecedented: mix a bunch of ingredients with tea to create unconventionally tasty flavours.
This is the story of Beca Tea, a tea house with a fresh take on tea. It cements itself as the place to sip “real tea in a fake world”, making drinks without artificial colourings, added sugar, or flavoured syrups.
Intrigued by how traditional teas can be reimagined for the new generation, we visited their shop in Bangsar South to bring you this review.
Fusion tea drinks with unconventional flavours
Upon seeing Beca Tea, we thought the interior was a good representation of minimalistic yet aesthetic designs. The shop took us less than a minute to explore.
The compact space features two windows – one for ordering and the other for pick-ups – and a built-in bench that serves as the waiting area. Everything is in a summery wash of beige and brown, with a popping red ceiling.
Contrary to the box-like space, the tea mixologies are out-of-the-box.
We recognised most of the ingredients on the menu but they are implemented in unfamiliar ways – matcha is mixed with cempedak and peanut butter is added to oolong tea.
Besides tea lattes (from RM7.90) and oatmilk macchiatos (from RM15.90), the shop also serves juice tea coolers (from RM14.90), nitro-charged teas (from RM13.90), and various local flavours (from RM3.90) such as teh tarik and teh c.
Here’s our verdict
We went straight for a hot cup of Teh Tarik (RM5.90), which is both their signature and best-selling drink.
Unlike the traditional teh tarik with condensed milk only, this has additional evaporated milk.
As such, it carried a stronger milk tea aroma and creamy taste – making it an upgraded version of the Malaysian-favourite drink at our mamaks.
Next up was the Squash Supreme (RM15.90) oatmilk macchiato.
We thought the combination of black tea, Japanese Kabocha squash, and balsamic vinegar would be an unholy marriage but the resulting taste was bizarrely refreshing.
Each sip embodied a mind-blowing interplay of bitter, sweet, and acidic notes, accompanied by a subtle herbal taste. Plus, we couldn’t get enough of the grass jellies inside as they were so satisfying to chew.
The visit was also our first time discovering Lapsang Souchong, which is a type of smoke-dried Chinese black tea. It goes into the shop’s Lapsang Souchong Coconut Pure Milk Tea (RM14.90).
The flavour wasn’t as coconut-forward as expected. The drink was given the lightest touch of coconut and milk while going super strong on the black tea – we could feel the smokiness up our nose.
Differing from any other milk tea we had tried, this drink was in its own realm.
We wrapped up our tea experience with the Yuzu Sencha (RM13.90). This nitro-charged tea reminded us of beer as it was super fizzy with lots of bubbles forming on top.
Its flavour was light and refreshing as if we were drinking yuzu-infused water. We could see it being a great palate cleanser after a heavy meal.
Try unique tea drinks at Beca Tea in KL
Beca Tea in Bangsar South is a tea wonderland built with office-goers in mind. Strategically nestled in the Vertical Podium corporate tower, it beckons working individuals to grab a cup of tea before clocking in.
To sum up, you can count on Beca Tea for unique and authentic tea that won’t disappoint. Besides Bangsar South, you can also find them in Uptown Damansara Utama.
Beca Tea @ Bangsar South
Address: Unit G-12, Ground Floor, The Vertical Podium Avenue 3, 8, Jalan Kerinchi, Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm | Sat 8am-2pm (Closed on Sundays)
Contact: Beca Tea’s Instagram
Beca Tea @ Uptown Damansara Utama
Address: 61 G, Jalan SS 21/1a, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 11am-10pm | Fri-Sun 11am-10.30pm
Also watch our video feature:
For other tea-time options, try these viral Filipino fries at Sunway Pyramid or the delicious yoghurt cream croissant cups in KL.
Photography by: xinyeegoh.
Cover image adapted from: The Smart Local Malaysia