HeyTea is showcased on the MiFi Billboard in Times Square.

New York, NY, December 8, 2023. The MiFi Billboard in Times Square now prominently features HeyTea, marking a significant step in the brand’s emergence in the New York market.

This innovative tea, known for its distinctively tangy and foamy topping, may be on the brink of becoming a new favorite in New York City.

Renowned for popularizing cheese tea globally, the Chinese company Hey Tea is set to open its first store in the United States. The new shop will be located in Midtown, at 1407 Broadway, nestled between West 38th and 39th streets, with its grand opening scheduled for December 7.

In several countries, including China, Singapore, and the U.K., Hey Tea has made cheese tea an immensely popular choice. The brand’s extensive network of stores across Asia has garnered significant acclaim, with customers at times waiting for hours to get a taste of their unique beverages.

The drink’s adoption in the United States has been somewhat slower, which may be attributed to its unusual name. In the Chinese context, ‘cheese’ generally refers to various dairy products. The signature foam of the drink is a blend of cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, and a touch of salt, offering a unique taste and texture.

Though Hey Tea was not the first to introduce cheese tea — with chains like Happy Lemon and Mi Tea offering similar iced teas topped with whipped foam — its roots can be traced back to Taiwanese night markets around 2010. Originally, vendors there combined powdered cheese with whipping cream and milk to create a frothy topping.

However, it was Hey Tea that truly transformed the beverage in 2012. By substituting powdered cheese with cream cheese and mixing it with fresh milk, Hey Tea created a more refined and luxurious version of the drink, catapulting it to widespread popularity and acclaim.