HEYTEA (喜茶) have proven themselves, once again, to be the kings of collaboration. This time the hit comes from a limited-edition mushroom tea, made in partnership with one of Asia’s most respected chefs, David Lai (黎子安).
Lai is a legend in the chef world. He began his career in the U.S. working for a number of notable kitchens before returning to his hometown, Hong Kong, to assist in opening a restaurant by the legendary Alain Ducasse. In 2014 Lai opened Neighbourhood, a seafood-centric, French-inspired restaurant that was soon brandishing a Michelin star and putting him on the path to fame.
This year he made an appearance on the popular TV show Chef of China (一饭封神), showcasing his now signature, slightly drunk, style and a couple of memorable mushroom dishes.
Hot off this moment in the spotlight, HEYTEA invited David Lai to recreate those flavours in beverage form. The result: The HEYTEA Michelin Porcini Ice Cream, a blend of pu’er tea, porcini mushroom and matsutake soy sauce, topped with sweet Spanish paprika. To honour Chef Lai’s drunken persona, the HEYTEA mushroom tea came with the option to add a shot of booze.
So far, it’s a resounding hit, with netizens commenting on Weibo that it had sold out and the queue to get one was days long.
HEYTEA are known for having an eye for collaboration – one they deploy regularly. Earlier this year they teamed up with Chiikawa. The promotion featured Chiikawa characters wearing HEYTEA uniforms and revived classic HEYTEA flavours. In the past they’ve done collabs with Yayoi Kusama, Hello Kitty, and even Fendi.
It’s a tactic that allows HEYTEA to grab the attention of social media users (collabs like these tend to have strong viral potential) as well as new consumer segments. What’s more, HEYTEA can pick and choose collaborations based on what’s popular in the moment, keeping them on trend and culturally relevant. This slick approach ensures HEYTEA doesn’t just make drinks, they also make headlines.
