There are so many milk tea brands in China that I sometimes lose track of what I am actually drinking, but 阿嬷手作 Ah Ma Handmade is one name I kept noticing during my trips.
Part of the attraction is right there in the name and its fame.
“阿嬷” refers to grandmother, while “手作” points to the handmade preparation that the brand has built much of its identity around.
Instead of centring everything on tea, pearls and flavoured syrups, many of its drinks come loaded with freshly prepared taro, rice mochi, longan, coconut, fermented rice and other ingredients that feel closer to Chinese desserts.
Some fun facts: The Guangxi-born brand started in Nanning in 2018, with founder Deng Qian 邓倩 drawing inspiration from the sort of food an older generation would make at home.
That explains why the preparation can sound unusually laborious for a modern tea chain, with ingredients steamed, boiled, pounded and cooked in store (so waiting time is slightly longer as well).
It is no longer difficult to find 阿嬷手作 in major cities across China, including Shenzhen.
Shenzhen branches include KK ONE and Ping An Finance Centre in Futian, MixC Qianhai and Sea World in Nanshan, Zhuoyuehui in Meilin and Buji MixC in Longgang.
I tried it at the Shenzhen MixC World 万象天地 outlet, at SL281 in the Time Square area on Level 2.
When 阿嬷手作 first arrived here, this was also its first store outside Guangxi, marking the point when a relatively regional tea brand started getting noticed much further afield.
One of the signatures is its Rice Mochi 米麻薯, which is probably also the ingredient that best explains why people queue for 阿嬷手作.
The brand reportedly tested more than 20 varieties of rice before settling on Bama glutinous rice 巴马糯米 from Guangxi.
Rather than blending it into something completely smooth, the rice is steamed and worked while retaining some of its natural graininess.
I ordered the 打·米麻薯 (¥32) with less sugar.
This combined Matcha Jasmine Milk Tea with taro, rice mochi and a brown sugar cheese element, arriving with pale green tea above a much thicker creamy layer at the bottom.
It sounded heavy, and it was. The rice mochi was soft and stretchy but not completely smooth, with little bits of rice still giving it some bite.
Together with the taro, it made for a very substantial (and filling) drink, heading into dessert territory, so I was glad I went with less sugar. Don’t have this after a heavy lunch.
The seasonal Longan Gardenia Coconut 龙眼栀子椰 (¥35) was much easier to drink and more refreshing.
There was coconut, longan, an icy slush component and Longan Ice Cream under the domed lid, with pieces of longan collecting towards the bottom.
Other popular orders include Old Coconut Qing Bu Liang 老椰清补凉, Longan Osmanthus Ice 龙眼桂花冰 and Sri Lankan Milk Tea 斯里兰卡奶茶, alongside seasonal fruit drinks that change through the year.
With so many Chinese tea chains competing on new flavours almost every month, Ah Ma Handmade 阿嬷手作 is one to look out for, more for its textures and interesting ingredients.
Ah Ma Handmade 阿嬷手作
Shop SL281, Level 2, Time Square, MixC World, 9668 Shennan Avenue, Nanshan District, Shenzhen
深圳市南山区深南大道9668号华润万象天地时光广场2楼SL281
Opening Hours: 10am – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)
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