Sir Thomas Lipton Tea House

Kyoto is famed for its tea, especially green tea produced in the neighboring city of Uji and its environs, and then brewed into high-quality matcha. But what is less known is that it’s also the birthplace of another kind of tea.

In 1930, tea trader Heizo Fukunaga opened a tea room in the Sanjo district of Kyoto and partnered with the Sir Thomas Lipton brand. For the first few decades, the “Lipton Company Tea Salon Far East Branch” did not do too well, as black tea was not yet popular in Japan, until it had a belated breakthrough in the 1960s.

In 1965, the Lipton tea room introduced its “Royal” brand, including Royal custard pudding, Royal cream puff, and Royal milk tea. Royal milk tea proved to be the most popular, establishing itself as a new kind of tea and contributing to the prominence of black tea in general.

But you might be wondering: what’s royal milk tea, anyway? At Lipton, it’s made from Assam leaves brewed with milk in place of hot water, using a lot more milk than usual. It helps enrich the flavor and sweetness.