Finding milk tea that’s suitable for vegans, those with lactose intolerance and anyone cutting down on dairy products is a struggle in Melbourne. There are a few shops that carry soy milk or use non-dairy creamers, but usually only for a handful of drinks.

But a new CBD cafe – in food hub Ella at Melbourne Central – is making it easier for those with dietary restrictions to get their fix.

Nuttea specialises in plant-based versions of bubble tea classics, from matcha milk tea and fruit teas topped with cream to smoothies and iced coffees.

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Its nut mylk uses a blend of cashews, walnuts and macadamias, while the thicker nut cream includes hazelnut as the main ingredient and crushed almonds as a garnish. The mylk and cream are made fresh each day with no additives or preservatives, and you can buy the former to drink on its own.

The cream-topped drinks include fruity flavours and tea staples such as mango, four seasons, jasmine green tea and oolong topped with the nut cream, as well as a French Earl Grey number with a crown of choc-cream. They also come with miniature gardening spades for you to dig through the thick topping.

There are also regular black mylk teas with tapioca pearls or brown-sugar jelly, as well as matcha, lemon and ruby flavours; iced pour-over coffees and lattes; banana oatmeal, strawberry and mango smoothies; and plain and fruit teas without any nut mylk at all.

The pocket-sized shop is right beside the newest Axil Coffee Roasters outpost, and features pastel decals of its five hero nuts on the floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside it’s a mix of warm timbers and grey tiles, with limited seats by the counter and more outside that are shared with the rest of Ella’s tenants.

This is Nuttea’s flagship store in Australia. The brand was founded in Taiwan in 2017, and has since expanded to Hong Kong, Macau, Canada and the UK.

Nuttea
Shop GD078, Melbourne Central, Corner Elizabeth Street & La Trobe Street, Melbourne

Hours:
Wed 11am–7pm
Thu to Sat 11am–8pm
Sun 11am–7pm

nuttea.com.au