Operators are beginning to explore the many opportunities cheese tea offers by moving away from traditional salted, savory applications to other dessert-inspired flavors.

Cheese tea is in the Inception stage. It’s considered a premium ingredient that can be found mostly on fine-dining menus and at ethnic independent concepts.

Little Fluffy Head in Los Angeles serves a vegan take on the cheese tea: The Coco-Chey — jasmine green tea with a non-dairy coconut cream.