但现在，事情发生了戏剧性的变化……
According to a 2014 article in the Daily Beast, America sent less than 2,000 metric tonnes of cheese to China in 2009. By 2013, this had shot up to 11,000 metric tonnes. This changing palate is reflected in other ways too, most notably the raging trend that has spread across China over the past few years: cheese tea!
近年来，随着像喜茶（ Heytea）、皇茶（ Royaltea）和天御皇茶（Regiustea）等奶茶品牌的流行，芝士奶茶进入到中国人的视野之中。
It originated in the street stalls of Taiwan in 2010 and has since spread to Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.
这种奶茶最早起源于2010年的台湾街边小店，之后开始在大陆、香港、新加坡和马来西亚等地流行起来。
而且这些后起的奶茶店还对芝士奶茶进行了改良：
The original Taiwanese recipe used powdered cheese, but now cafes are going one step better and adding lashings of fresh cream cheese to the top of their beverages.
台湾原先的配方是用芝士粉，但现在的饮品店更进一步，在饮料顶部加上厚厚的一层新鲜奶油奶酪。
lashings of：大量的
所以，这是怎样一种奶茶呢？
These quirky-sounding concoctions incorporate fruit teas and green teas at the bottom with a thick layer of frothy cream cheese on top. In some iterations, the cream cheese layer is slightly sweet; in others, it is sprinkled with sea salt for a salty aftertaste.
这种听起来极其古怪的混合饮料以水果茶和绿茶作为茶底，然后在顶部加上厚厚的一层芝士奶盖。有些做法会把芝士做的微甜，而有的会撒上一点点海盐，带来咸咸的余味。
concoction：混合；调和物
对于这样的组合，很多外国人一开始内心是拒绝的……
The notion of cheese and tea can be off-putting for the average person who cannot fathom how two unlikely bedfellows – fat and water – can form a harmonious companionship. If you are of this school of thought – you are not alone. I was one of these cautious disbelievers – that is, until I tried the cheese teas in question.
对一些人来说，芝士和茶的组合可能会有点倒胃口，他们无法理解两种完全不同的东西——脂肪和水怎么能融于一体。不止你一个人这样想。我也曾持有怀疑的态度，直到我喝到了这种芝士奶茶。
英国奢华旅行杂志《悦游》（Condé Nast Traveler ）的记者这样描述自己的品茶感受：
The first sip is a mouthful of whipped cheese. It’s so rich, I feel a little ill. But when I swallow the tea and cheese together, it’s like drinking a refreshing tea milkshake. This pairing actually works—the salted cheese plays up the tea’s floral notes, and the tea, in turn, tastes smooth and creamy.
第一口喝到的是一嘴芝士霜，那口味太浓郁了，我有点受不了。然后我把茶和芝士混在一起喝了一口，就感觉像在喝清新的茶味奶昔。这个组合其实还不错，咸咸的芝士衬托出茶香，而茶的口感也更为丝滑醇厚。
马来西亚《星报》的记者则品尝了几种口味的芝士奶茶，来顺便学学如何用英语描述一款饮料：
The green tea cheese offers a thick layer of slightly-sweet cream cheese laced with light green tea flavours. It is a cold, satisfying drink that almost feels like an airy slice of cheese cake.
芝士绿茶有一层厚厚的带着甜味的芝士，夹杂着淡淡的绿茶味，尝起来就像一块柔软的芝士蛋糕，喝一口清凉、舒爽。
The uji matcha, on the other hand, offers stronger green tea flavours juxtaposed against the rich, lush background of cream cheese. It is a rewarding drink that you will find yourself hankering after.
而宇治抹茶奶茶的茶香更浓，与醇厚、浓郁的芝士形成对比，喝完让你久久无法忘怀。
Both drinks deliver immediate pleasure – the richness of the cream cheese set against the tannic flavours of the teas.
两款饮料中茶的微涩口感衬着芝士的醇厚，入口口味极佳。
而且喝芝士奶茶还为朋友圈提供素材啊……
Another pleasant surprise when you drink cheese teas is the Instagram-worthy milk moustaches that form over your upper lips, as a result of the layer of cream cheese on top.
另一个惊喜是，由于顶部的芝士，你喝奶茶时会在嘴上留下一道“牛奶胡子”，可以拍张照上传Instagram了。
另外，关于芝士奶茶的喝法外国人也研究了一番。
专业人士称：
“You are encouraged to drink without straws. When you drink this way, you can feel two layers of taste – cheese followed by tea. If you drink it with a straw, you can mostly only taste the tea.”
“最好别用吸管喝。这样喝的时候，你会感觉到两种不同的味道——先是芝士奶香，后是茶香。但如果你用吸管喝，你只能品尝到茶香。”
也有叛逆的宝宝偏要用吸管喝的，国内英文月刊《That's》杂志的记者Jocelyn Richards便是如此，结果后悔不已，这是她的心路历程：
The first few sips bring pure, sweet, flowery tea. About halfway through, we start to taste a hint of the salty cheese. It’s subtle at first, and seems to complement the tea surprisingly well.
开头几口是纯正带着甜味的花茶香味，喝了一半，开始尝到一点点芝士咸味。最初口感很微妙，与茶味互补的效果似乎出奇地好。
Toward the end of the drink, however, our sips begin to summon something sinister: thick, cloying globs of salty cheesy cream. The sensation is like taking a bag of movie theater popcorn and dumping the liquid butter straight into your mouth. Not good.
然而快喝完时，吸上来的东西就有些重口了：一团团又厚又倒胃口的咸味芝士奶霜。那种感觉像是吃完一袋影院爆米花，然后把液体黄油直接倒进你嘴里。真糟糕。
Next time we’ll follow the instructions and drink the cheesy top first with the tea.
下次我们会老老实实按照说明，把茶和奶盖一起喝。
据报道，芝士奶茶现在甚至也开始在美国流行开了……
