要说起今年席卷中国的各种热潮，芝士奶茶（cheese tea）恐怕算是其中之一。各大网红奶茶店前一眼望不到尽头的队伍就是最好证明。
花一两个小时排队，买到奶茶，拍照发朋友圈，觉得自己萌萌的……甚至连黄牛都看到了新商机……
中国人对芝士奶茶的狂热也引来了老外和一些外媒的围观。马来西亚《星报》网站（The Star）的记者就专门报道了中国这一现象。
报道说，中国人本来基本不吃芝士的……
Until recently, people in China were consuming virtually no cheese. Aside from nomadic tribes in Inner Mongolia and Tibet who lead a herding lifestyle and make cheese from yak and goat milk, cheese has otherwise never been a part of the mainstream Chinese diet.
直到不久前，中国人还不怎么吃芝士。除了内蒙古和西藏过着游牧生活的少数民族会用牦牛奶和羊奶制作奶酪之外，芝士还没有成为中国人饮食的一大主要部分。
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!
2014年《野兽日报》的一篇文章报道指出，2009年，美国出口到中国的芝士不到2千吨。而在2013年，这一数字蹿升到 11000吨。口味的转变也体现在其他方面，最明显的就是近几年席卷中国的芝士奶茶！
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……
《悦游》：芝士奶茶席卷中国，又开始进军美国
Called zhī shì chá in Mandarin (meaning “cheese tea”), the concept has migrated across Asia, and even spread to New York’s Flushing neighborhood. The West Coast has caught on, too: In Los Angeles, Little Fluffy Head Cafe specializes in small-batch, cheese-topped brews.
芝士茶的概念在亚洲迅速流行起来，甚至拓展到了纽约的法拉盛。美国西海岸也紧跟潮流，洛杉矶的Little Fluffy Head咖啡店专供一小杯的芝士奶盖饮料。
《赫芬顿邮报》（Huffington Post）似乎找到了这种奶茶能成功的原因：
芝士奶茶搅乱冷饮游戏规则：没错，真的有芝士哦。
The tea has been an instant success for two reasons: the flavors of the tea and cheese are very complementary, and the cheese cream is an effective way to tone down the natural bitterness of the tea.
这种奶茶能立刻火爆起来有两个原因：一是茶和芝士的味道非常互补，二是芝士奶盖能很有效地缓和茶的苦涩味道。
tone down：缓和；减轻
现在外国人能理解芝士奶茶的独特口味了，但对于中国人为了喝一杯奶茶排队2小时的现象仍然感到惊诧。
“That's”杂志的记者Jocelyn Richards曾到广州的某网红奶茶店感受排队的盛况。
先是一路看到喝到奶茶的狂喜的人们……
On our way up a series of winding escalators, we spot droves of others who have made the pilgrimage: three boys in school tracksuits posing giddily with their prize; a dazed woman clutching an assorted six-pack to her heart; a couple silently slurping the remains of their two-hour wait.
我们乘坐着曲折而上的几层电梯，一路上看到一群群“朝圣”归来的人们：3个身穿校服的小男孩欣喜若狂捧着手中的“战利品”自拍；一个幸福到要晕厥的姑娘胸前紧抱着一盒六杯不同口味的奶茶；一对情侣静静地品尝着2小时等待而来的饮料。
然后，他们就开始了漫长的排队过程：
We stepped into the line that snakes around the front of the shop and down a long corridor of the mall. Passersby enjoy asking how long we’ve been waiting and then shaking their heads incredulously at our response.
我们排到队伍后面，那队伍蜿蜒逶迤，围着店门口绕了半圈，然后沿着商场长长的走廊延伸下去。路人总爱问我们排了多久了，听到答复后，都难以置信地摇摇头。
《悦游》的记者也体验过一把，他排了2个小时的队，已经心力交瘁……
After about two hours, it’s finally my turn to order. I’m handed a buzzer and asked to wait. About 30 minutes later, it vibrates and lights up. I jostle between a dozen other wild-eyed people, simultaneously racing to collect their prizes.
大约2小时候，终于轮到我点餐。点完后，他们给我一个蜂鸣器，让我继续等待。半个小时后，蜂鸣器震动起来。我和其他十几个两眼发光的激动食客争抢着一同奔去取我们的奶茶。
这种心情，在网红奶茶店前排过队的同学应该都体会过吧……
不过，为了一杯奶茶排队几个小时，真的是因为那么好喝吗？
《南华早报》（South China Morning Post）就关注了喜茶在上海开张时的排队“盛况”，不少人都表示，他们排队只是为了当“潮人”（frontrunner）。
Customers queuing up for the tea said they didn’t actually have high hopes for the tea, but wanted to be frontrunners in Shanghai to have first-hand experience with it.
顾客们排队买茶，并不是对奶茶抱了多高的希望，而是只想在上海当个潮人，成为第一批喝到的人。
一位排队的顾客就说，不论这茶味道如何，她这几个小时的队排得也值。
“I was swamped by news about the tea shop on the internet and I decided to test it. It is worth a few hours waiting no matter how the tea tastes.”
网上喜茶的新闻简直铺垫盖地，于是我决定试试。不管味道怎么样，我等几个小时都是值得的。
这也难怪，看到别人发的朋友圈打卡，说不动心也难。
大概所有买到网红茶的人，第一件事绝对不是喝一口尝尝，而是拍照发朋友圈，不然，这几个小时队就跟白排了一样。
《中国科学报》记者就此采访了国家二级心理咨询师包大英，包大英解释说，“排大队”实际上折射了人们的从众心理。
人都会追求安全感，我跟大多数人一样了，那我就安全了。并且会觉得：如果大多数人都错了，我们可以共同去承担这个错了的后果。但事实上并不会，风险和损失最后还是由自己来承担的，但是人们还是会这样去想。
此外，大家都相信“经验”。如果你此前没有经验，看到大家都在做，你也会认为这件事是可信的。
确实，奶茶的口味难以量化，但长长的队伍确实给人不少安全感，认为这么多人都在排队，味道自然不会太差。很多人便“心甘情愿”来排队。
但是，营销策略只会带起一时半刻的红火，如果产品的品质不行，顾客不愿意为过高的时间成本买账，粉丝效应撑起来的火热必然会逐渐冷却。
为了一杯奶茶排起的长队究竟会持续多久？时间会给我们答案。你为买奶茶排过队吗？来谈谈你的看法！
(来源：中国日报双语新闻编辑部）
