First Time at LiHO? Here Is Exactly What to Order

Every regular was once the person holding up the queue, squinting at a board of sixty drinks while a patient cashier waited. This guide exists so that is not you. By the end of it you will know the three orders that make the best first impression, the exact words to say at the counter, and the two or three mistakes that quietly ruin first cups.

The Three Best First Orders

Order 1: Cheese Guan Yin, 30 percent sugar, less ice (S$4.10).
The signature experience. Guan Yin oolong, floral and clean, under LiHO’s salted cheese foam. Sip it through the foam first, tea second, then mix if you like. This is the drink that explains what LiHO is, and at S$4.10 it costs less than most of the board. Choose this if you want the real LiHO, not the safe LiHO.

Order 2: Classic Milk Tea, 50 percent sugar, with pearls (S$4.80 + S$0.70).
The reference cup. If your bubble tea history is other chains, order this before anything fancy: it calibrates you. Proper tea flavour, good body, pearls with real chew. Choose this if you judge a chain by its basics, which is the correct way to judge a chain.

Order 3: Singapore Fruit Tea, 30 percent sugar (S$4.90).
For the milk tea sceptic and the hot day. Bright, fruity, genuinely refreshing, the one that converts people who claim not to like bubble tea. Choose this if foam and milk are not your language yet.

How to Say Your Order (The Whole Script)

LiHO orders follow a fixed rhythm, and once you hear it, you can order anything on the board: drink, size, sugar, ice, toppings.

“Cheese Guan Yin, Medium, thirty percent sugar, less ice, no toppings.” Done. That sentence, in that order, is the entire skill. Sizes are Medium (about 500 ml) and Large (about 700 ml, usually S$1.00 more). Sugar runs 0, 30, 50, 70, 100 percent. Ice is regular, less, or none. You will be asked about anything you leave out, so leaving things out is also fine, the staff will walk the steps with you. It only feels like an exam the first time.

The Mistakes That Ruin First Cups

Ordering 100 percent sugar “to be safe”. Full sugar is calibrated for nobody’s first cup. It buries the tea, especially in the cheese and fruit ranges. Thirty to fifty percent is where these drinks actually live, and our Drink Guide matches sugar levels to every category if you want the detail.

Adding pearls to a cheese drink. The foam is the topping. Pearls under cheese foam is two desserts arguing. Keep cheese drinks topping free and let the foam do its job.

Getting a Large of something new. A Large is 200 ml more commitment to a flavour you have not met yet. Medium first. Upgrade the ones that earn it.

Skipping the app forever. Your first cup can be a counter order, no homework required. But if cup one becomes a habit, the LiHO TEA SG app’s order ahead pickup and the members’ S$1.90 milk tea will change your economics fast. Future you says thanks.

What Happens After You Order

You will get a receipt with an order number, drinks are made in sequence, and your number gets called or shown when your cup is sealed and ready. At lunch hour in a busy mall, five to ten minutes is normal, which is exactly why regulars order ahead in the app and walk straight to the collection point. Payment at the counter covers the usual spread: cash, cards, NETS and QR payments like PayNow and GrabPay.

Our Verdict

Order the Cheese Guan Yin at 30 percent and you will understand LiHO in one cup: the tea quality, the foam nobody else does quite like this, and the pricing sanity of a signature drink that costs S$4.10. Everything else on the board makes more sense after that cup. The full menu with prices is here when you are ready for round two, and our ranked list of the best LiHO drinks is here when round two becomes a personality trait.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best LiHO drink for a first timer?
Cheese Guan Yin at 30 percent sugar, less ice. It is the brand’s defining drink and its best value signature at S$4.10.

What sugar level should a first timer choose?
Thirty percent for cheese teas and fruit teas, fifty percent for classic milk teas. Full sugar overwhelms first cups and zero can taste stark before you know a drink.

Is LiHO expensive for a first try?
No. The best first orders on this page run from S$4.10 to S$5.50 with pearls, in line with or below other major chains in Singapore.

Can I customise everything?
Yes. Size, sugar, ice and toppings are all your call on nearly every drink, and the staff are used to walking first timers through it. Nobody at the counter is judging your order. They have heard much stranger.