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Sculptural iced tea toppers seem to have started circulating online in the pandemic’s wake. Using silicone molds most commonly in the shape of teddy bears, people can pour and freeze iced tea blends at home or in cafes to dress up their drinks, both adding flair while functionally making teas stronger as they melt. These reservoirs of frozen flavor are lifesavers if anyone accidentally overdid their milk or sweetener, and act like a booster shot of energy with caffeinated blends.
The earliest instructional videos we found for bears are from 2021, and the trend has finally made its way to Portland. We visited three locations—two in town, and one so hidden that it qualifies as another secret of the suburbs—all putting their own spins on frozen iced tea toppers. These places, presented in order of their visits, are all affordable and prove through taste and presentation that these are more than just artisan ice cubes.
Hopefully, this trend is already more widespread than we realize—and please email our drinks and dining editor if we’ve missed anywhere. As the weather warms up, we’ll get to see what kinds of teas and ice cube molds that restaurant and cafe owners find in their bid to brighten up our days with a frozen buddy and earn some scratch in the process. In this economy, why not try anything once?
Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko
You don’t need to catch a flick at neighboring Studio One Theaters to enjoy Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko. The national chain originated in Hawaii, importing its matcha from Harima Garden, which has grown tea in southern Kyoto since 1858. While the menu offers iced teas and lattes, blended frappes and soft serve tea floats, Maiko’s bears arrive atop a blend of matcha and seasonal soft serve ($10.80). I missed sakura season but enjoyed the light watermelon blend all the same. Maiko’s bears stand out both as the priciest entry on our tour and the only one using a mixture of ice cream and shaved ice. I wish we could see them being made, but the process is probably labor intensive enough that someone can take some ice cream to the back and come out with a cute bear on top. The resulting crispy-gooey texture makes it the fastest one to eat (if you can—I nibbled on the ears but felt like the bear’s eyes were watching me) and easiest to mix into the treat or beverage below. I’m not sure how often I would indulge this one at this price, but the visit revealed a sweet, creamy matcha menu offered to match a range of preferences between dessert and something earthier. 3416 SE César E. Chávez Blvd., 971-279-4637, matchacafe-maiko.com. Noon–9 pm Sunday–Thursday, noon–10 pm Friday–Saturday.
GeekEasy Anime Cafe
Old Town’s GeekEasy Anime Cafe is a great place to nestle on a rainy day and chill out with manga and anime, not to mention curios like those found at sister business Stumptown Otaku. GeekEasy wins the award for best presentation, leaving the toy shop for a traditionally sculpted dragon popsicle cube atop a matcha affogato ($7.95). The dragon’s arms let it sit on a cup’s rim, preventing it from falling into the drink before you’re ready. The frozen tea, in the right light, is also a lovely shade between peridot and jasper. But even with green tea poured over scoops of vanilla ice cream, the GeekEasy affogato proved too bitter for my taste. Especially as the semiprecious-stone dragon melted, next time I would either ask for some more cream and sweetener, or a to-go lid to add mine at home. 310 NW Davis St., 503-706-1186, instagram.com/geekeasyanimecafe. 10 am–6 pm Sunday–Thursday, 10 am–8 pm Friday–Saturday.
Yin Dee Thai Cuisine
Argue among yourselves about whether Tigard or Tualatin gets the honor of claiming Yin Dee Thai Cuisine. Nestled in what seems like the mixed parking lot of an apartment complex on Lower Boones Ferry Road, Yin Dee serves the classics like pad thai and pad see ew along with steak cuts, special-dressed curries, and fresh seafood specials. Breaking from green tea, Yin Dee wins points as the most affordable choice on our stop. The ginger-colored bear on the creamy Thai iced tea ($6) proved easy enough to stab with a straw to speed up its reintegration into the heavy cream-steeped pour. If you’re not a hummingbird, you might lean more green, but Yin Dee proves that the concept works for many different tea flavors. 18041 SW Lower Boones Ferry Road, #1A, 971–371-1079, yindeethaicuisine.com. 11 am–9 pm Monday–Thursday, 11 am–10 pm Friday, noon–9 pm Saturday–Sunday.