Hong Kong Milk Tea
Hong Kong milk tea is strong black tea strained through a cotton sock-like filter and mixed with evaporated or condensed milk, a staple of Hong Kong diners.
Definition
Hong Kong milk tea (港式奶茶) developed in the twentieth century from British afternoon tea, adapted by Hong Kong's working-class food stalls and later its cha chaan teng diners. Fresh milk was expensive, so stalls used evaporated milk, which gives the drink its creamy, slightly cooked flavor. In 2014 the craft of making it was placed on Hong Kong's first list of intangible cultural heritage. The tea is a blend of several black teas, usually led by Ceylon, sometimes with broken-leaf grades, fannings and dust for color and strength. Each shop guards its own blend. The leaf is boiled or brewed in a large kettle, and the liquor is poured through a cotton filter bag on a metal ring. The bag stains brown with use, which earned the drink the nickname "silk stocking milk tea" (sima naicha). The tea is poured back and forth between pots several times, a step called lashing or pulling, which strengthens and smooths it. The result is strong and astringent, mixed with evaporated milk and sugar or with sweetened condensed milk (cha jau). Iced versions are common, and yuenyeung mixes milk tea with coffee.
In Depth
Home method: for two cups, simmer 15-20 g of strong broken-leaf black tea, ideally a Ceylon-led blend, in 500 ml of water for 3-5 minutes. Strain through a fine cotton or nylon bag, pour between two pots three to five times, and return to low heat for a minute. Fill a cup about one quarter with evaporated milk, pour the tea over it, and sweeten to taste.
What makes it right: the tea should be dark enough that the finished drink is tan, not beige, with a clear tannic grip under the milk. A silky texture comes from evaporated milk with high fat content; regular milk gives a thinner drink.
Variants: cha jau uses condensed milk instead of evaporated milk and sugar. Iced milk tea is served in a glass set in ice so it does not dilute.
See Also
- Cha Chaan Teng
- Milk Tea
- Yuenyeung