Hong Kong Milk Tea

If Hong Kong had a national drink, it would likely be milk tea, a rich, creamy beverage of strong black tea and evaporated milk. The beverage is so iconic that it's been immortalized on magnets, t-shirts, and other souvenirs, and is served in-flight on Cathay Pacific, the home carrier many Hongkongers see as part of the city's identity. At many cafés, milk tea comes with its own designated cup, too: a red-and-white teacup with a cow on it, meant to look like Black & White canned evaporated milk, the Dutch brand traditionally used to prepare the drink. For those with roots in Hong Kong but live abroad—including me—milk tea is a comforting, nostalgic beverage that tastes like home.

Though Hong Kong milk tea can easily be found all across the city, it's usually enjoyed in cha chaan tengs—"tea cafés" or Hong Kong-style diners—alongside other local specialties, such as French toast, tender pineapple buns, and spam and egg sandwiches. These offerings may not sound traditionally Chinese, but they belong to a key genre of Hong Kong cuisine called "soy sauce Western," where dishes aren't quite British or Chinese, but fall somewhere in between. 

A Brief History of Hong Kong Milk Tea

Hong Kong milk tea rose to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s, when the city was still a British colony. Yearning for a taste of the tea and milk the Brits regularly drank, which was only available in expensive hotels and restaurants, locals came up with their own version. Instead of using fresh milk—a scarcity and a luxury ingredient at the time—Hong Kongers turned to canned evaporated milk, an affordable option that gives milk tea its signature silky-smooth mouthfeel.

Traditionally, the tea is "pulled" from one mesh strainer to another: It's poured back and forth to create a bold, concentrated brew and help aerate the tea, then strained into large pitchers. Some places pull the tea with the evaporated milk, while others stir in the evaporated milk right before serving. Some call the drink "silk stocking tea" or "pantyhose tea," referring to the resemblance the strainer has to the women's garment.  

Though some places opt for a nice oolong tea, most establishments use Lipton black tea, a versatile, budget-friendly blend of Assam and Ceylon. As for the evaporated milk, many locals are proudly and deeply devoted to the Black & White brand, which they believe produces the smoothest milk tea. It's possible to find the tea sweetened, but most of the milk tea I've had comes unsweetened, with most establishments leaving it up to the diner to decide how much sugar they'd like to add. 

Recreating Hong Kong Milk Tea at Home

Since the drink is so ubiquitous in Hong Kong, most people don't bother making it themselves. And if you live outside Hong Kong in a city with a significant Cantonese population, such as San Francisco, Vancouver, or Toronto, there's likely a café near you that serves it. Because I live in the suburbs of New York, where there are no good cha chaan tengs—let alone Chinese restaurants—within a 20-mile radius, the only way I can get a cup of solid milk tea is if I make it myself. Luckily for me, the drink takes less than 10 minutes to make and requires just three ingredients: black tea bags, evaporated milk, and sugar. (And, yes, water for brewing the tea.)

Simmer Your Tea

The key to a great cup of Hong Kong milk tea is to make sure it's strong: It needs to be bold and bitter enough to make you pucker slightly if you try it without the evaporated milk and sugar. For a regular, non-Hong Kong-style cup of tea, you'd probably use one tea bag for every cup of water. For a truly robust cup of tea, I simmer five black tea bags in three cups of water, which produces a concentrated brew that tastes just like one you'd find in a cha chaan teng and is caffeinated enough to keep you buzzed for hours.

Yes, you could go the traditional route by pulling the tea back and forth with cloth-mesh strainers for an extra-smooth and aerated brew, but at home, I've found simmering to be the easiest and most consistent method for getting the tea's strength and texture just right.

Evaporated Milk Is Essential

Some of you will ask if half-and-half, heavy cream, or dairy-free options will work here. Sure, you could use it—but your tea won't taste like true Hong Kong milk tea. Canned evaporated milk is milk that's had about 60% of its water removed, resulting in a rich, creamy dairy product that gives milk tea its silky-smooth mouthfeel while rounding out the tea's bitter tannins. My recipe calls for just 1/4 cup of evaporated milk, but if you'd like it a touch richer, feel free to add more to taste. 

Sweeten to Taste

Some recipes call for sweetening the tea with condensed milk, but I find it easier to use granulated sugar. A little condensed milk goes a long way, and even an extra teaspoon can quickly take your tea from pleasantly sweet to cloying. Condensed milk also alters the dairy-to-tea ratio of your beverage, resulting in a less potent brew.