Hong Kong-style Milk Tea - Production

Production

Hong Kong-style milk tea is made of a mix of several types of black tea (the proportion of which is usually a "commercial secret" for some milk tea vendors, often Pu Lei and a type of Ceylon tea), evaporated milk, and sugar, the last of which is added by the customers themselves unless in the case of take-away. A variety uses condensed milk instead of milk and sugar, giving the tea a richer feel.

To make the tea, water and tea (about 1 to 3 teaspoons of tea a cup, depending how strong the drinker likes) are brought to a boil then simmered for about 3–6 minutes. The tea is usually put in a sackcloth bag before the water is added to the pot to filter it out or if no bag available poured through a strainer. Many people also remove the pot from the heat once it boils for about 3 minutes, then bring the pot to a boil again. This process can be repeated several times, intensifying the caffeine/flavor.

The key feature of Hong Kong-style milk tea is that a sackcloth bag is used to filter the tea leaves. However any other filter/strainer may be used to filter the tea. Sackcloth bags are not completely necessary but generally preferred. The bag, reputed to make the tea smoother, gradually develops an intense brown colour as a result of prolonged tea drenching. Together with the shape of the filter, it resembles a silk stocking, giving Hong Kong-style milk tea the nickname of "pantyhose" or "silk stocking" milk tea (Chinese: 絲襪奶茶). This nickname is used in Hong Kong but less so in mainland China and overseas communities.

There is some debate over the most authentic way of making milk tea, i.e. the sequence of adding each ingredient. Some have argued that milk should be added before pouring the tea, while others hold the opposite view. Though, to most people, both methods are acceptable.

Milk tea is a popular part of many Hong Kongers' daily lives, typically served as part of afternoon tea, but also at breakfast or dinner. It enjoys nearly the same ubiquitous status that coffee holds in the West. Whilst not offered by more traditional Cantonese restaurants or dim sum teahouses, milk tea is standard fare in Hong Kong-style western restaurants and cha chaan teng, as well as Hong Kong's historic dai pai dong, with a price between HKD$8–$12 (hot, one or two dollars more for cold). A cup of hot milk tea is usually either served in a ceramic cup (often referred to as a "coffee cup" 咖啡杯) or a tall cylindrical plastic glass.

In contrast, some expatriate Westerners and tourists may not hold milk tea in as high regard. The 2006 edition of the Rough Guide to Hong Kong and Macau compares the local milk tea unfavourably with "proper" English tea served in more formal Western cafes and hotels such as the Peninsula Hotel, citing different cultural preferences. In the Lonely Planet World Food Hong Kong, traditional Chinese tea and high teas in hotels are favoured over milk tea, which is not mentioned at all.