Sunday, October 14, 2007

Hong Kong-style milk tea

Hong Kong-style milk tea or Dai-pai-dong milk tea is a beverage that is made of black tea and evaporated milk. Similar drinks from other parts of Asia are The buble tea (boba tea) from Taiwan and the Malaysian Teh tarik. Hong Kong-style milk tea includes mix of several types of black tea (which and at what proportion are secrets of famous milk tea sellers), evaporated milk and sugar. Sugar is usually added by customers themselves.
A very interesting feature of Hong Kong-style milk tea is that a sack cloth bag is used to filter the tea leaves. It is believed that such a bag makes the tea smoother, gradually develops and intense brown colour as a result of prolonged tea drenching. This bag looks like a pantyhose so this milk tea is also know as "silk stocking milk tea".
Some people think that milk should be added before pouring the tea, but there are also those who claim the opposite. It should also be mentioned that the iced milk tea prepared with ice cubes also exists.
A cup of hot milk tea is usually served either in a ceramic cup (often referred to as a "coffee cup") or in a low cylindrical cup made of glass or ceramic.
Cha chow ("tea without" (evaporated milk)) is a milk tea prepared with condensed milk, instead of evaporated milk and sugar. Its taste is sweeter than ordinary milk tea.
Finally, there is a drink called Yuanyang which is a milk tea mixed with coffee.

1 comment:

SheR. said...

For the best Hong Kong Milk, the tea brewer has to combine 8 types of tea leaves. And the cloth sack for filtering must be thick enough.
Evaporated milk or condensed milk is used depending on the type of tea that is being made.
In Singapore, we have Teh-C (Tea with evaporated milk), Teh (Tea with condensed milk), Teh-O (Tea without milk). Not forgetting Teh Tarik (Indians make the best of this "pulled tea"). And Teh Halia (Tea with ginger).
:)