Hong Kong Milk Tea

Hong Kong Milk Tea is colonialism in a cup. We all know that afternoon tea enjoyed by Hong Kongers is the single most pervasive legacy of British rule and milk tea is the most potent symbol of English traditions fused with Chinese sensibilities. The best milk tea, known for its bitter, full-bodied and velvety smooth taste, is made with a special blend of black Ceylon tea that is strained through silk stockings and mixed with evaporated milk.

There variations of this favorite drink with iced milk tea prepared with ice cubes. In the old days, when machines for producing ice cubes were not popular, the iced milk tea was made by filling the hot milk tea into a glass bottle and then cooling it in a fridge. Sometimes the milk tea were filled in Vitasoy or Coca-Cola bottles and were sold by bottle. Today, this type of "bottle milk tea" is rare in Hong Kong. Iced milk tea in cans or plastic bottles can be found in many of the convenience stores around Hong Kong such as 7-Eleven and Circle K.

In the case of milk tea with ice cubes, the melting ice will dilute the content, thus affecting the taste of the drink; therefore, many people prefer the old way of preparing iced milk tea. Today, some cha chaan tengs serve ice-less iced milk tea, made by pouring hot milk tea into a plastic cup and then cooling it in a fridge. Another way is to place the cup/bottle into a cold water bath, which is called "ice bath milk tea."

Cha chow is milk tea prepared with condensed milk, instead of evaporated milk and sugar. Its taste is, as can be expected, sweeter than ordinary milk tea. In the old days, it was mostly drunk by older people who had "congestion" in their throats.