Hong Kong Milk Tea
Dark Ceylon-Assam tea blended with evaporated and condensed milk — Hong Kong's silk-stocking-filtered milk tea, a British colonial–Cantonese hybrid.
- 3 tbspblack tea(Ceylon blend preferred)
- 8 ozwater
- 3 ozevaporated milk
- 2 tspsugar(to taste)
- 1Boil water and add tea leaves.
- 2Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- 3Strain through cloth filter back into pot.
- 4Pour through filter again 2-3 times for smoothness.
- 5Add evaporated milk and sugar.
- 6Heat through without boiling.
- 7Serve hot in a mug.
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Hong Kong Milk Tea is one of the defining beverages of Hong Kong's unique culinary identity — a hybridization of British colonial afternoon tea culture and local Cantonese flavors that emerged during the century of British rule (1842-1997). The drink, called nai cha (milk tea) or si meen nai cha (silk stocking milk tea) for the traditional stocking filter used to brew it, uses a blend of Ceylon and Assam black teas brewed to a dark, intensely tannic concentrate, then mixed with evaporated milk and condensed milk rather than fresh cream. The evaporated and condensed milk give Hong Kong Milk Tea a richer, slightly caramelized sweetness that distinguishes it from British-style tea. The drink is served hot or cold, and its iced version — poured over ice after preparation — became a global bubble tea and Asian cafe staple.
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