TEA IS ASSOCIATED globally with places such as China and Sri Lanka – but Hong Kong has its own characteristic style of tea too. Often called “Hong Kong milk tea” (港式奶茶) it is a smooth, sweet drink, sometimes served in a glass or a small thick-sided cup..
When the Art Basel fair was held in Paris, the Hong Kong Tourism Board set up a Hong Kong tea house, or cha chaan teng (茶餐廳), at the Grand Palais. It served Hong Kong-style milk tea and egg tarts, pineapple buns and barbecued pork snacks. It was the first event of a three-year global partnership between the tourist body and Art Basel.
You sometimes hear the phrase “silk stocking milk tea” (絲襪奶茶). This comes from a tradition in which milk tea masters used sackcloth bags to sieve the milk tea several times to get a richer taste and a smoother texture. The pale brown resembles a pair of silk stockings.
From choosing and brewing tea leaves, controlling water temperature and pulling the tea, mastering a good cuppa is apparently a work of art.
KAMCHA COMPETITION
Local businessman Simon Wong Ka-wo, who operates food and beverage businesses in Hong Kong, strongly supports the annual KamCha Competition (金茶王), which has encouraged young milk tea masters since 2009.
The KamCha Competition, which literally means the Golden Milk Tea King, has been held in Hong Kong each year. In recent years, the scale of the contest has been expanded and staged in some Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area, including Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou.
Wong said he aims to preserve the unique culture and heritage of Hong Kong-style milk tea, and promote the unique beverage to the GBA.
Last year, Hong Kong student Mak Ka-chun (麥嘉俊) overcame more than 140 participants to win the KamCha competition staged in some Mainland cities in the GBA. Mak has earlier clinched the championship title in the contest held in Hong Kong.
Mak, who is a graduate of Diploma in Food and Beverage Operations programme in the Vocational Training Council’s Hotel and Tourism Institute, told local media that he was thrilled to win the awards.
With his knowledge of making cocktails during his studies in the VTC, Mak tested his limits in the KamCha competition, spending more than two months to learn techniques for brewing and pulling milk tea,
Mak set his target to work in catering industry and expressed hopes that he would open his own restaurant in one day.
PULLING SILKY MILK TEA
Also, local milk tea lovers can curate their own authentic cuppa based on their preferences. Hong Kong’s milk tea is mainly sourced from Ceylon tea leaves from Sri Lanka. Evaporated or condensed milk has also been used instead of fresh milk.
After all the tea leaves have been blended, milk tea lovers can make preparation for brewing process. One teapot can be filled with boiling water and another one is filled with tea leaves inside the filter tea bag.
Then you pass the tea several times through the sackcloth bags, bringing the tea aroma out and making the taste smooth.
Many people then add evaporated milk and a little sugar in the English style.
QUINTESSENTIAL CHA CHAAN TENGS
Pausing for milk tea and egg tarts or pineapple buns in cha chaan tengs have been endearing part of Hong Kong’s lifestyle for many decades.
Some quintessential cha chaan tengs, such as Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園) in Central and Kam Fung Restaurant (金鳳茶餐廳) in Wan Chai, have their own custom formula to curate their signature milk tea to satisfy different customers’ tastes.
Lan Fong Yuen was founded in the early 1950s. The restaurant’s vintage “silk stocking milk tea” has been made based on its original family recipe. The restaurant’s masters have brewed and pulled the milk tea through sackcloth bags.
Having started business in late 1950s, Kam Fung Restaurant is also known for its strongly flavoured milk tea made with a mix of tea leaves, including Lipton black tea.
Image at the top from Hong Kong Tourism Board.