Chinese tea culture features strongly in Hong Kong but the local milk tea is a more recent concoction, having only come on the scene in the 1950s. Various blends of Sri Lankan black tea are infused with evaporated or condensed milk. It is called Stocking Milk Tea because it is percolated in a stocking-like filter. The brew is smooth and creamy in texture.
A cup of Hong Kong Milk Tea. Photo credit: discoverhongkong.com
The local passion for this beverage cannot be understated: it drives the consumption of hundreds of millions cups of milk tea every year, has inspired competitions to find the best vendors and turned the beverage into an icon of Hong Kong’s food scene.