Is Hong Kong milk tea really be made through a silk stocking?

Hong Kong milk tea is one part of Hong Kong people’s life

“Silk stocking milk tea” is a type of milk tea with the most Hong Kong style, also known as “Hong Kong milk tea” or “Hong Kong-style milk tea“.
Since the beginning of British colonial rule in Hong Kong, the British have brought the concept of “afternoon tea” to Hong Kong. Different from the common Chinese people’s habit of drinking tea in the morning, the British are used to enjoying tea at about 3 PM, between lunch and work, and having some dessert.
Ceylon black tea is very popular in Hong Kong because of its good tastes and costs less. Westerners like to add light milk and sugar when drinking tea, to make the tea taste more fragrant and smooth. It becomes the basis of Hong Kong milk tea.
Silk stockings milk tea is a common drink in Hong Kong People’s Daily breakfast and afternoon tea. The milk tea served by Hong Kong tea restaurants is basically made in the way of silk stockings milk tea.

Is Hong Kong milk tea really be made through a silk stocking?

The inventor of silk stockings milk tea is Muhe Lin, the founder of Lan Fong Yuen, a time-honored brand in Hong Kong’s Central.
Before world war ii, coffee was popular in Hong Kong, and milk tea became popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
In the beginning, Hong Kong milk tea was relatively rough and the tea was bitter, because most restaurants in Hong Kong used big kettles to boil tea, and the long-time steeping made the tea taste bitter and astringent.
In 1952, Muhe Lin formed the Lan Fong Yuen restaurant in Central and began to improve Hong Kong milk tea. He got a blacksmith and made a small teapot out of copper, which he called the “hand pot”, and his wife used a cloth to self-make a filter, for separating the tea leaves.

The birthplace of Hong Kong-style milk tea – Lan fong yuen

“The teapot is so small that you don’t have to heat it too long and use the cloth bag to wash the tea, you can remove the plant flavor and make the tea taste even,” he said. “the steeping time should be controlled properly, too short can not remove the plant smell, too long will make the tea become bitter and harm the stomach.”
At that time, the workers who work near the docks will come and buy a cup of milk tea. “The workers saw me wash my tea in a bag and feel it was very interesting. When they saw that the cloth bag was brown, they thought it was silk stockings. So every time they will shout, ‘one cup of silk stockings milk tea’.” Muhe Lin said.
So, Hong Kong milk tea gradually get the nickname “silk stockings milk tea” But in fact, is not made through silk stockings.

How to make a cup of Hong Kong milk tea

The way to make traditional Hong Kong milk tea, should prepare a filter, which is made by nylon mesh first.
Place the Ceylon black tea in the nylon mesh. The Ceylon black tea is classified by shape and size. Tea masters can change the flavor, color, and concentration of milk tea through control the amount of Ceylon tea,
Then, put the nylon mesh filled with black tea into a teapot, add boiling water, cover and let it steep for a few minutes. This process is called “baked tea.”
After the tea taste come out, poured it into another teapot, and poured it back into the first teapot through a filter, repeated several times. This process is called “pulled tea“, just like the “Teh Tarik” in Malaysia.

The cloth tea filter bag looks like a silk stocking

Repeatedly pulling and filtering, black tea leaves are completely filtered out, and coupled with the effect of surface tension, making black tea form a smooth and delicate taste.
As a result, the nylon filter mesh is dyed coffee color, look like silk stocking from far away, easy can be mistaken by the person think this milk tea is made through silk stocking.
Finally, pour the black tea into a cup that has been with milk, a traditional Hong Kong milk tea is made.

Yuenyeung(tea with coffee), another kind of Hong Kong-style milk tea

Yuenyeung – tea with coffee

Yuenyeung milk tea is another popular way of steeping black tea in Hong Kong.
To make Yuenyeung milk tea, first, use the Hong Kong-style milk tea steeping method to make a cup of black tea, and then brew a cup of coffee of the same volume. At last, mix the two and add milk and sugar to taste.
Because the ratio of black tea and coffee is 1:1, just like the mandarin duck(called Yuenyeung in Chinese), which is the symbol of loyal love, so named Yuenyeung milk tea.
Yuenyeung milk tea has both the fragrance of coffee and the smooth of milk tea, it’s a special flavor.