Milk tea is a beverage that is popular in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries.
It is typically prepared with black tea (e.g., Assamese & Darjeeling) or oolong tea leaves mixed with milk and sugar to produce a slightly sweet drink. Milk tea can be served hot or cold.
To make milk tea, first brew a pot of black or oolong tea. Once brewed, pour the tea into a pitcher and add two cups of whole milk and two tablespoons of sugar.
Stir well and serve chilled or hot. To make cold milk tea, simply add ice to the serving glass before pouring in the tea.
Besides black or oolong tea, other types of tea can be used to prepare milk tea. For instance, green tea is used to produce Taiwanese bubble milk green tea, while white and pu-erh teas are often served with evaporated milk as they are in Hong Kong.
Adding lemon juice to the beverage is another way of giving it a twist and making it more interesting.
Milk tea has become such an integral part of local culture that it is often described as a national drink or “national tea” in some Southeast Asian countries.
In Singapore, for instance, caffeine-free milk tea can be found in local eateries, where it is often served with warm Chinese tea. In Hong Kong, people often drink milk tea outside of shopping malls or food courts.
Some cafes even offer unlimited refills of the beverage for customers who purchase their meals.
For milk tea aficionados, preparing this beverage at home is a feasible option.
Recipes and instructions can be found on the Internet or in cookbooks, while black tea bags and instant milk tea powder are available at supermarkets and specialty grocers.
For those who want to take their love for hot beverages one step further, another popular beverage in Hong Kong is known as “egg coffee”. It is made of coffee, milk and beaten eggs that are served in a tall glass.
Milk tea is also enjoyed throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Search the web for “milk tea” or “milktea” to find local cafes that serve it or to get online recipes on how to prepare this beverage at home.
So this is how to make Milk Tea.