Recipe: How to make Hong Kong-style tea/coffee

Factual Questions
1

A few weeks ago, I went to a bubble tea place in Seatte. (Bubble tea also goes by the name Boba here in SoCal – it’s basically tapioca balls in tea or juice)

Anyway, I noticed on the menu something called “H.K. style” as one of the flavors. Being an adventurous fellow, I ordered it without the slightest clue what it was. Well… it was delicious. On my way out, I asked the guy exactly what it was and he said it was Hong Kong style – tea and coffee.

Anyone have a good recipe? What proportion of tea to coffee? What kind of coffee? What kind of tea? Milk? Cream? Sugar? Other secret ingredients?

A little google search reaveals that this may also go by the name Yuanyang, but I can’t find any particulars.

Anyone know?

2

I don’t know for sure but I drink it as well. Very close to milked tea that I got hooked on while in japan 10 years ago.

I believe it’s only coffee and orange pekoe tea, creme (or milk, but half and half is my personal favorite) and sugar…lots of sugar.

Normally it’s served cold (but hot is also possible).

I’d say it’s a 50/50 mix of tea and coffee.

3

I live in San Francisco, and I grew up drinking “HK Style tea” all the time. It is usually served hot by the way, as it is normally drunk this way in Hong Kong. Im fairly certain its basically its a mix of milk and tea. What kind of tea I do not know; nor do I know the right ratio. As I was saying, its normally served hot and you are not supposed to put sugar in it; rather you use condensed/evaporated milk to sweeten it and make it thicker.

Tea + Coffee is not “HK Style Tea.” I think you are thinking of “Yin Yurng” in Cantonese. Basically it translates to “Ying Yang” This mix is half “HK Style tea” and half coffee.

I think the history of HK style tea is basically the Hong Kong people ripped off the British custom of putting milk with their tea. Thats all there is to it.

4

Thanks for your info. Not that I doubt you or anything, but the menu definitely said HK Style and the chinese guy behind the counter told me it was tea and coffee. Did I mention this place is in Chinatown (actually the ID for all you Seattlites)?

5

OK, that was a pretty snarky response. I apologize. Basically I’d like to try to recreate whatever it is I had this one time.

6

I see now. This will clear up everything.

HK Style TEA (Gnai Chai) = Tea + Milk
HK Style COFFEE (Yin Yurng) = Coffee + (Reg Tea Or HK STYLE TEA)

I reread your post and I think I know why the guy behind the counter said its coffee + tea. The reason is because you looked at the menu at it said “HK Style.” But HK Style what? HK style tea, or HK Style coffee.

Thats the answer to your question. I guess you WERE drinking coffee + tea. I thought you were drinking HK Style tea, because Ive never heard of people drinking tapioca with HK Style COFFEE.

Anyway, I cant tell you the recipe but Ive heard my mom said its half/half (the reason for the name Yin Yurng, half and half). So Im guessing its just regular coffee with milk+sugar already added in, with some orange/black pekoe tea in a 1:1 ratio. I wouldnt try it if I were you however. If you have access to Bubble Tea/Boba, then you have access to Chinese grocers/markets. You can buy cans of HK style tea/coffee there, which should taste great.

Oh and btw, you should try HK style tea as well too. Most people like it far more then the coffee version. I would say at a HK afternoon snack style restaurant, 4 out of 5 people order the tea version over the coffee version. Good luck!

7

I live in Hong Kong and I’ve never even heard of HK-style coffee!

8

Its called “Gnai Chai.” in HK. Literally means MILK TEA.

Also of course you never heard of HK Style Tea in Hong Kong. :smiley:
I live in San Francisco and I never heard of San Francisco Sourdough. Its just sourdough.

9

I think another difference is that they use condensed milk instead of real milk.

10

Hong Kong “Gnai Chai” (milk tea) is tea with evaporated milk. Try Nestlé’s Carnation Milk.

11

No, it’s a kind of duck. Normally I would give a more qualified response, but I just learned this today, and from a good source. Maybe they’ve got it wrong in SF, I don’t know.