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Hong Kong Coffee milk tea recipe
5 from 111 votes

Hong Kong Coffee milk tea recipe

Hong Kong Coffee Milk Tea blends strong black tea steeped directly in milk with robust coffee, delivering a creamy, richly flavored beverage with a mellow tea aroma balanced by bold coffee. The preparation uses a gentle steeping method to infuse the milk with tea flavor without bitterness. Optional additions like evaporated milk and sweeteners create a sweet, smooth texture, while variations include optional fillings such as pudding or coffee jelly.

Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
15 mins
Optional chilling time (for an iced version)
2 hrs
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 129 kcal
Course: Dessert, Drinks, Snacks
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

Hot coffee milk tea
  • ½ Cup coffee Substitute: cold brew coffee or a shot of espresso. Instead of making the coffee in a separate mug, I added 4-6 teaspoons of instant coffee directly to the hot pot of milk, followed by ½ Cup of hot water then mixed well (to save on washing up!, strong
  • 4-6 black tea bags If using tea leaves, use ⅓ Cup, loosely packed. See Notes on exact Hong Kong standard mix break-down if you're a tea aficionado, preferably Ceylon; Assam and Darjeeling are alternatives
  • 1¾ Cups milk Substitute: plant-based milk if vegan or flexitarian (Avoid coconut milk if you don't want a coconut- flavoured drink!, whole
  • evaporated milk Substitute: condensed milk (you can omit or reduce the sugar in this case, to taste, optional
  • sugar I prefer to use brown sugar, or simple syrup; preferable for iced drinks; to taste
  • pudding
  • coffee jelly
  • boba pearls optional fillings
Iced coffee milk tea
  • 1 or more ice cubes In addition to all of the above. Use fewer, bigger ice cubes (instead of smaller ones) if you want your ice to melt more slowly.

Instructions

Hot Hong Kong Coffee milk tea (I have provided a simplified tea-making process here but if you want to follow the style of Hong Kong cha chan tengs, see Notes.)
    Cup of Yum
  1. Pour the milk into a small saucepan, and add the black tea leaves or tea bags. Make sure the tea bags are immersed in the milk and not floating on it! Heat over low fire till just about to boil, then switch off the fire and allow to steep. It will vary depending on the pot you use, but it took me about 12 minutes to bring the milk to steaming on a Bosch induction fire of 2.0 (where the maximum is 9.0) The milk should gradually turn light brown- if it doesn't, your tea is probably not immersed in the milk or you're not using a strong enough tea!
  2. Alternatively, you can heat the milk (with the tea leaves/ bags) in a microwave - make sure you use a microwave-safe container and leave at least 1-2 inches from the top of the milk to the rim of the container. Heat on low for 10 seconds at a time, stirring well in between each 10 second blitz, till the milk is steaming and allow the tea to steep.
  3. Whilst the tea is brewing/ steeping, make some strong coffee.
  4. Once the tea has steeped, add the coffee (to the tea) followed by the condensed or evaporated milk (if using.)
  5. Sweeten to taste then pour into the individual cups. (Some recipes sweeten the tea and coffee individually which I don't recommend as it's always best to sweeten the final drink.)
  6. If using fillings, add after pouring into cups (this allows you to customise the fillings for each person.)
Iced Hong Kong Coffee milk tea
  1. Follow Steps 1-4 above.
  2. Chill the mixed beverage in the fridge, then sweeten right before serving- You would need to use a sugar syrup solution (or honey) here as sugar won't dissolve in a cold drink.
  3. Alternatively, you can use sugar to sweeten right after mixing the coffee and tea (when they're still hot) - but note that how sweet something tastes changes with the temperature for the SAME drink, so it's always best to sweeten at the temperature you want to drink. (i.e. the same cup of tea may taste perfect when hot, then bland when cold.)
  4. Once ready to drink, pour into cups, add ice and any filings you like.

Notes

  • The nutritional information excludes optional fillings like boba or coffee jelly and is an estimate.
  • Authentic Hong Kong milk tea uses a precise blend of teas steeped in a "silk stocking" strainer; this recipe offers a simplified version.
  • Milk should be heated gently with the tea leaves submerged to avoid bitterness and achieve the desired color.
  • The coffee-to-tea ratio can be adjusted by personal taste; a 3:7 ratio is traditional but can be modified.
  • Select larger ice cubes for iced versions to prevent rapid dilution.

Nutrition Information

Calories 129kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 10g (3%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g (1%) Monounsaturated Fat 1g (5%) Cholesterol 26mg (9%) Sodium 82mg (3%) Potassium 349mg (7%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 346IU (7%) Calcium 264mg (26%) Iron 0.01mg (0%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 129

% Daily Value*

Calories 129kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g 1%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 26mg 9%
Sodium 82mg 3%
Potassium 349mg 7%
Sugar 10g 20%
Vitamin A 346IU 7%
Calcium 264mg 26%
Iron 0.01mg 0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.